Chapter 209: Surgical Maniac: Deputy Chief-Level Injection Technique

He knew for sure that Director Yang Qing wouldn’t want to hear this bad news.

“Didn’t Old Liu’s team just lose three doctors? With the same number of surgeries, how could his small group possibly handle the load?”

Yang Qing was stunned.

For every extra surgery, you need more doctors, more nurses, more beds.

Even though only some surgical patients need to be admitted, plenty just have their operations in the outpatient clinic and leave right away.

At most they might stick around for an IV or something.

But whether or not patients are admitted, there still has to be an official doctor at every step, from the initial consult to the actual surgery. That’s a ton of work.

Especially since every surgery, even a basic first-level operation, often takes over half an hour.

In fact, it’s common for a simple procedure to drag on for two or three hours.

Some rookies—call them gifted—can even turn a minor procedure into a major ordeal. A supposedly low-risk surgery can end up in a code blue thanks to one wrong move.

“I don’t have the full picture. The only thing I know is their group is actually doing more surgeries, not less. Before, with six attending doctors, they averaged eight or nine surgeries a day. Now it seems they’re doing… maybe even more than before.”

The attending doctor answering was clearly a little evasive.

“What do you mean ‘more’? Wang Xiaoping, that’s not like you!”

Yang Qing was obviously irritated.

Hearing that Old Liu’s team was busier than ever, his mood soured.

It’s the unexpected changes that get you.

When something seems off, it’s often the biggest source of trouble.

“Uh… Director Liu’s team did fourteen surgeries the day before yesterday, and yesterday they did twenty-one.” Dr. Wang had no choice but to spill the real numbers.

The doctors around the office gasped in surprise.

Then the whole room broke out in heated discussion.

“Seven extra surgeries in one day with the same number of doctors? No way!”

“Doing surgery isn’t like hauling bricks. Even if you try to cram in a few more, you’d run out of energy and focus sooner or later.”

“No way are these numbers right, I’d bet on it!”

No one believed it.

Old Liu’s group was down to just three full doctors. The trainees and interns barely counted. These three had to manage the ward, see patients, and handle a ton of extra work. Even if they worked non-stop, skipping food and sleep, they couldn’t possibly pull off that many surgeries.

“You sure you didn’t mix up the numbers? Twenty-one surgeries in a day is insane.”

Yang Qing, like everyone else, was skeptical.

The hospital with the highest surgery count in Huaxia is in Zhengzhou.

Even in Tuyu, they only do about a third of that volume in a whole year.

“I was doubtful too at first, but I double-checked with different sources. The number is accurate.”

Dr. Wang had verified it himself—no way the numbers were wrong.

Once they knew the numbers were real, the entire group exploded into discussion again.

When things don’t add up, something weird is going on.

Everyone started speculating.

“Hmph, what’s the big deal? Three doctors and twenty-one surgeries? That’s only seven each.” Du Leng really didn’t get it.

Even with rivals this formidable, he just couldn’t take it seriously.

He had no idea how complicated and grueling surgery could be.

Still, you couldn’t totally blame him. It’s like someone who grew up rich thinking eating meat at every meal is just standard.

Since the start of his surgical career, no matter where Du Leng rotated or worked, chief physicians always doted on him.

Because he only handled the simplest bits, he thought surgery was no big deal.

“What you don’t get, Dr. Du, is that not all twenty-one surgeries were simple first-level procedures. There might have been second-level and even third-level major surgeries in the mix. For a third-level surgery, you need at least a deputy chief and an official doctor as an assistant. Even a second-level operation needs two doctors working together.”

Dr. Wang honestly couldn’t figure out what Du Leng was thinking.

If it weren’t for Du’s connections, he wouldn’t even bother explaining.

“If you want to average things out, you have to group them by twos. With only three doctors, that means at least one two-person team is doing ten surgeries a day. No one in our group could handle that.”

For most third- and fourth-level surgeries, two a day is already pushing the limit.

“I’d say six surgeries per doctor is about the max in a day. If they’re third-level major surgeries, one or two is the limit.”

That’s the reality.

As for Du’s calculations, they were just wishful thinking.

“Dr. Song, you used to be in Deputy Director Liu’s group and should know their situation better than anyone. Can you explain how their numbers not only held steady but actually went up?”

Yang Qing glanced at Song Ze, who’d been keeping quiet at the tail end of the table.

Right now, this new attending doctor might finally prove useful.

Song Ze could help them figure out what’s really going on in Liu’s group.

“Did Director Liu bring in some star doctor these days?” Song Ze asked Dr. Wang.

“Who’d want to join their team? Even if someone switched, they’d come to our outstanding group.”

Dr. Wang sounded totally dismissive about Old Liu’s group.

He wasn’t alone—everyone thought poorly of Liu’s team.

“If they haven’t brought in any new talent, the only explanation is Liu’s resident trainee, Zhou Can. That kid is the real game changer. Even though he’s still in his training phase, his surgical skills are on par with an attending. Director Liu has two main pillars: He Hansheng and Zhou Can.”

Song Ze just dropped a bombshell.

Not many knew Zhou Can was as skilled as an attending surgeon.

“So you mean the whole thing is because of Zhou Can? I have heard about him. Supposedly, every rotation he does shakes up the department. But one person can’t possibly carry an entire group’s surgery load, can he?”

Yang Qing doubted Zhou Can could really make that much difference.

Du Leng didn’t like hearing Zhou Can being praised so much. His face stiffened.

The two were basically destined rivals, and now they were about to face off directly.

“I’ll try to get to the bottom of it today.”

Dr. Wang wasn’t so much a surgical ace, but he had serious intel-gathering skills.

He was confident he’d figure out how Old Liu’s team was pulling off so many surgeries, and exactly who was doing them.

“No need to wait—I’ll just make some calls and find out. Even though I’m in a different group now, it’s easy to get the scoop.”

Song Ze was eager to show his value.

Yang Qing gave him an approving nod.

Without wasting time, Song Ze whipped out his phone and got to work.

After some calls, he gave his report.

“Heard most of the surgeries were done by Zhou Can.”

This secret wasn’t hard to pry out.

If you knew anyone in Old Liu’s group, word would get around.

“A trainee doing that many surgeries? Is the quality even okay?”

Du Leng couldn’t help but question it.

Typical sour grapes—he hadn’t been doing well since joining Yang Qing’s top group.

This reflected badly on him.

Even if Yang Qing and the other doctors didn’t say anything, they’d start comparing. Given some time, Du Leng would be criticized and looked down on.

At the very least, he’d end up the subject of all those behind-the-back comments.

“Honestly, it’s hard to say. Zhou Can’s still a trainee; his surgical foundation shouldn’t be that deep. Working that fast, he’s bound to cut corners. Quality might be at risk.”

Song Ze gave his analysis.

Maybe worried about being proved wrong later, he added, “Still, Zhou Can’s skills are impressive. From anatomy to suturing, his surgical abilities are top-notch.”

That was putting it mildly.

Zhou Can’s surgical skills are beyond strong.

“If they’re just focusing on numbers and not quality, that’s not something to worry about. Let’s just keep an eye on it for now.”

Yang Qing accepted Song Ze’s analysis.

By all logic, a trainee shouldn’t have much experience. Even if Zhou Can was amazingly talented, there are limits.

How could one person do more than a dozen surgeries a day and still guarantee quality?

“Song, you did great today. You’ve been with the group a few days. You should be used to things by now. From now on, go do surgeries with Deputy Director Yang.”

Yang Qing showed real leadership.

Since Song Ze had shown loyalty, he immediately offered some perks.

“Thank you, Director Yang! Thank you, Director Yang!”

Song Ze was elated and thanked both directors at once.

The two chief’s surnames sounded the same, but were written differently, and their ranks were half a notch apart.

Song Ze was smooth with words. He dropped the “deputy” from Deputy Director Yang’s title naturally.

Yang Qing could call him Deputy Director Yang, but Song Ze couldn’t.

In the workplace, when talking to deputy leaders, newbies and clueless types call out “Deputy Director” or “Deputy Chief” nonstop. The boss may not say anything, but their ears are burning and they’re annoyed.

That kind of rookie always ends up sidelined.

With a thin-skinned boss, you might get stuck with tough assignments for a long time.

Since joining Yang Qing’s team, Song Ze hadn’t been well-liked and basically had no status. Now that he’d finally get to scrub in on surgeries, he wouldn’t have to run errands or do grunt work all the time.

So, he was genuinely thrilled.

A small step up in the workplace can mean the world.

Moving up is just that tough.

Competition is fierce.

If your boss is willing to give you a hand, you can leap ahead in no time. That feels amazing.

“All right, let’s not just keep staring at someone else’s group. We need to sharpen our own skills first. Focus on doing your own jobs well— that’s what matters most.”

After his speech, Yang Qing got up from his seat.

“Back to work, everyone!”

For a group to work smoothly, everything has to come together. Most important, everyone needs to do their own job right.

…

As for Zhou Can, he was blazing through surgery after surgery in the operating room, smashing records at every turn.

He went from six surgeries a day in the beginning to sixteen just yesterday, sending Deputy Director Liu and the others over the moon.

The other trainees and interns saw Zhou Can as their role model.

His terrifying speed left everyone in awe.

Because of all the different procedures, Zhou Can’s medical experience was soaring.

It was completely different from when he’d been back in Emergency.

Back then, Chief Xie had kept him down, only letting him do basic first-level surgeries.

Now, not only was he doing level one, but also level two—and sometimes even level three.

Of course, third-level surgeries carried huge risks. Even if Deputy Director Liu trusted him, he wouldn’t let him go solo. He supervised closely and only took over the complicated parts himself.

Zhou Can’s skills as a surgeon were already at attending level for almost every specialty— handling level one and two surgeries was no sweat.

He still struggled a bit with the toughest level threes.

Some were just too advanced for him to handle alone.

Even with the Medical Experience System, leveling up got slower once he hit attending level. After all, reaching level five required ten thousand experience points.

Normally, you’d have to do a procedure ten thousand times to hit the next rank.

Helping with third-level surgeries, Zhou Can could rack up huge chunks of experience—up to a hundred points at a time.

The record was three hundred points in one surgery across three specialties.

But you only got that big of a reward the very first time you tackled a new area or organ.

So, getting a single skill to level five was a massive grind.

Luckily, with so many surgeries each day, all those tiny bits of experience added up. After a full day, his progress in every skill was impressive.

At this pace, his Hemostasis and Injection Techniques were nearing level five.

Incision, Tissue Separation, Anastomosis, Debridement, Suturing and Ligature were all moving up fast too.

Seeing his technical skills improving by leaps and bounds had him genuinely excited.

He worked even harder.

Not only were his technical skills growing fast, but all that hands-on experience was making him a better surgeon, especially with major third-level operations.

Here’s the thing: after racking up enough major surgeries, even first- and second-level operations he’d never seen felt like old news. That’s why broadening your horizons is essential.

Third-level surgeries are so tricky and dangerous, every aspect has higher standards—technique, process, cautions, aftercare.

Tackle easy surgeries with skills honed on the hard ones, and they start to feel effortless.

Day after day, time flew by.

Zhou Can’s surgery count climbed from sixteen to about twenty-four a day.

At that point, it just couldn’t go any higher.

No matter how fast you are, there are limits.

A level one procedure takes minutes, but a level two can mean half an hour or more. Level three? Don’t even ask.

If he had to handle most of a tough level three surgery, he’d have to drop five or six other cases just to make it work.

On this point, Old Liu really looked out for him.

He never pushed Zhou Can just for the sake of higher numbers.

A lot of the time, Old Liu would have Zhou Can do fewer level one or two procedures and assign him more challenging level threes, guiding him thoroughly along the way.

Because at his current level, Zhou Can could handle third-level cases, and that experience would help so much more.

Before he knew it, a month had flown by.

Zhou Can’s Injection Technique had finally reached level five, making it the third skill he’d mastered at Deputy Chief level.

Now, his understanding of injection ran even deeper.

His technical ability had clearly moved up a notch.

Whenever he gave a patient a shot, he could feel exactly where the needle was and what kind of tissue it touched.

For example, if a needle punctured a blood vessel during an intramuscular injection, he could sense it right away.

He could even tell how tense the muscle was.

Some doctors or nurses push the plunger only to find it stuck, or a huge lump forms under the skin. That’s poor technique.

If you stick the needle into the densest bit of muscle, of course it’s going to jam.

Forcing the plunger just rams the fluid into the muscle, which can do real harm. One shot could leave the patient sore for days.

If you hit bone or ligament, it’s even worse.

The pain would be brutal.

After a bad shot, someone’s arm might ache, swell or throb for two or three days straight.

Now that Zhou Can’s Injection Technique was at Deputy Chief level, he could completely avoid these rookie mistakes. Every injection entered the correct tissue smoothly, with next to no harm to the patient.

Plus, the medicine would spread just the way he wanted, letting the body absorb it fast.

Injection Technique wasn’t just for giving shots. It was essential whenever you had to do different kinds of punctures for patients, too.