Chapter 172: Rising Talent in Critical Care

Zhou Can always puts forth his best effort; his solid background in orthopedics and general surgery, coupled with extensive surgical experience, makes his performance exceptional.

In both emergency resuscitations and diagnoses, his Life-saving Insight plays a crucial role.

When an emergency hits, this unique medical skill instinctively grants him enhanced wisdom—his diagnostic thinking becomes 50% clearer, and he remains remarkably level-headed.

Other doctors naturally become flustered and tense when a patient’s condition turns critical.

Even the seasoned Director Liu has shown marked anxiety during major emergencies, with sweat beading on his forehead, his expression growing heavy with urgency.

This clearly demonstrates the invaluable calm that Life-saving Insight provides.

The more desperate the situation, the harder it is to think clearly, leading to poor analysis and heightened chances of errors.

Zhou Can has earned acclaim in countless resuscitations; his excellence stems not from a single talent,

but from a blend of multiple strengths.

In comparison, the 32 trainees in the Critical Care Department are a long way behind him.

Many of them are still stuck on the basics—learning to operate instruments, pump medicine, run blood filters, or manage ventilators—simple tasks and rudimentary rescue techniques.

They simply lack the ability to adjust medications dynamically or handle sudden crises.

Zhou Can, however, is leagues ahead; in just one month of training, he can independently cover shifts like a senior resident.

In fact, even many experienced residents frequently call on him for help.

Of course, this doesn’t mean he outshines senior residents in every aspect—he still hasn’t mastered all the foundational knowledge, let alone advanced topics.

That’s why he remains incredibly humble and hardworking.

When in doubt, he promptly seeks advice from his superiors.

His growing stature in the Critical Care Department has made it easier for him to learn from them.

While other trainees must rely on residents for guidance,

Zhou Can can go straight to an attending or chief physician.

This advantage is not to be underestimated.

Residents often can’t grasp many issues as fully as attending physicians; the insights gained from them are far more comprehensive.

Often, a single question sparks in-depth discussions that branch into multiple related topics.

A couple of consultations might not show a big difference,

but with repeated guidance, Zhou Can’s knowledge steadily accumulates.

This is one reason why, even after just one month, his abilities are comparable to those of seasoned residents.

There is another noteworthy detail.

Dr. Shi invited Zhou Can to collaborate on a research paper based on a digestive tract bleeding patient from Bed 7.

So far, significant progress has been made, and the paper is continuously expanding.

Unfortunately, with only this single case to study, they must sift through an enormous amount of data.

Sometimes what appears to be only a few sentences or data points ends up consuming immense time and energy from both of them.

Moreover, the parasitic infection within the patient has not yet been documented in any medical paper, journal, or textbook.

This further elevates the research difficulty.

Although writing the paper has been extremely challenging, it has also been tremendously beneficial for Zhou Can.

Dr. Shi is counting this paper as one of the credentials for his application for Deputy Chief Attending Physician—a very high rank.

When Zhou Can eventually advances to an attending physician, this paper will serve as strong evidence of his capabilities.

It is far superior to those pseudo-papers where sections are bought or cobbled together.

After the one-month training period ended, the other trainees gradually departed.

Jin Mingxi went on to train with the Digestive Surgery Department.

However, Zhou Can stayed in the Critical Care Department to continue honing his skills.

…

Time flies.

Three intense months in the Critical Care Department were filled with tension, as each day brought farewells to lost lives.

After working here so long, Zhou Can’s dominant feelings are one of powerlessness and deep frustration.

There are simply too many problems that doctors cannot fix.

Sometimes, watching the loss of young lives weighs heavily on his heart.

Yet in these three months, he transformed from an ICU rookie into a decisive medic—swift in his actions, assertive with medications, and relentless during resuscitations.

The list of patients he has saved is almost uncountable.

Many times, Zhou Can pulled patients back from the brink of death, carefully tending to them until they could safely leave the ICU.

Every time a patient improved enough to exit the Critical Care Department, the staff celebrated joyfully.

They would often joke, “At last, another one sent home alive!”

The day eventually came for Zhou Can to leave the Critical Care Department.

After spending so much time here, he had forged deep bonds with the doctors and nurses; during emergencies, everyone fought together like true comrades—a camaraderie unmatched by any other department.

Not even the Emergency Department could compare.

While there was competition and occasional scheming within the Critical Care Department, the staff always maintained the unity and warmth of a big family.

There were no barriers between teams.

At times, doctors and nurses acted like a devoted couple, united in thought and effort.

Zhou Can felt a profound reluctance to leave this department.

But all gatherings must eventually come to an end; it was time for him to move on to a new training department.

In the office of the Critical Care Department, Director Liu personally bid him farewell.

“Xiao Zhou, although I have been your mentor for these three months, I feel incredibly fortunate. Training you has taught me so much—your surgical experience, your fearless spirit of exploration, and your uniquely insightful diagnostics have all been invaluable. Thanks to you, our critical patient transfer rate has increased and hospital stays greatly shortened. I know your contribution is the greatest.”

Director Liu looked at Zhou Can with an overwhelming sense of reluctance to see him depart.

This capable medic not only injected dynamic energy into the Critical Care Department but also delivered outstanding results.

Zhou Can loved delving deep into cases that he believed might improve with treatment.

As soon as a diagnosis was clear or a viable surgical or treatment plan emerged, he would promptly present it to Director Liu.

Over these three months, he helped over seventy patients escape danger, all of whom eventually left the ICU safely.

“Inspired by your influence, I’ve realized that our Critical Care Department has significant shortcomings. We were far too conservative before. I’ve submitted a proposal to the hospital to introduce a rotating system. Every month, a doctor at or above the attending level from major departments—Neurology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Gastroenterology, Gynecology, Obstetrics, General Surgery, and Digestive Surgery—will join our shifts.”

“With specialized doctors coming in, we can actively push treatment for critical patients, reducing mortality and significantly increasing recovery rates.”

Director Liu, too, recognized that simply going through the motions was no longer viable.

It was like a small tree blown over on a stormy night, uprooted completely.

The next day, a forest ranger named Zhang San rushed over, propping it up as soon as he saw it.

Initially, he considered staking it with wood, but feared damaging its trunk, so he simply supported it and waited, hoping it would grow strong again.

Day after day, Zhang San tended to it, even calling his wife over during breaks to help.

He had his wife water it every day.

They hoped that soon the tree’s roots would firmly reanchor in the soil.

Day after day, Zhang San and his wife labored tirelessly to help the sapling stand upright again.

After a month, the tree proved resilient; its roots dug deep into the soil so that Zhang San no longer needed to support it.

It had revived.

Not long afterward, another tree was knocked down by the wind. As before, Zhang San and his wife did their best to support it day and night. At that moment, a farmer named Li Si passed by and offered a suggestion.

“Why not fashion a tripod to support the trunk, reinforce the soil around the roots, and water it to help it recover?”

At first, Zhang San was hesitant, fearful of injuring the tree.

But after Li Si’s persuasion, he finally agreed to give it a try.

The result was remarkable—a mere half-month later, the sapling had revived.

From then on, Zhang San abandoned his clumsy methods.

This little story mirrors the current treatment methods in the Critical Care Department of Tuyu Hospital—laborious and exhausting like Zhang San’s naive efforts.

Yet, the approach is terribly inefficient.

Being overly conservative in treatment only harms patients.

Zhou Can’s arrival was like that bold suggestion from farmer Li Si—proposing innovative surgical or diagnostic methods that, though seemingly risky, yielded superior results.

Director Liu recognized the flaws in the current system, and that was enough.

As for how to resolve it, Zhou Can didn’t intend to meddle.

The idea of rotating attending-level doctors from major departments might not be implemented, in his opinion.

After all, the plan involves complex vested interests.

The real solution likely lies in diligently training the department’s own doctors, letting them gain further expertise in key areas.

“Xiao Zhou, what are your plans after your training ends?”

“I plan to return to the Emergency Department.”

“It would be wonderful if you stayed in the Critical Care Department—I truly hate to see you go.”

Director Liu looked at him with deep reluctance in his eyes.

“Honestly, I’m also reluctant to part with you and the other team members, but the pursuit of medicine never stops. I might even become a surgeon someday; my exact specialty isn’t decided yet.”

Zhou Can had no intention of remaining in Critical Care.

He knew that if needed, he could always return here for further training.

“I knew I couldn’t hold onto you. So, which department is next for your training?”

Director Liu gave a wry smile.

To many doctors, the Critical Care Department is a prized assignment, but to a prodigy like Zhou Can, it might not carry the same appeal.

“My next training rotation is in Cardiothoracic Surgery, followed by Urology, Hepatobiliary, Gastrointestinal Surgery, and finally General Surgery. After completing these rotations, I will train in several Internal Medicine departments.”

Three years might seem long,

but for Zhou Can, it’s an extremely compact schedule.

In terms of building a foundation, the hospital clearly sees him as an all-around elite doctor.

Not many doctors at Tuyu Hospital receive such treatment.

“Alright then! These three months have bonded you with the Critical Care Department. If you ever need anything, you know where I am. Once you’ve honed your skills, you’re welcome to come back and help those on the brink.”

Director Liu had to settle for a second-best farewell.

“Thank you for all your care and mentorship over these three months. Dr. Hu, Dr. Shi, Deputy Director Yu, and the others have given me immense support—I will always remember their help and certainly visit again in the future.”

Zhou Can felt deep gratitude towards them.

In these three months, he learned many invaluable emergency techniques,

techniques that will greatly benefit his future work in the Emergency Department and his entire medical career.

“Haha, Dr. Zhou just mentioned my name!”

Deputy Director Yu entered from outside.

Dr. Hu and Dr. Shi soon followed into the office.

“Some of you were on duty, others off duty at home—how did everyone get here?” Director Liu asked in surprise.

“We heard Dr. Zhou was leaving and couldn’t bear it. We all decided to come by and say goodbye,” Dr. Hu explained with a smile.

“Thank you! Thank you for holding me in such high regard. Meeting you all has been both my fortune and destiny. Even if I leave, I will always miss you.”

Zhou Can pressed his palms together in gratitude, repeatedly thanking them.

So many people had come to see off a trainee—it was an extravagant farewell that showed just how highly they regarded him.

Only those who truly care would come to say goodbye.