Chapter 208: Turning the Tide: Director Yang Qing’s Concerns

The patient was a 40-year-old woman with a mysterious lump on the outer side of her left elbow. She mentioned it was still growing, causing inconvenience in her daily life.

Terrified it might be a malignant tumor, her anxiety drove her to seek treatment at a hospital to have the lump removed.

Worried that a smaller hospital might not perform a clean surgery or could botch the procedure, she opted for the most renowned hospital in the province, Tuyu Hospital.

After Deputy Director Liu examined her, he recommended surgical removal followed by a pathology test.

Zhou Can had handled plenty of subcutaneous tumors during his time in the Emergency Department.

For a procedure like this, he didn’t even need an anesthesiologist—just a brachial plexus block would do.

Zhou Can only requested an instrument nurse to assist.

With everything set, he got to work.

After a quick initial check of the lump, he deftly took the local anesthetic prepared by the instrument nurse and administered it to the patient’s arm with practiced ease.

As usual, he split the injection into three separate points.

Why settle for one point of injection experience when he could earn three?

Mr. Liu watched from the side, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. This kid’s injection technique was clearly top-notch, so why drag it out with multiple injections?

Though puzzled, Mr. Liu kept quiet as long as the surgery went smoothly.

Most chief physicians could overlook minor quirks in their subordinates’ methods.

As long as the surgery was safe and the quality assured, they’d stay silent.

“Doctor, could someone older handle this surgery? I’m scared!”

Women of her age usually weren’t as shy as younger girls.

When it came to matters of personal interest, they spoke their minds boldly.

“Don’t worry. The doctor performing your surgery may look young, but his skills are exceptional. He’s done many procedures just like yours,” Deputy Director Liu reassured her, stepping in to support Zhou Can.

Boosting a young doctor’s reputation was crucial.

It helped ease patients’ doubts and encouraged their cooperation.

After administering the anesthesia, Zhou Can’s next moves nearly gave Mr. Liu a heart attack.

Whether it was the incision, separating the tumor, or excising the entire mass, his speed was staggering.

In a flash, he had the tumor out with a few swift motions.

Hemostasis, debridement, and then preparing to suture—it was all done in a blur.

The rapid sequence of actions left Mr. Liu’s mind reeling.

Yet not a single mistake was made. The cuts were fast, precise, and flawless.

The incision was neat, the tumor separation was masterful, and the bleeding was minimal—barely a trickle.

But then, Zhou Can paused, his brow furrowing slightly.

“The surgery’s going great, Dr. Zhou. You can close the wound now!”

Mr. Liu prompted from the sidelines.

He assumed Zhou Can wanted him to double-check before suturing the incision.

“While operating, I noticed there might be a small cyst on the inner side. Should we remove it as well?”

Zhou Can reported to Mr. Liu while also seeking the patient’s opinion.

“Where is it? Let me take a look!”

Mr. Liu leaned in, feeling the area Zhou Can pointed out.

“Feels like a small nodule. It’s not large,” he confirmed after a moment. It was likely missed during the initial exam due to its tiny size and inner location.

“You’re a proper hospital. You did checks before surgery. Now you’re telling me there’s another small tumor? Are you trying to jack up the price mid-procedure?”

The female patient’s expression darkened.

These days, negative news and dark rumors about hospitals abounded.

Stories of mid-surgery price hikes were reported time and again.

“This tumor is very small. Since you have concerns, we’ll leave it for now. After surgery, keep an eye on it. If it grows, come back to the hospital for treatment,” Deputy Director Liu explained.

Having dealt with all sorts of patients, he immediately dropped the idea of adding a procedure upon hearing her tone.

Zhou Can didn’t push the matter either.

He went straight to suturing the wound.

“Remember, avoid spicy foods. Don’t do intense movements with this hand to prevent the wound from reopening. And keep it dry—no water on the incision…”

Zhou Can gave the patient a list of precautions.

Some female patients were overly particular about cleanliness.

They’d bathe daily, often soaking or showering.

That could easily wet the wound.

It increased the risk of infection and complicated healing.

When the woman left, she didn’t even mutter a thank you.

Clearly, she was upset about the perceived attempt to raise costs during surgery.

Under anesthesia, she felt nothing when Zhou Can and Mr. Liu pressed on the inner elbow cyst.

Before coming to the hospital, she hadn’t noticed any internal tumor on her elbow.

So, she assumed the doctors were trying to scam her.

After sending this patient off, the next one came in.

Zhou Can breezed through the surgery with the same lightning efficiency.

Mr. Liu watched, utterly stunned.

Now he understood why the Emergency Department had suddenly boosted its surgery count by nearly two thousand in a month.

With Zhou Can’s terrifying speed and the department’s patient intake, he alone could handle a thousand surgeries a month without breaking a sweat.

“This kid is a blessing sent from above! With his surgical speed and skill, our team can easily manage the incoming patients. We might even take on more cases.”

Mr. Liu’s heart swelled with quiet joy.

Witnessing Zhou Can’s incredible pace, he realized the young doctor had been holding back all this time.

Zhou Can had been in General Surgery for over a month now.

He’d assisted Mr. Liu in numerous surgeries, mostly major ones with high risks. Being a newcomer with little experience, he prioritized caution over speed.

He’d never chased after quickness before.

But handling these Level 1 and 2 surgeries independently, it was like he’d returned to his wild days of non-stop operations in the Emergency Department.

He couldn’t help but slip into a frenzied mode.

His surgical speed was several times faster than ever.

In fact, Zhou Can’s pace now outstripped his time in the Emergency Department, with even better quality.

Whether it was his Fast Scalpel Technique or other medical skills, he’d improved leaps and bounds over the past year.

Three hours later, Zhou Can single-handedly completed six Level 1 and 2 surgeries.

The instrument nurse, who’d seen her fair share of operations, was equally floored.

Having assisted many doctors in General Surgery, she’d never witnessed anyone operate at Zhou Can’s breakneck speed.

“Are there more?”

After six surgeries, Zhou Can still seemed eager for more.

Mr. Liu couldn’t help but let out a wry chuckle.

“You’ve nearly cleared out all of today’s Level 1 and 2 surgeries single-handedly. Impressive, kid. You weren’t exaggerating. Dr. Xu’s apprentice not only lives up to his name but surpasses him.”

Deputy Director Liu couldn’t stop praising Zhou Can’s surgical prowess.

Despite being an associate chief physician with decades of experience, he knew he couldn’t match Zhou Can’s speed even on his best day.

This kid was unreal.

“Zhou Can, speed in surgery is great, but safety must always come first. You can’t sacrifice caution for quickness.”

Deputy Director Liu couldn’t hide a trace of worry.

Years ago, Dr. Xu, despite his brilliance, had faltered while chasing extreme speed and ended up in trouble.

Surgery is performed on living patients, so the goal must be zero mistakes.

“Rest assured, I’ll keep things under control. I’m just a bit concerned about that female patient with the inner elbow tumor. If it grows even slightly, it could press on the radial nerve. That might cause noticeable issues with extending her left hand.”

Having performed countless Level 1 and 2 surgeries, Zhou Can had seen it all.

He could predict many conditions with uncanny accuracy.

This ability was one of the hallmarks of a master physician.

“Dr. Zhou really finished all six surgeries? My Level 2 surgery took me a full three hours to wrap up.”

He Hansheng walked in, having just completed his own operation.

Luck hadn’t been on his side today. His Level 2 surgery had hit multiple snags, and finishing it smoothly was already a small miracle.

“Hmph! If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe Zhou Can’s speed could be so terrifying. During major Level 3 surgeries, his pace is quick but measured. Today, with these Level 1 and 2 cases, it was downright frightening.”

The worry on Mr. Liu’s face had vanished without a trace.

In its place was a bright and sunny mood.

A faint smile reappeared on his lips.

Zhou Can stepping up with his tide-turning surgical skills was like a beam of light in the darkness, reigniting hope.

“Well done, Dr. Zhou! You know, if you keep up this insane speed, you could save our team. After streamlining our staff, we’re lighter and more agile. Maintaining surgery volume and quality gives us a huge edge.”

He Hansheng’s face lit up with excitement, all traces of earlier gloom swept away.

With Zhou Can’s incredible surgical ability, their downward spiral had not only stopped but turned into an advantage.

A team of ten completing two hundred surgeries a month held no edge over a team of four managing a hundred and fifty.

More doctors didn’t always mean better results.

With a larger team, skill levels could vary widely, with some excelling and others lagging.

While total surgeries might look impressive, per-person numbers could be underwhelming, and quality might suffer drastically.

“As a resident doctor, I feel like I’m dragging the team down. If I had even a tenth of Dr. Zhou’s skill, I could contribute more.”

Wan Sanlao, also a resident, had been assisting He Hansheng as the first assistant.

Level 2 surgeries required an assistant.

Mr. Liu had also assisted Zhou Can earlier.

After all, a surgeon only has two hands. Some complex parts of a procedure were tough to handle solo.

Tasks like retracting tissue often needed an extra pair of hands nearby.

“Little Wan, don’t sell yourself short. Everyone has a role to play. If our team’s surgery volume holds steady, you’ll need to step up on managing the ward.”

Mr. Liu offered Wan Sanlao some reassurance.

A medical team was like a well-oiled machine—its smooth operation relied on every little cog and screw.

Wan Sanlao’s skills weren’t exceptional, but among resident doctors, he was far from the bottom.

It was just that Zhou Can’s brilliance made everyone else pale in comparison.

“Alright, even if I have to live at the hospital this month, I’ll manage our inpatients well. I can’t lead the charge in the operating room, so I’ll handle the backend support.”

Finding his purpose, Wan Sanlao felt a surge of enthusiasm.

Honestly, under such tough circumstances, the fact that Wan Sanlao hadn’t jumped ship to another team like three other doctors spoke volumes.

At the very least, his character was solid.

He wasn’t the type to chase personal gain over loyalty.

With Zhou Can resolving the team’s biggest issue, everyone brimmed with hope and determination.

The team’s morale soared back to full strength in an instant.

…

Five days passed in a blur, and Zhou Can seemed to be running on pure adrenaline, his surgical skills growing sharper by the day.

If Qiao Yu weren’t training in General Surgery, he’d have called her over to assist.

But with less than a month left in General Surgery before he moved on, there was no way she could follow. So he let the idea drop.

According to Zhou Can’s rotation plan, General Surgery was his final stop in the Surgical Department.

It covered liver, gallbladder, gastrointestinal, pancreas, breast, urology, and more.

The toughest to master was gastrointestinal.

As the body’s digestive system, it came with a host of rare and baffling conditions that could drive anyone up the wall.

Even after three months in Gastrointestinal Surgery, Zhou Can wouldn’t claim mastery.

When it came to the digestive system and its myriad related diseases, he couldn’t call himself an expert.

At best, he knew a little here and there.

Originally, Zhou Can had hoped to train in General Surgery for at least three months.

Here, he could encounter a wide range of common ailments as well as rare, unheard-of complex cases.

Director Yang Qing sat with a few of his doctors in the office, discussing surgical cases. They were crafting plans for key patients or holding joint consultations to pinpoint causes.

Some high-difficulty cases stumped even his entire team, leaving the root cause unclear.

This wasn’t unique to his group—it was a reality at Tuyu Hospital and major hospitals worldwide.

Many conditions eluded doctors in terms of cause and mechanism.

Some could be managed with drugs, others only treated symptomatically to stabilize vital signs.

“We couldn’t determine the cause for two cases today. It’s a real shame.”

As the discussion wrapped up, Director Yang Qing summed things up.

“Director Yang, don’t worry. These two cases are incredibly complex. If we can’t diagnose them, other teams definitely can’t either. Both patients have sought help at multiple major hospitals with no clear answers.”

A chubby associate chief physician chimed in.

“That may be true, but diagnosing and successfully treating such difficult cases could earn our team a lot of credit. They could become standout cases in this field. Pancreas and breast are both promising medical areas. I don’t want to miss out and let another team take the lead.”

Director Yang Qing couldn’t shake off a lingering concern.

He feared an upset in the undercurrent.

As the hospital moved to establish new subspecialty departments, evaluations of each team’s expertise relied not just on the volume of routine case recoveries but also on a critical metric.

That was the diagnosis and cure of complex cases.

How did one become a renowned doctor?

By curing cases others couldn’t—you’d make a name for yourself overnight.

A doctor, no matter how skilled, could treat five thousand routine cases and still not gain fame.

But curing ten high-difficulty complex cases—ones that other major hospitals and experts couldn’t handle—created a celebrity effect far surpassing the impact of those five thousand routine recoveries.

If a hospital wanted to build its reputation, it would first look to the doctor who’d conquered those ten tough cases.

Why did promotions to associate or full professor hinge so heavily on the quantity and impact factor of SCI papers?

Because publishing high-quality SCI papers could create a seismic impact in a medical field. Patients and peers alike recognized and trusted that authority.

“By the way, how’s Deputy Director Liu’s team doing lately? With three doctors gone, their surgery volume must’ve taken a big hit, right?”

Yang Qing had built such a stellar team and maintained top-tier overall strength not just through exceptional medical skill but also sharp intellect and management prowess.

Tactically respecting opponents while strategically dismissing them was a game many top players mastered.

Though Deputy Director Liu was just an associate chief physician, his surgical skills were formidable, and his diagnostic experience was vast—perhaps even surpassing Yang Qing’s.

After all, Yang Qing was several years younger than Mr. Liu.

“It doesn’t seem to have dropped at all!”

An attending physician replied cautiously.