Chapter 540: A Monstrous Talent, Too Good to Lose

Most people would at least use their vacation to meet Zhou Can and build a connection before quitting their old job, only leaving once they’re sure a spot is secured.

After all, good jobs are hard to come by these days.

Being a surgical nurse is considered a top-tier position among nurses.

In larger hospitals, surgical nurses and doctors receive platform fees. Surgery bonuses are calculated separately. Year-end rewards are also much more generous compared to regular nurses. If surgery hours extend, there’s overtime pay as well.

If you’re in a good team with a decent department, all sorts of small perks come your way effortlessly.

That’s also why most nurses in the operating room are strikingly attractive.

With such a coveted job, plenty of young, beautiful women are eager to squeeze in. Since most chief surgeons in the surgical department are men, they naturally prioritize looks when picking nurses. Why would they choose someone less appealing?

As for professional skills, any nurse who passes the rigorous exams to enter a major hospital is hardly incompetent.

Exceptions exist for those with connections, of course.

But even those with backdoors usually avoid grueling places like the ICU or operating room. They opt for cushy second-line jobs or roles with minimal interaction with patients and their families.

It’s worth mentioning that all doctors and nurses actually dread dealing with patients and their relatives.

Especially in today’s hostile medical environment, every interaction with a family member or patient increases the risk of complaints, insults, or even physical attacks.

This girl didn’t even meet Zhou Can before quitting a perfectly good job. It’s basically a gamble with everything on the line.

“I… I have certifications and awards from skill competitions!”

She slipped off her shoulder bag and pulled out a thick stack of honor certificates and awards.

Zhou Can glanced through them casually. Good grief, this girl was unreal!

If these certificates and awards weren’t just bought for a few bucks, she was undoubtedly a top-tier talent.

No wonder she quit her job without hesitation.

“Not only do you have domestic skill certifications, but international ones too, including medals and certificates from Japan and the United States. Which hospital did you work at before?”

Zhou Can no longer dared to underestimate her.

“I’ve worked at several hospitals. The best one in China was probably Zhongyuan Affiliated Hospital. During my training in the U.S., I interned at Johns Hopkins Hospital.”

Her tone was calm as she answered.

For foreign clinical doctors and nurses to officially start working, the internship process is incredibly long.

Johns Hopkins Hospital is among the top hospitals globally.

For her to intern there as a foreigner was nothing short of extraordinary.

Zhou Can couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe for this girl.

She was just too outstanding.

Speaking of Zhongyuan Affiliated Hospital in China, when it comes to the number of surgeries, surgical expertise, and critical care rescue capabilities, it’s undeniably the best in the country.

Rumor has it that even slightly less impressive doctoral graduates have to wait in line to get a job there.

Truly exceptional doctoral students, however, can join any time of the year.

They have the most flexible hiring mechanisms in the country.

But they’re extremely strict about academic credentials, which isn’t friendly to someone like Zhou Can with lower qualifications but high ability.

The girl in front of him, though not even thirty and just a nurse, held a legitimate doctoral degree from a prestigious U.S. university. She was on par with Du Leng, if not better.

And by instinct, she seemed like a grounded individual with exceptional skills.

Du Leng’s academic prowess was impressive, but his clinical practice skills left something to be desired. He only shone briefly during his first couple of years at Tuyu Hospital, receiving attention and preferential treatment.

Now, he’s mostly faded into the background.

If he doesn’t produce results, he’s likely to be sidelined.

Even Director Xie from the Surgical Department no longer brings Du Leng along to major consultations or academic conferences. These cold, hard realities must be felt by Du Leng.

“Jiang Wei! Are you absolutely sure you want to join my team?”

At first, Zhou Can thought her resignation was reckless, but now he understood—it was confidence.

“If you’re willing to give me this opportunity, I’m fully prepared. Even if you ask me to clean the operating room every day, I’d have no complaints.”

Her bright, watery eyes gazed sincerely at Zhou Can.

A faint sense of pressure made Zhou Can feel uncharacteristically unsure of himself in front of a young nurse.

He could clearly sense that her presence outshone his own.

“My team is just getting started, and we value every talent. Thank you for your trust and for traveling so far to join us. I’ll report to the department leaders, and tomorrow you can come for an interview. As long as you truly have the skills, my team needs high-end talent like you.”

Zhou Can’s words carried a hint of uncertainty.

Ordinary doctoral graduates with work experience usually start at an annual salary of 300,000. Slightly better ones start at 500,000.

His surgical team is just beginning, mostly handling level one and two surgeries. He worried it might be hard to support such a high-caliber surgical nurse.

Still, having a talent of this level come to him made Zhou Can incredibly happy and deeply appreciative.

To grow and strengthen his team, top-tier talent was indispensable.

If there was any chance, he’d do everything in his power to keep her on board.

“Thank you, Dr. Zhou, for giving me this chance! Should I submit my resume to Human Resources now, or what’s the next step?”

She blinked as she asked.

“Have you had lunch yet? If not, I’ll treat you to a meal at our hospital cafeteria. I’ll report to the department leaders afterward and get back to you.”

At the end of the day, despite Zhou Can’s decent standing, his experience and position were still limited.

His authority was pitifully small.

These things required time, accumulation, and opportunities for promotion.

Right now, the biggest obstacle to his rapid advancement was his academic background.

If he could raise his credentials to a master’s degree, he wouldn’t be in such a passive position.

Thankfully, the preliminary results for the postgraduate entrance exam were about to be released.

As long as he passed the initial test, he was almost guaranteed to pursue his studies.

“I got here around ten this morning and have been waiting outside the operating room since. I haven’t eaten yet! Well, I won’t hold back then!”

She smiled and patted her stomach.

“Haha, I like your straightforwardness. Come on, let’s head to the cafeteria.”

Zhou Can led her toward the cafeteria.

Qiao Yu had already prepared food for Zhou Can. Upon learning this beautiful girl was applying to be a surgical nurse and join Zhou Can’s team, Ma Xiaolan quickly got up to fetch her a meal.

After two years of growth, Ma Xiaolan had made tremendous progress compared to her once shallow and overbearing self.

How was her relationship with Du Leng going?

Seeing her glowing with a heartfelt smile every day, her life must be going well. A woman nourished by love just radiates differently.

Soon, Ma Xiaolan returned with the food.

“Here! As per our boss’s rules, treating someone to a meal means adding a chicken leg. The cafeteria food isn’t anything fancy, so I hope you’ll make do.”

She placed the tray in front of Jiang Wei.

“Thank you!”

Jiang Wei showed a hint of shyness.

After nodding in gratitude, she dug in gracefully. She ate quickly without being picky, showing no trace of fussiness.

Observing quietly, Zhou Can grew even more hopeful about this nurse.

After the meal, Zhou Can asked Qiao Yu and Ma Xiaolan to chat with Jiang Wei for a while. Meanwhile, he went to report the matter to Director Lou.

Director Lou was in his office sipping tea, humming a tune, and reviewing some department statistics.

The most leisurely person in the Emergency Department had to be him.

As the top leader of the department, many matters required his decisions, coordination, or approval.

Then there were endless meetings he had to attend.

So it was impossible to expect him to be as swamped as frontline clinical doctors and nurses.

“Little Zhou, it’s been a while since you dropped by. I just got a batch of fine tea—let me brew some for you to try!”

Director Lou seemed delighted to see Zhou Can and got up to personally make the tea.

With a hint of reluctance, he took out a pack of premium tea from a locked drawer.

Zhou Can wasn’t really into tea culture and didn’t have much interest in tasting fine brews. But social interactions worked this way—leaders often showed their regard by generously offering their best tea to entertain him.

In response, he’d play along by showing a flattered expression, sipping carefully, and offering some ‘insight.’

It was nothing more than praising the tea as rare and expensive.

“Director Lou, I came today with good news. Just now, a nurse from an external hospital quit her job specifically to join my team. She’s incredibly talented…”

Zhou Can outlined Jiang Wei’s key highlights.

“Good heavens, a doctoral degree from a top overseas university, planning to pursue a postdoc, and with extensive experience in major hospitals. We’ve really struck gold this time! Honestly, I can hardly believe such a phenomenal talent would come to our Emergency Department. Her resume couldn’t be fake, could it?”

Director Lou was thrilled but also a bit skeptical.

Such an exceptional talent had no reason to work at Tuyu Hospital.

To say she made this decision just after watching Zhou Can’s live surgery seemed a bit illogical. Then again, the more exceptional the talent, the more unique their mindset.

Sometimes, it might just be for a personal belief.

“Whether her resume is real or not, Human Resources can verify it. I told her I needed to report to the department leaders first. If they agree, she can come for an interview tomorrow. At that point, I’ll assess her skills in the operating room to see if she’s just a pretty face or genuinely capable.”

Zhou Can hadn’t ruled out that possibility either.

But from his subtle observations of Jiang Wei’s demeanor and the details she revealed, he felt she wasn’t lying.

“Alright, I’ll personally contact Human Resources. Have her submit her resume there. They’ll check it first. If her credentials are genuine, even if she’s just a showpiece, keep her. Our Emergency Department desperately needs high-caliber talents like this.”

Director Lou took this matter very seriously.

The Emergency Department rarely attracted top talent. Let alone doctoral graduates from prestigious overseas universities, even domestic doctoral graduates from renowned schools wouldn’t consider the Emergency Department.

They all scrambled for high-profile departments with better prospects and career growth.

The Emergency Department was exhausting, prone to criticism and attacks, and with frequent night shifts due to staff shortages, everyone avoided it.

Moreover, in a hospital as large as Tuyu, the Emergency Department was simply divided into internal and surgical sections—far too rudimentary.

Anyone with a bit of experience could see at a glance how low the Emergency Department’s status was.

In some major hospitals, the Emergency Department is so well-developed it’s practically a mini comprehensive hospital. Specializations are finely divided, and they can directly admit patients and perform various treatments, including non-emergency surgeries or specialized procedures.

To suddenly gain such a remarkable talent, it was no surprise Director Lou was so excited.

By evening, as Zhou Can stepped out of the operating room, Director Lou had left him a voice message on WeChat.

He informed Zhou Can that Jiang Wei’s credentials were verified as genuine. All the domestically traceable records checked out, and the harder-to-verify overseas records were likely authentic as well.

In other words, a golden opportunity had truly fallen into Zhou Can’s lap.

A talent of this caliber was genuinely willing to quit her job and join Zhou Can’s team.

It inevitably made Zhou Can feel a bit elated.

What exactly did she see in him? His character? His charisma? His surgical skills?

Regardless, recruiting such a high-level talent was a blessing.

Director Lou had already personally called Jiang Wei, notifying her to come to the Emergency Department tomorrow for an interview with Zhou Can.

Interviews come in many forms.

Not all of them involve sitting at a table with a panel of evaluators asking questions and scoring based on the candidate’s responses.

Many companies have very flexible interview processes.

For instance, companies that value employee responsibility might deliberately leave a faucet slightly open in a hallway the candidate passes through. Or they might scatter trash on the floor, spill water on a slick surface to create a slip hazard, or use the classic trick of leaving a broom lying around.

But since the broom trick is too cliché, most examiners no longer use it.

The next day, as soon as Zhou Can arrived at the Emergency Department, he spotted Jiang Wei. Her hair was tied up in a neat bun, radiating youthful energy. Today, she looked especially vibrant and radiant.

Wearing a white blouse with the sleeves rolled up, she exuded a sharp, professional air.

“Good morning, Dr. Zhou!”

“You’re here early! I need to do rounds in the ward first. Come along with me.”

Zhou Can was quite pleased with the work attitude she displayed.

“Yesterday, Qiao Yu and the others mentioned that besides surgeries, you personally do morning and evening rounds in the ward. I figured you’d arrive early, so I came ahead of time. If I showed up later than the examiner during an application, I was afraid you’d disqualify me on the spot.”

She half-joked with a smile.

“Haha, you’re quite thoughtful. By the way, I wanted to ask—do you have high expectations for salary and benefits? My team is just starting out, so I’m worried we might not be able to offer a compensation package that satisfies you.”

Zhou Can wanted to gauge her expectations in advance.

He was incredibly eager to recruit such a skilled surgical nurse.

Even if Qiao Yu were to study abroad in the future, the surgical team wouldn’t lack a core nurse.

Most chief surgeons only require instrument nurses to look good and meet a basic level of competence. In contrast, their expectations for circulating nurses are extremely high.

In reality, the success of a surgery also hinges on the circulating nurse.

Having an experienced, highly skilled circulating nurse can provide the best support to the chief surgeon and anesthesiologist during unexpected surgical emergencies.

For instance, preparing rescue medications in advance, coordinating with the blood bank, or calling in relevant specialists for assistance—she can arrange everything seamlessly.