Age

It remains probable that there are some elementary characteristics that we should not use to discriminate people.

It sounds noble. “Why couldn’t I be admitted to the medical school?” an applicant, 50-year of age, asks. (Oh, this is not one of our retired senior professors – who are usually too busy in the political circle, making money, or both.)

But, let’s stand on the side of the society: medical schools are there to train doctors that serve the community. If the resource for training every doctor is the same, a more “senile” trainee means a shorter working life span – and therefore more costly for the society.

You may say we still should not discriminate aged applicants: that’s the price to pay for fairness in a mature civilized (i.e. affluent) society. My friend, it does not only mean money to train a doctor. Every of our medical student should have enough experience of being refused to be clerked or examined by our patients. Human resource is limited.

PS. On that aspect, young doctors are being discriminated – an aged appearance is always considered to be the sign of experience and competence. As I used to joke with JW: people around can easily tell when we are about to go for private practice – when I start keeping a moustache, and he stop dyeing his hair black !