Chapter 134: The Hospital Office Conundrum

Many people mistakenly believe that the Administration Office is the Dean’s Office, but that is not the case.

Its full name is the Hospital Office, ranking second among all administrative departments—only behind the Party Office.

Its apparent role is to coordinate routine administrative affairs, handle various ad hoc tasks, and enforce the orders issued by the hospital’s top leaders.

Yet its power is far greater than many imagine.

It might be a stretch to compare it to an imperial cabinet in an ancient dynasty, but since it embodies the will of the Dean and other senior leaders, few would dare challenge its authority.

As for the Medical Department—often seen by patients and their families as the primary channel for complaints against doctors and nurses—it actually ranks very low among administrative departments.

In many hospitals, the Medical Department is forced to grovel like a subordinate, hardly regarded as an equal.

The tasks assigned from above are simply beyond what the Medical Department can accomplish on its own.

They must secure the cooperation of the clinical departments.

For example, with the revenue of the Neurosurgery department having recently declined, a new growth target needed to be set.

Upon receiving the directive, the Medical Department hurried off to negotiate with the chair of Neurosurgery.

They even summoned every physician at or above the deputy director level from that department for a meeting.

They bluntly ordered, “Your department must achieve this revenue target this quarter.”

The bigwigs in Neurosurgery dismissed the Medical Department’s representatives as merely blowing hot air.

“What gives?”

The Medical Department was well aware that these key department heads were the pillars of the hospital—direct confrontation was simply not an option.

Thus, they had to resort to softer tactics.

Unable to confront directly, the head of the Medical Department sent the deputy director instead, who politely negotiated, showering them with compliments while urging Neurosurgery’s doctors to cooperate to boost revenue.

This is a candid portrayal of the Medical Department.

Incidentally, you often hear people say that nurses are formidable—able to scold doctors and patients alike, taking on anything.

Yet the Nursing Department still ranks behind the Medical Department.

If even the Medical Department is treated like a subordinate, how impressive can the Nursing Department be?

At best, there is a mutual respect and cooperation aimed at advancing the hospital’s services.

That’s all.

One more thing: most nurses are women—and attractive ones, at that.

Most doctors, however, are men.

Men have an innate instinct to care for and protect women.

Thus, patients and their families often witness scenes suggesting a reversal of roles in the hospital. In reality, it is merely an illusion.

……

Zhou Can soon arrived at the Hospital Office.

This place is essentially the command center of the hospital, where coordination, oversight, and the processing of various requests take place.

Inside, there are several workstations.

There are at least over thirty people present.

Apart from the office director, everyone else is a secretary, organizer, or public relations staff member.

Zhou Can glanced around at the entrance but did not see Director Lou.

A young woman seated near the door noticed his curious look.

“You must be Dr. Zhou Can?”

Zhou Can nodded repeatedly, surprised that even the staff recognized him.

It seemed that the trainee was doing quite well.

“Director Lou from the Emergency Department asked me to come to the Hospital Office. May I ask…?”

“Director Lou and the others are in the meeting room to the left. You can go right in.”

She pointed to the left.

“Thank you!”

Zhou Can beamed with pride.

It was clear that Director Lou had briefed her well—no wonder she knew his name.

He then proceeded into the adjacent meeting room.

Inside, a heated debate was already underway.

Director Lou’s booming voice carried clearly from afar.

Gathering his courage, Zhou Can knocked on the door.

“Come in!”

A steady middle-aged woman’s voice responded.

Zhou Can pushed the door open and stepped into the room.

Inside, Director Lou, Director Xie, and Director You from Orthopedics were gathered, along with a formidable middle-aged woman of medium height sporting lightly brown, short curly hair reminiscent of a cabbage head—yet distinct.

This woman appeared to be well into her forties.

Her composed demeanor was striking.

Her piercing eyes exuded authority, and when they swept over Zhou Can, he couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze.

Her presence was overwhelmingly intimidating.

“Alright, now that Zhou Can is here, if any of the directors have something to say, please speak up,” she commanded.

The middle-aged woman clearly knew who Zhou Can was.

In contrast, Zhou Can realized he did not know her at all.

“Little Zhou, I underestimated you! To complain to the Emergency Department that our Surgical Department was deliberately suppressing you—impressive,” Director Xie sneered.

Director Xie’s face turned dark with anger.

No sooner had Zhou Can entered than he was being berated.

Director You of Orthopedics also shot him a very unfriendly look.

“I never went to Director Lou with a complaint!”

Zhou Can looked utterly confused.

Being suppressed was bad enough; now Director Xie was wrongly accusing him.

“It wasn’t him who complained—it was I who learned from other channels that you were being treated unfairly in Orthopedics, and that angered me. So I went to Director Fang to get things sorted out.”

Director Lou spoke up, defending Zhou Can.

At that moment, Zhou Can finally understood what was happening.

He was overwhelmed with emotion.

He had been bullied in Orthopedics by Director Xie, and once the Emergency Department learned of it, Director Lou personally rushed to the Hospital Office to demand justice.

With such strong backing, he felt truly fortunate.

He was no longer an unloved ‘orphan.’

Even if the Emergency Department recognized him as a talent, he remained deeply grateful to them.

That sense of belonging was profound.

“No matter which department’s trainee rotates through our Emergency Department, we nurture them wholeheartedly and treat everyone equally. You all know well how Zhou Can performed during his rotation in Orthopedics. From what I understand privately, he is the best among the eighteen doctors training there.”

It was clear that Director Lou had done his homework before coming to the Hospital Office.

He had thoroughly assessed the situation.

He and Dr. Xu never engaged in a battle unless they were certain of victory.

“But then, why was he suddenly shifted to the Outpatient Department for miscellaneous tasks? Isn’t that unfair? Director Xie, although I usually yield to your Surgical Department due to its scale and importance, this time if you can’t even accommodate a trainee from our Emergency Department, I worry that once he masters his skills, our Emergency Department will only grow stronger.”

“Today, Director Lou has even brought his resignation and appointment letters. If our Emergency Department can’t be accommodated, then what is its purpose? Either disband it outright, or have you, Director Xie, take over as the Emergency Department Chief.”

Director Lou’s explosive outburst at the Hospital Office carried a resolute, almost combative tone.

Perhaps years of suppression from other departments had forced the Emergency Department to operate in a subordinate manner.

This simmering frustration had built over many years.

The mistreatment of Zhou Can had become the spark that ignited his emotions.

It completely set off his pent-up frustrations.

He had even prepared his resignation letter.

This all-out stance truly frightened Director Xie.

As head of the Surgical Department, Director Xie wielded immense power, status, and a substantial income. Though his academic credentials were slightly lacking, his surgical and treatment expertise made him a major force in medicine.

If Director Lou were to suddenly quit,

the hospital leadership would know it was Director Xie’s narrow-mindedness that forced the Emergency Department chief out.

Then he would be saddled with the burden of the Emergency Department.

That would be utterly foolhardy.

No matter how brilliant a doctor’s academic or surgical skills may be, they mean nothing in the face of organizational power.

Director Xie, in his high position, was all too aware of this.

Last time in the Emergency Department, when he rushed to claim credit but reaped no benefits, even the Dean showed a hint of disapproval toward him.

Director Xie was very well aware of that fact.

It’s best to act cautiously, lay low, and avoid stirring up trouble.

The hospital’s top brass prioritize stability above all else.

If he keeps causing issues and is not reined in by the higher-ups, who knows what might come next?

At that thought, Director Xie already felt a twinge of regret.

After all, he was just a trainee, wasn’t he?

Was it really necessary to fear him so much?

Director Xie admitted that his reaction that day was excessive.

In truth, it wasn’t really a mistake on his part.

It was his reckless, overconfident testing—an ill-advised gamble borne of both luck and arrogance.

Perhaps he hadn’t anticipated that Director Lou would not only stand up for Zhou Can, but also risk everything by preparing a resignation letter.

Not only him, but even Director Fang was taken aback.

“Director Lou, the Emergency Department has thrived under your leadership. You can’t just walk away. If there’s a problem, the Hospital Office will undoubtedly resolve it,” Director Fang, who usually remained silent, now had to speak up.

He had no choice but to voice his support.

Old Lou was fed up and on the brink of quitting.

If he left, who would take over his position?

There are plenty of doctors with average competence and management skills who might scramble to become the new Emergency Department Chief.

But the question remained: can they truly manage the Emergency Department well?

A department chief must not only have excellent management skills but also top-notch medical expertise.

Finding another Director Lou would be no easy task.

Those with outstanding medical skills often refuse administrative roles, and those without the talent simply can’t handle it.

The success rate of the Emergency Department is not only the hospital’s reputation but also a crucial performance metric.

“Director You, you must explain this matter to Director Lou. Otherwise, it will be hard to account to Director Zhu and Deputy Director Ye,” Director Fang directed his criticism at Director You from Orthopedics, unable to target Director Xie.

He had him well cornered.

“In truth, there was no malice involved—not as Director Lou suggested. Our Orthopedics is more than willing to train several top-notch doctors for the hospital. It’s just that we believe Dr. Zhou Can has already mastered all the essential knowledge and techniques during his rotation in the Orthopedics operating room. We simply wanted to further hone his overall abilities during the remaining days by rotating him to the Outpatient Department.”

“This isn’t suppression at all—it’s special care for Dr. Zhou.”

For ordinary department chiefs, managerial ability is paramount; medical expertise comes second.

Just look at Director You’s silver tongue—capable of turning a death sentence into a lifeline.

“From what I understand, since his transfer to the Outpatient Department, Dr. Zhou has been training in Manual Reduction in the Manual Reduction Room. If they truly meant to suppress him, they would have assigned him grunt work like fetching medicine or collecting test reports.”

Director You earnestly defended himself.

He knew every move Zhou Can made in the Outpatient Department in detail.

It seemed he never stopped keeping an eye on this little player!

“Why transfer someone from an operating room to the Outpatient Department for menial tasks? No one is that naive.”

Director Lou angrily rebuked.

“Just now, Director You stated that there was no malice toward Zhou Can. I, too, believe that the Orthopedics and General Surgery departments can accommodate a trainee as well as visiting doctors from other specialties. Medical expertise is meant to cure, not to be used as a bargaining chip. With just a few days left in his rotation in Orthopedics, there’s no need to overanalyze right or wrong.”

After grasping the overall situation, Director Fang delivered a serious concluding remark.

“Zhou Can will continue to rotate through various departments within Surgery, and I will keep a close watch on this matter. The Emergency Department’s request is modest—they only wish for their staff to be treated fairly during rotations. This obligation applies to Surgery, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics… every department.”

The tone of the Hospital Office Director was far sterner than that of the Medical Department head.

She did not mince words.

Instead, she directly mediated the dispute, upholding the rightful demands of the Emergency Department.

Throughout, she made no disparaging remarks about Director Xie.

Yet her words forced Director Xie to swallow his arrogance and accept her input humbly.

If he continued to act recklessly, the next conversation might not be with the Hospital Office Director but with someone from the hospital’s top leadership.

“Director Fang, Director Lou, I assure you today that the Surgical Department will never be narrow-minded enough to exclude outsiders. I will commit more attention to Zhou Can’s future training. Every department is obligated to nurture future successors—our Surgical Department will rigorously uphold this.”

Discipline is paramount.

If someone makes mistakes and refuses to admit them, they will only face harsher consequences.

Director Xie’s words thus served as a commitment to Directors Fang, Lou, and Zhou Can.

In reality, minor disputes and conflicts of interest among the hospital’s various departments are common.

Usually, these issues are managed through communication among the major department heads.

If the friction escalates, the Medical Department is called in to mediate.

If it rises to the level of major departmental heads, it is generally resolved by the Hospital Office or a vice director in charge of the pertinent affairs.

The Dean rarely intervenes.

However, once the Dean steps in, the consequences are extremely severe.

At the very least, it results in a stern reprimand—effectively a punishment.

“Director Xie, I appreciate your proactive stance in supporting the hospital’s development and talent cultivation. However, this matter must be effectively implemented. Some issues cannot be resolved with minor measures—a small compromise may suffice, but if matters escalate, not even a thousand-pound force can mend it.”

Director Fang was quite satisfied with Director Xie’s response.

Her words carried considerable weight and insight.

Those chosen to be Hospital Office Directors are naturally highly capable.

Many of them are groomed as successors to the hospital’s vice directors.

Some even defy expectations—directly challenging the Dean and eventually rising to power.

However, in hospitals like Tuyu, the Dean is typically appointed from above, leaving little chance for local candidates to ascend.

After the mediation, when Director Xie left, his face was gloomy.

Director You even broke into a cold sweat.

It seemed he never wanted to set foot in the Hospital Office again.

The intangible pressure from Director Fang was truly terrifying.

A director of a minor department can be replaced,

but unseating a major departmental chief is exceedingly difficult, since the heads of smaller departments are held to lower standards—mainly in terms of management.

Many deputy directors or even attending physicians take on the role of department chief in minor departments.

But for a major departmental chief, not just anyone can step into that role—these are the true luminaries of the medical field.