More formal ", Long Kaifeng, born in 2006, believes that this is the difference between long-term caregivers (hereinafter referred to as" long-term caregivers ") and traditional caregivers. Chief nurse is a profession established for long-term care insurance, and its national occupational standards are jointly developed by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the National Medical Insurance Administration. Long term care insurance, known as the "sixth social insurance", is an insurance for caring for disabled individuals and will cover the entire population in the next three years. On March 29th, the first inter provincial joint examination for the vocational skill level recognition of chief nurses in 2026 was held simultaneously in many parts of the country. According to the National Healthcare Security Administration, over 10000 candidates have applied nationwide, with approximately 55% of them being under the age of 40. Long Kaifeng, who is studying nursing at Jingmen Vocational College of Medicine in Hubei Province, is one of the candidates. He told reporters from China Youth Daily and China Youth Net that in the practical exam, there are 8 items for patients with hemiplegia, including turning over, assisting with eating, cleansing, shaving, and changing clothes. These projects correspond to the care services provided by long-term care insurance for disabled individuals. The National Healthcare Security Administration has developed a nationwide unified directory of long-term care services, which includes 36 services urgently needed by severely disabled individuals in the scope of long-term care payment, including 20 essential life care items such as assisting with eating, bathing, and oral hygiene, as well as 16 basic medical care items such as suctioning and catheterization. By 2025, Chief Protectors will start from scratch and rapidly expand nationwide. It is reported that over 10000 people have obtained the certificate of chief nurse, basically achieving the goal of having certified chief nurses in every province (region, city). However, these more than 10000 people cannot meet all the needs, as there are over 40 million disabled or semi disabled elderly people in China. There is a huge gap in the team of chief nurses and related personnel for evaluation and training, and there is an urgent need for new recruits to join. It is reported that a total of 28 people from the Medical College of Jingmen Vocational College participated in the inter provincial examination for chief nurses, including 24 students, mostly majoring in nursing. Actually, more students want to take this exam, but the exam time conflicts with their internship time, so they couldn't take the exam, "said Wang Nengshan, the secretary of the Party branch of Jingmen Vocational College Medical College. According to relevant regulations, long-term care services need to be provided by designated service agencies. Therefore, many institutions providing long-term care services are actively organizing personnel to participate in this exam. Xiaocheng Group organized nearly a hundred employees to participate in this exam, with over half of them being young people under the age of 40. This inter provincial joint examination recognizes the Junior Certificate of Chief Nurse, and after obtaining the Junior Certificate, one can also obtain Intermediate and Advanced Certificates. Zhao Jing, Deputy General Manager of Xiaocheng Group, introduced that employees' monthly income will increase by 1000-2000 yuan after obtaining the intermediate certificate; After obtaining the advanced certificate, there will be further increases. Zhao Jing stated that in recent years, more and more young people have joined companies, many of whom are recent graduates of undergraduate or vocational programs. "After 3-4 years of professional learning, they have solid professional knowledge and great potential. During the interview, the reporter found that the elderly care industry is becoming increasingly specialized, attracting many young people to join. Due to her optimism about the prospects of the elderly care industry, Yao Siyu, born in 2003, joined Xiaocheng Group after graduating from university last year. She obtained the certificate of chief nurse by the end of 2025 and is currently the operational manager of the company's subordinate sites. The site has received thank-you letters from multiple customers, which has made Yao Siyu feel that her work is very valuable. Liang Danyan, born in 1989, has obtained the certificate of chief nurse and has been working in the elderly care industry for two years. She works at Beijing Jujiale Elderly Care Service Co., Ltd., providing fixed services for 9 disabled elderly people, with each elderly person receiving 1.5 hours of care per week. Liang Danyan told reporters that some disabled elderly people are taken care of by their elderly spouse who is also of the same age. There are only two elderly people in the family on a daily basis, and the spouse who is responsible for taking care of them also needs companionship. Liang Danyan not only takes care of disabled elderly people during her weekly home service, but also chats with her lonely spouse, bringing them a lot of comfort. Taking Beijing as an example, long-term care insurance has only been piloted in Shijingshan District, and there is still a large amount of demand that has not been released. At the same time, there is still room for improvement in the number of clients served by practitioners. Liang Danyan said that if the 5-day household registration time is fully booked, it can provide fixed services to 12 customers. An increase in the number of service customers also means an increase in revenue. With the nationwide promotion of long-term care insurance, more and more young people will join it. It is reported that the National Healthcare Security Administration, together with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, has included the profession of chief nurse in the "Skills Illuminate the Future" training action and included it in the urgently needed and scarce vocational skills training projects in many regions. Wang Yanyan, Deputy Director of the Medical Insurance Office of the Chinese Academy of Labor and Social Security Sciences, said that the long-term care insurance is still in its infancy. With the deepening of this work, it is recommended to further increase the professional level of long-term caregivers to attract more high-quality talents to join the team. According to the professional skill level standards for chief nurses, the current junior level corresponds to level five, the intermediate level corresponds to level four, and the advanced level corresponds to level three. This means that there is still room to add higher-level professional levels. With the deepening of China's aging population and the increase in average life expectancy, the time for elderly people to survive with illness will be extended in the future. Wang Yanyan said that the demand for long-term care in society will further increase. The 36 service items currently determined by long-term care insurance will be adjusted in the future with changes in service demand and the improvement of the system. The technical value of long-term caregivers will also increase accordingly, and it is worth more young people with aspirations to join. (New Society)