Chapter 210: Lucky Star Zhou Can: A Golden Opportunity for General Surgery Doctors

If a Level 4 Injection Technique allowed for perfect avoidance of critical tissues like blood vessels and nerves, with procedures like chest or lumbar punctures executed with pinpoint accuracy, then reaching Level 5 has elevated Zhou Can’s skill to an unimaginable height.

Now when he administers injections to patients, he can precisely control the absorption area of the drug and its flow within the muscle while minimizing any harm to the body.

During punctures, his precision is so flawless that he hits the target spot without the slightest deviation.

Even with extremely challenging punctures, his skill remains unmatched.

At Level 4, he could handle high-difficulty punctures competently, but ultra-challenging ones often stretched his limits.

On top of that, he’s gained a new ability.

Before injecting, he can vaguely predict how well a patient’s specific area will absorb the drug.

For instance, if a patient needs daily injections of the same or multiple drugs over days or even weeks, repeatedly using the same spot could severely damage muscles or local tissues.

This might lead to the drug failing to be absorbed properly.

With just a glance, Zhou Can can now accurately assess whether an area has reached drug saturation by pressing the skin and observing its rebound or color.

He can also roughly gauge the extent of damage to that area.

Armed with this insight, he can switch injection sites in advance to avoid complications.

This ability shares striking similarities with the principles of drug pathways in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

His Hemostasis skill is just 37 experience points away from advancing to Level 5.

When it does, it will become his fourth medical skill at the Associate Chief Physician level.

Worth noting is that during this past month of relentless surgeries in General Surgery, two other medical skills of his have seen unexpected progress.

Bone Fixation Technique and External Fixation for Fractures, both orthopedic skills, occasionally came into play.

Many trauma patients in General Surgery often arrive with fractures alongside other injuries.

This gave Zhou Can a chance to showcase his talents.

For severe cases that General Surgery couldn’t handle alone, they’d call in Orthopedics for joint surgeries. The usual practice was to recommend patients transfer to Orthopedics for treatment.

Zhou Can noticed an interesting phenomenon among the departments.

It’s as if everyone had an unspoken agreement.

Whenever a patient’s condition exceeded a department’s expertise, they’d pass the case along without hesitation, never overreaching.

This often left some patients frustrated, having to bounce between five or six departments without getting proper care.

Inside the grand conference room of General Surgery, doctors gathered in full force.

Even the doctors from Gastrointestinal Surgery and Hepatobiliary Surgery had joined the meeting.

“Hey, Dr. Jia! Senior Sister Qiu, you made it too!”

Spotting familiar faces, Zhou Can quickly stood up and walked over to greet them.

During his training in Gastrointestinal Surgery, he’d received tremendous support from Dr. Jia and Qiu Hong.

Dr. Jia, in particular, had spared no effort in mentoring him.

Seeing them now, Zhou Can couldn’t help but be warm and enthusiastic.

“Haha, it’s been two months, Zhou Can. You look even more spirited than before!” Dr. Jia chuckled as he complimented him.

“And somehow even more handsome!”

Qiu Hong’s bright eyes winked at him, her face blooming with a playful smile.

“Haha, thanks to both of you for still showering me with such kindness after two months. I’m almost blushing from all the praise!”

Zhou Can let out a hearty laugh.

“Dr. Jia truly is an amazing mentor and leader. He guided me back in the day too! I can honestly say that even a sliver of my success today is thanks to him.”

Deputy Director Liu stepped over to join them.

He looked about ten years younger than Dr. Jia.

Zhou Can had always assumed Deputy Director Liu and Dr. Jia were just good friends. He never guessed they shared a mentor-student bond.

In larger hospitals like this, many younger doctors often formed such ties with veteran staff.

Medicine, after all, is a profession passed down through hands-on teaching, generation after generation.

Many senior doctors mentored countless students over their lifetimes.

Even if some older doctors were rehired by the hospital without administrative roles or career advancement opportunities, their respected status remained untouched.

After all, who’s to say that several department heads or chief physicians in key departments weren’t once their students?

How could their prestige not be revered?

“Old Liu, you’re a thoughtful one! Even after all these years, you still hold onto that teacher-student bond. I’ve noticed your recent papers made it into national core journals. And they’re focused on Jiaru Surgery, perfectly aligned with your expertise. So, how’s it looking? Any good shot at clinching a full professorship before retirement?”

It seemed Dr. Jia had been keeping tabs on Old Liu’s progress.

Old Liu had met most other requirements, except his academic achievements were a bit lacking.

But over the past year or so, he’d clearly made strides in that area.

“I’ve got to thank you for your guidance time and again! That paper on breast granuloma—I couldn’t have done it without your help. Now I’ve also won a provincial science and technology award, and the publication requirements are met. All that’s left is to see what fate has in store.”

As Old Liu spoke about his pursuit of a full professorship, his face revealed a complex mix of anticipation.

Having fought for most of his life, with one foot already in the grave, this was the last goal he yearned to achieve.

It had become an obsession.

To earn a full professorship in medicine, there’s a strict requirement: winning a third-tier or higher science and technology award or a related honor. It’s a tough bar to clear.

Some never manage to secure this award and end up frustrated.

Another challenging requirement is publishing a professional academic paper aligned with one’s research focus in a national journal as the first author.

Even if you succeed in publishing, there are still plenty of variables at play.

Old Liu prepared two papers, essentially a double safety net. At his age, if he doesn’t make it this time, all he can do is sigh in regret.

From these details, it’s clear just how deep his obsession runs.

“All you can do is give it your best. This department reform could be a golden opportunity. It might not be the deciding factor, but it can certainly give you a boost.”

Dr. Jia, well past seventy, had personally gone through the professorship evaluation and guided many students to success in it.

His experience far outstripped Old Liu’s.

The reform in General Surgery was indeed a rare chance.

Many doctors were eager to seize this moment to take a big step forward.

“Let’s take our seats! This evaluation involves hospital-level leaders and considers multiple dimensions for scoring. With Zhou Can in your group, I reckon your results won’t be disappointing.”

Dr. Jia was well aware of Zhou Can’s capabilities.

In his eyes, whichever group had Zhou Can was blessed with incredible luck.

“Your insight is as sharp as ever. Nothing slips past you! If our group manages to turn the tides this time, Zhou Can’s contribution outweighs the rest of us combined.”

Old Liu’s praise for Zhou Can was beyond imagination.

In truth, Zhou Can had indeed made outstanding contributions to the group.

“I’m not surprised you’d say that. I’ve never seen a young doctor as exceptional as Dr. Zhou.” Qiu Hong’s gaze lingered on Zhou Can, her eyes brimming with admiration.

“Hey, Senior Sister Qiu, don’t believe everything you hear! Director Liu is just being kind. I’m just a small trainee. Under the guidance of Old Liu and Dr. He, I’ve done a few surgeries, nothing more.”

Zhou Can didn’t dare accept such high praise.

Claiming his efforts surpassed the entire group’s combined work—if he foolishly admitted it, even if Old Liu didn’t mind, other doctors might take it the wrong way.

Xia Huai’an, the head of General Surgery, strode into the conference room alongside Vice-Director Ye, a refined middle-aged man Zhou Can didn’t recognize, and Director Fang from the Administration Office.

Zhou Can and the others quickly returned to their seats.

Following the four were Director Xie from the Surgical Department, Deputy Chief Hu from Human Resources, and several other leaders from the hospital’s administrative departments.

The department reform in General Surgery was a significant event.

The hospital aimed to expand this pilot across the board, much like the sweeping reforms of Shang Yang, to transform Tuyu Hospital entirely.

Naturally, the higher-ups placed great importance on this matter.

“Please, everyone, take your seats! We’ve chosen this after-hours time for the meeting to avoid disrupting daytime clinical work, even though it cuts into your valuable personal time.”

Xia Huai’an’s hosting and management skills were top-notch.

Even with so many key hospital leaders present, he remained perfectly composed.

The return of Gastrointestinal Surgery and Hepatobiliary Surgery filled him with joy.

After being split into three for so long, General Surgery was finally becoming a unified major department once more.

It felt like a divided nation achieving reunification—a cause for celebration.

“Next, I’ll introduce the attending leaders. This is Vice-Director Ye, overseeing medical affairs. This is Vice-Director Bei, in charge of research and education. This is Director Fang from the Administration Office. This is Chief Hu from Human Resources. And this is Director Xie from the Surgical Department…”

It was evident that Director Xie held a notably high status.

Zhou Can was surprised to see that Deputy Chief Hu from Human Resources had been promoted to full Chief.

In a hospital with thousands of staff, everyone strives to climb the ladder. Opportunities are everywhere. A year or two later, you might notice colleagues quietly promoted to attending physician, leading a small medical team, or having published a paper in a national journal…

Whether it’s a promotion, a raise, progress in academics or skills, or winning significant awards, these prospects drive everyone to aim higher.

Each new height reached lets you look down on those once at your level, a sense of superiority that’s exhilarating from head to toe.

“Let’s welcome our leaders!”

Xia Huai’an led the applause.

Thunderous clapping erupted from the crowd below.

With so many leaders watching from the front, who’d dare not clap? Anyone with a shred of workplace savvy would applaud with all their might.

That’s just how it works. If you clap enthusiastically, the leaders might not notice.

But if everyone else is clapping hard and you’re the only one sitting still or giving a lazy couple of taps, what would the leaders think?

Does this guy who’s not clapping have a problem with me?

It’s easy to get remembered by the leaders—and not in a good way.

“As the pilot reform department of the hospital, General Surgery is honored. After a month of competition, the multidimensional scores for each group are in. I invite Vice-Director Ye, overseeing medical affairs, to announce the winning groups in each field and outline the detailed plan for establishing subspecialty departments.”

After speaking, Xia Huai’an took his seat.

“I myself came up through General Surgery, so my connection to this department runs deeper than anyone’s.”

With just one sentence, Vice-Director Ye bridged the gap with every doctor in the room.

“As we all know, the medical field evolves rapidly. Hospitals big and small are everywhere, a mix of dragons and snakes vying for dominance. Those who triumph in this fierce modern competition grow bigger and stronger. Those who don’t face bankruptcy and are swept away by the tides of time.”

Every year, hospitals of all sizes go under for various reasons, only for new ones to rise in their place.

In the past, a struggling hospital could hold on for a few years before collapsing.

Now, with poor management or a major crisis, some can’t even last six months before shutting down.

The root cause lies in the internet’s rapid growth—patients are more informed than ever.

Negative news, once amplified, can bring catastrophic consequences.

If a hospital fails to uphold safety, quality, or medical ethics, it’s all too easy to make headlines for the wrong reasons.

Then there’s the growing effect of renowned doctors and hospitals, leading to overcrowded major facilities while smaller ones sit empty.

“Under Director Zhu’s brilliant leadership, Tuyu Hospital has seen tremendous growth and remarkable progress in recent years. Yet as our foundation expands, some deep-rooted issues have surfaced. These outdated practices clash with modern trends and severely weaken our competitiveness. General Surgery is our hospital’s heroic department, often called the mother of surgical fields.”

“Departmental reform actually began several years ago. Gastrointestinal Surgery and Hepatobiliary Surgery, which split from General Surgery, may have underperformed, but they’ve provided invaluable experience for our reform efforts. Director Zhu led a team from our hospital to study and observe at top hospitals both domestically and abroad, absorbing their successful departmental strategies. After consulting with insightful experts and multiple leaders from relevant authorities, a highly feasible reform plan was crafted.”

Being a hospital director is far from the leisurely role it might seem.

As the helm of Tuyu Hospital, Director Zhu must devise visionary development plans, identify issues promptly, and address or improve them.

“General Surgery will now serve as an umbrella term, fully dividing into nine new subspecialty departments: Liver Surgery, Biliary Surgery, Pancreatic Surgery, Gastrointestinal Surgery, Anorectal and Colorectal Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Breast Surgery, Thyroid Surgery, and Basic Surgery. Medical resources will be centrally allocated, and each subspecialty will compete for better resources based on merit.”

Hearing this, the doctors below buzzed with excitement, itching to become leaders of a subspecialty department.

Previously, everyone was confined within the broad scope of General Surgery, where opportunities were far scarcer.

Some doctors excelling in popular fields might easily be overlooked.

Take Director Yang Qing, for instance. He shines in Pancreatic Surgery while holding strong skills across other surgical areas. Patients might seek him out purely for his overall reputation.

Meanwhile, doctors specializing in Breast Surgery, Liver Surgery, or Biliary Surgery could be overshadowed.

By subdividing the department, this drawback is neatly resolved.

Highly segmenting General Surgery aligns with modern trends, and Tuyu Hospital’s General Surgery department certainly has the strength to pull it off.

“Now, I’ll announce the winners in the nine subdivided fields. The formation of subspecialty departments will be overseen by each group’s leader, who will automatically be promoted to department head of their subspecialty upon establishment. If the leader is an Associate Chief Physician and meets the basic qualifications, the hospital will assist in their evaluation for full professorship.”

Having the hospital’s support for a full professorship evaluation doesn’t guarantee success, but it significantly boosts the odds.

A hospital of this scale commands vast resources across all fronts.

Deputy Director Liu’s breath quickened. This was the moment he’d been waiting for.