Chapter 611: The Real Power in the Operating Room

“Of course, it’s the chief surgeon! If there’s a team leader, then they’re the top authority.”

She answered without a second thought.

“Wrong! The real boss in the operating room is the head nurse. Honestly, I think you have the makings of a head nurse yourself.”

Zhou Can’s words caught her off guard.

He was actually acknowledging her status.

Truthfully, the head nurse does hold the highest authority in the OR. When she’s in a bad mood, no one is safe from her temper—not even the chief surgeon.

But just like how a Attending Nurse might scold an intern and even kick them out of assisting on a hard-earned surgery, it doesn’t necessarily mean the nurse outranks the intern.

Nurses and doctors are two different systems altogether.

It’s kind of like a husband afraid of his wife. Maybe it’s not really fear, more like love—a gentleman’s respect, tolerance, and generosity.

The head nurse in the OR holds a lot of power. No question about it.

But are they truly more important than the chief surgeon? Not always.

Everyone just does their job, that’s all.

Doctors can make mistakes with the little things, especially when it comes to sterile technique. Having a nurse watching over things is often the best way to keep the surgery safe.

And when it comes to emergencies, nurses are a huge help.

For example, if something goes wrong with a patient during surgery and a nurse can’t successfully open a central venous line, it could delay the rescue. At that moment, you bet the doctor would want to strangle the nurse.

Zhou Can wanted to keep Qiao Yu—the rare talent—so he painted her a bright future.

The Emergency Department’s OR still didn’t have a head nurse.

The most senior nurse was Liu Xia, currently a head nurse by title. Rumor is she’s up for associate chief nurse now, but spots in Emergency for associate and chief are super limited.

Whether it’s a department or a whole unit, everyone wants to maximize benefits.

The Emergency Department will always give those precious promotion opportunities to doctors before nurses.

Otherwise, the order of things gets all mixed up.

Selecting a head nurse doesn’t strictly require an associate or chief nurse title, but if a head nurse holds only a head nurse-level title, it might drop the quality of care in the OR.

Besides that, though Liu Xia has seniority and solid professional skills, her management ability is just average.

People who are too rigid don’t do well in managerial roles.

Qiao Yu’s another story. She’s highly skilled, full of potential, and incredibly wise. She truly has what it takes to lead. If she becomes head nurse, I’m sure the OR would thrive under her watch.

That would be a huge blessing for the whole team.

Of course, this isn’t just Zhou Can’s decision to make.

He doesn’t have that kind of authority—at least not yet.

“Thanks for thinking so much of me, Zhou. When I come back home, then I’ll consider it! Honestly, no one’s irreplaceable—you’ll find another brilliant nurse, someone who can fill my shoes.”

In the end, the prospect of being head nurse didn’t keep her. She still clearly wanted to leave.

That left Zhou Can feeling pretty down.

There were no romantic feelings between them, just pure camaraderie—colleagues, comrades-in-arms.

Spend enough time together and of course feelings grow.

After working through so many things side by side, the team had formed amazing chemistry. That’s what it takes for a great team.

He really couldn’t bear to lose Qiao Yu, such an outstanding nurse.

“Qiao Yu, do you know? Ever since our first surgery together, I’ve honestly savored every single one since. With you as my instrument nurse, I’m at ease. Everything goes smoothly. No one else, not even Jiang Wei or anyone else, gives me that same feeling. It’s not that they’re bad—it’s just that our teamwork is on another level. You’re vital, not just to me, but to this whole team. It’s not true that everyone is replaceable.”

Zhou Can did everything he could to make her stay.

Right now, Qiao Yu was only moderately competitive.

After she returned from studying abroad, she’d be highly sought-after.

If he did all he could now, maybe she’d be willing to return to the team on her own later.

“To quote something classic: I can’t say exactly what makes you special, but no one else could ever take your place.”

Zhou Can really gave it his all to persuade her.

He would never have said something so easy to misinterpret to any other woman.

Pfft~

At that, she couldn’t help but cover her mouth and giggle.

“I’m not that amazing! Okay, when I’m back in the country, I’ll come work for you—just don’t complain I’m too old, alright?”

Qiao Yu smiled and agreed.

There was a certain fated connection between her and Zhou Can—one you couldn’t quite put into words.

At first, she aimed to become his girlfriend.

But fate had other plans.

Now, it looked like they’d only ever be friends and colleagues, not lovers.

“Deal then! But if you meet a guy who really moves you, consider him. Women lose value as they age, you know!”

Zhou Can joked with her.

It made it clear—their future together would be as coworkers and friends, nothing improper.

“Seriously, you’re too blunt! I never pegged you for such a straight-up guy.”

Qiao Yu rolled her eyes and grumbled playfully.

“Haha, it’s just that I worry you’ll end up with your standards too high or too low—another career woman left behind! I’m just being a good friend, so don’t overthink it, alright?” Zhou Can could tell she’d also let go of some old hopes.

For now, their friendship felt as relaxed as it had when they first met.

Keeping things pure and honest was what mattered most.

“Seriously, are you still going on…” She stomped her foot. “Don’t you know unmarried women hate being called old maids or leftovers?”

“My bad, totally my bad. By the way, is your study abroad tuition all lined up? If you need help, you can always call or text me.” Zhou Can’s tone turned serious.

For most people, study abroad tuition is a big hurdle.

“Working with you all these years has worked out for me—my earnings have been pretty decent. I haven’t splurged. I bought two venture stocks, checked them yesterday, and they’ve both shot up. I’m planning to sell them all tomorrow. That should cover three years of tuition. Plus, I can work part-time over there. Jiang Wei taught me plenty of survival skills. I’m actually pretty confident.”

He never would’ve guessed—Qiao Yu didn’t save in the bank, buy a car, or get a house. She put all her money into stocks.

Luckily, she didn’t lose—on the contrary, she made quite a bit.

Stock trading’s just like gambling. When the bear market hits, even the best investors lose big.

That showed she had business sense—and a taste for risk.

“I know you’re filthy rich. If I ever need it, I’ll hit you up for help.”

She grinned as she added it.

“Deal!”

Zhou Can nodded solemnly.

He had money, but he never promised loans lightly.

Only his closest friends—like Dr. Xu, Qiao Yu, Director Xueyan, and Mr. Li—could count on him.

These days, lending money makes you a king, but collecting debts turns you into a pauper.

No one dares loan money easily anymore.

With things settled with Qiao Yu, Zhou Can finished dinner, checked on his patients, then dove into researching the little boy’s case.

The boy’s paralysis was caused by a high fall.

Clinically, almost all high-level paralysis involves cervical spine injury.

If it’s only the thoracic or lumbar region, you typically get lower-body paralysis, not total paralysis.

Anyone who’s had spinal anesthesia knows—once it kicks in, you lose all feeling below the waist. Walking, even just sitting upright is impossible.

Lower-body paralysis is pretty much the same.

He once heard of a young woman whose legs were paralyzed and had absolutely no sensation. During an exam, a doctor assaulted her, but she had no idea—it just seemed like a normal check-up.

When she realized she was pregnant, she finally suspected something. After a tough police investigation and a DNA test, they brought the criminal doctor to justice.

The doctor later confessed: the patient was so beautiful and, since she was paralyzed and couldn’t feel a thing, he lost control and committed an unspeakable crime.

Normally, when a male doctor examines a female patient, the hospital requires a third person in the room.

That third person should always be a woman.

It can be a nurse or another doctor.

But there are always leaks in the system, and if you get an unscrupulous male doctor in the wrong environment, terrible things can still happen.

Zhou Can held the boy’s cervical spine test results, poring over them in detail.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t turning up anything new.

He decided to consult with Director Yin Hua, chief physician in Neurology.

This guy’s a real star in the Neurology Department. At Tuyu Hospital, where talent is everywhere, to be seen as a master requires real skill.

Director Yin and Zhou Can always got along well.

They often discussed tough neurology cases, whether internal or surgical.

When it came to neuro-knowledge and experience, Director Yin had the edge. But Zhou Can had his own unique insights into neurosurgery and neurology diagnoses.

Even Director Yin couldn’t help but praise him.

It was already late—almost 7:30 p.m.—and chief physicians usually left on the dot around 5:30.

When time’s up, they’re out the door immediately.

Staying late? That’s mostly for interns, trainees, and residents.

Even visiting doctors found ways to avoid extra hours—always some excuse, illness, or ‘urgent matters’. Lots of fancy excuses, too.

“Director Yin, hello!”

“Ah, Zhou! Been awhile since you dropped by for tea. When are you coming over to chat?” Director Yin sounded happy to get his call.

He warmly invited Zhou Can for tea.

“I missed you! Are you at home now?”

Zhou Can sometimes joked with his seniors this way.

Small talk like that is all part of normal workplace relationships and expressing emotion.

He always respected medical seniors like Director Yin and Director Tan and enjoyed their company.

“Wish I could get home early and play with my grandson, but work keeps piling up. You’ve made Cardiothoracic Surgery stronger, and now our department’s under pressure. My Neurology team struggles with complex surgeries—they keep making me clean up their messes. I’m in the office, working through a tough case.”

Director Yin grumbled about Cardiothoracic Surgery’s rapid rise.

Neurology had always been solid—a heavyweight department at Tuyu Hospital.

But now, Cardiothoracic Surgery was surging, so all the others felt the heat.

Especially Internal Medicine.

Directors Tan and Xie, two hospital giants, had split things evenly for years.

But now, Surgery was gaining ground and momentum.

First, General Surgery reformed and split into subspecialties, like a dragon turning into nine sons. Both business and reputation soared.

Then Cardiothoracic Surgery, with Zhou Can’s help, shot up as well.

Even after Dr. Hu Kan passed and the other big hospitals tried to poach them, Cardiothoracic Surgery still thrived. That record was brilliant.

It’s why Director Xueyan, just based on that, was in line to become vice president.

Surgery was charging forward. Internal Medicine just plodded along.

By comparison, they looked a bit slack.

From Director Tan down to every department head, everyone felt the pressure.

There was only one Zhou Can in all of Tuyu Hospital. Internal Medicine was working twice as hard for little result.

No wonder Director Yin was complaining.

“You’re still at work? Perfect! I’ve got a tricky case for your advice. I’ll be right there—wait for me!”

Zhou Can was thrilled Yin was still around.

He quickly grabbed the patient’s records and headed for Neurology.

Tuyu Hospital has several campuses and is huge inside. Newcomers feel lost as soon as they walk in.

Even with signs everywhere, it’s easy to get turned around.

The teaching and administration buildings are separate.

The main clinical buildings are mostly interconnected.

After so many years at the hospital, Zhou Can could find his way blindfolded.

It took him less than ten minutes to reach Director Yin’s office.

He knocked and entered.

“You only come to see me when you need something, never just to say hi!” Director Yin was usually stern, but with Zhou Can he acted like an old friend.

“I totally mean to visit more, I just never have time—sometimes I’m too busy even to use the restroom! Don’t hold it against me.”

Zhou Can laughed awkwardly.

“This is a patient we just admitted today in the Emergency Department—a boy not even three years old. He fell from about three meters high while playing in a bouncy castle. There was an air cushion below, but somehow he ended up paralyzed from the neck down. The boy’s father serves on the border, and it happened while his mother was looking after him. She’s feeling extremely guilty and under a lot of pressure.”

“The bouncy castle owner isn’t in a great spot either. If the child recovers, this family can regain their happiness. Otherwise, I really worry their lives will be gloomy from now on.”

Not standing on ceremony, he handed over all the test results and case notes to Director Yin.

He also explained the whole family situation.

Doctors have the hearts of parents.

When something like this happens, everyone feels real sympathy and throws themselves into the work.