Wait

While I was reflecting what competence and professionalism are, we had the examination for our third year medical students.

I shall not go through the details here. VW, the usual organizer, prepared almost everything in advance, but was out of town on that day - leaving the on-site running to TL. For some reason, I was assigned to do the examination in the afternoon. (I usually needed only to sit back and watch in the past.)

Throughout the examination, a little story between the King of the Round Table and YF, a secondary school and university classmate of mine, kept flashing back from my memory.

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Senior graduates of my medical school would know our King used to have a peculiar habit for the clinical examination: He would pick a few remarkable students - in terms of their attendance to lecture and bedside teaching - and do the examination by himself - obviously in the fairest manner. Given the track record of His Highness, all students would be horrified to find the King as their examiner.

And that's what happened to YF; when he was waiting for his Final MB Short Case Examination, the King appeared and checked my friend's student number. Yes, His Highness would be the examiner.

I believed my friend's face changed colour and twisted in a funny manner - all observed by the King.

And His Highness smiled to my friend, "Don't worry. I arrived a bit early - I am waiting for someone later ..."