At age 18, Lin Qiaozhi chose to study medicine instead of following the traditional path of marriage like the {#blank#}1{#/blank#} of girls. After graduating from Peking Union Medical College, Lin Qiaozhi immediately became the first woman ever to be hired as a resident {#blank#}2{#/blank#} the OB-GYN department of the PUMC Hospital. In 1941, she became the first Chinese woman ever to be {#blank#}3{#/blank#} director of that department. Dr Lin opened a private clinic to help people in need and charged very low {#blank#}4{#/blank#} and often reduced costs for poor patients. In 1954, she was elected to the first National People's Congress and held many important {#blank#}5{#/blank#}.