Chapter 25: Turbulence in the Emergency Department

The Emergency Department is notorious for doctor-patient disputes – incidents of doctors being assaulted by relatives are all too common.

As the head of the department, he always had to safeguard the rights of his subordinate doctors.

He couldn’t let them lose heart.

“The family seems stable; no trouble at the moment,” someone noted.

Dr. He felt a surge of embarrassment.

Failing in the Emergency Department was mortifying, and he was too ashamed to admit it, especially with five new residents from the training program watching Director Tan.

Letting these newcomers know about his blunder would be a massive blow to his pride.

Director Tan grew even more puzzled.

The patient recovered, the family stayed calm, yet Dr. He’s overly dejected demeanor had everyone wondering what had happened.

“Was it because you arrived late and got rebuked by the Emergency doctors?”

“They wouldn’t dare do that.”

Dr. He’s neck stiffened as his face regained a hint of defiant stubbornness.

The prestige of Internal Medicine was etched deep within every internist’s bones.

No matter who initiated it, a rebuke from the Emergency doctors was unthinkable.

“Watch your tone,” Director Tan admonished lightly, his rebuke more a reminder than a scold.

He only insisted on proper decorum to maintain harmony between hospital departments.

Deep down, he did appreciate Dr. He’s viewpoint.

Internal Medicine’s status was untouchable; no other department could trample on it.

“What was the result of the consultation?”

“The child ingested counterfeit medication – the acetaminophen levels far exceeded safe limits, triggering anaphylactic shock. After targeted allergic treatment, there’s been some improvement.”

Dr. He silently thanked his nerve for staying until the child’s condition eased before leaving.

Otherwise, he would have been clueless by now.

“Not bad. It seems only our internists can pinpoint the cause! Internal Medicine’s medical authority is unparalleled in every department,”

Director Tan nodded approvingly, a proud smile lighting up his flushed face.

His words were aimed mostly at the five new members standing behind him.

He wanted them to understand that joining Internal Medicine was a privilege – a prestigious, promising future.

Dr. He felt awkward; his contribution during the emergency was hardly worthy of praise.

Yet, unaware of the truth, Director Tan continued with effusive praise.

The matter just couldn’t be hidden.

Sooner or later, it would reach Director Tan’s ears.

Taking a deep breath, Dr. He suppressed his overwhelming vanity and decided to be honest. Leaving an impression of dishonesty with his superiors would have been detrimental to his upcoming promotion to Attending Physician.

Saving face was trivial compared to advancing his career.

“Director Tan, in all honesty… I didn’t really contribute during that consultation.”

Summoning his courage, Dr. He confessed everything.

“Uh!” Director Tan’s smile froze. “What do you mean? Is that humility or are you downright admitting you did nothing?”

“I truly didn’t contribute. The cause was identified by an Emergency resident named Zhou Can,” Dr. He admitted, wishing he could bury his head in his pants as his face burned with feverish flush.

Admitting all this in front of the new recruits had almost drained a lifetime’s worth of courage.

The atmosphere turned unbearably awkward.

Director Tan had intended to use the moment to extol the virtues of Internal Medicine in front of the newcomers, but instead the situation backfired.

His face betrayed his mounting embarrassment.

“Even if you didn’t diagnose it yourself, you did put in effort. If the Emergency doctors really had the skill to diagnose, they wouldn’t have needed us internists. Don’t you agree, everyone?”

Director Tan tried his best to smooth things over.

A little cover-up was better than nothing, right?

“Yes, yes, exactly. Otherwise, think about it: the Emergency Department couldn’t crack the case until Dr. He from Cardiology rushed over and solved it. That shows his contribution was absolutely critical.”

No matter where you are, there’s always someone ready to curry favor.

Flattery was a sure way to earn a superior’s appreciation – simple, blunt, and with minimal cost.

It only required thick skin and a silver tongue.

Director Tan managed to force a smile once again.

“Dr. He, care to explain how you helped the Emergency doctors pinpoint the cause?” Director Tan asked eagerly.

“I… I really didn’t do much. It was actually an Emergency resident named Zhou Can who, through communicating with the family, uncovered that the child had taken counterfeit medicine,” Dr. He stammered, wishing the ground would swallow him.

Today was nothing short of a nightmare.

After making a complete fool of himself in the Emergency Department and returning to Internal Medicine, he unfortunately ran into Director Tan accompanied by the new doctors, who relentlessly grilled him about the consultation.

It was like reopening old wounds.

Just as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

One of the ingratiating residents instinctively shrank back, trying to go unnoticed.

Even flattery came with risks.

He never imagined that things would reverse so spectacularly, making his well-practiced flattery backfire.

Luckily, Director Tan’s attention was diverted by another matter.

“You said it was an Emergency resident named Zhou Can who discovered the cause?”

Director Tan looked genuinely surprised.

Not only him but even the several residents behind him wore expressions of mixed emotions.

Especially Gao Jian, who felt a complex mix of emotions.

Gao Jian had lost the training exam to Zhou Can and refused to accept defeat. The two had agreed to compete over their medical skills in the future. When department heads chose candidates, Gao Jian had an edge because of his higher academic credentials, securing him a spot in the best Internal Medicine team.

This placed him in the illustrious Internal Medicine department.

That filled him with newfound confidence.

A doctor’s growth depended on a nurturing learning environment – including mentorship by top experts, access to cutting-edge medical resources, and abundant practical experience.

In every aspect, Internal Medicine left the Emergency Department far behind.

Gao Jian believed that just months of study in Internal Medicine would soon outclass Zhou Can, leaving him far in the dust.

In retrospect, it all seemed like a joke.

No matter where he went, talent would shine through.

Even if Zhou Can were placed in a substandard Emergency Department, he would quickly make his mark. He managed to diagnose a case that neither the Emergency nor the Cardiology doctors could crack. Good heavens, just how talented is this prodigy?

Gao Jian felt a wave of helplessness.

Yet the incident also stoked his competitive spirit.

If Zhou Can could achieve so much in the Emergency Department, why couldn’t he replicate that success in Internal Medicine?

“Director, do you know this Zhou Can?” Dr. He deduced from Director Tan’s surprised expression that he must know the young resident.

He was incredibly curious about this seemingly unassuming trainee.

After all, even the head of Internal Medicine was aware of him.

“Not exactly. I only know that he topped this year’s training exam. His surgical skills are reportedly good, though his academic background is a bit lacking – he’s a Tuyu Medical University graduate, just a bachelor’s degree,” Director Tan replied flatly.

Though his expression was indifferent, inside he wondered if choosing Gao Jian had been the right call.

Should a true medical talent be allowed to lead a department, steering it to glory?

A brilliant doctor could single-handedly elevate an entire department.

They could lead the team to unprecedented success.

If a prodigy was overlooked in favor of someone who merely had academic credentials, the regret would be immense.

“So he’s the top scorer in the training exam. No wonder he’s so impressive,”

Dr. He felt a slight relief.

Losing to a top-tier trainee was hardly a disgrace.

“Alright, get back to work! The five of you, come with me to the main office – the Internal Medicine heads will soon be here to choose candidates,” Director Tan declared, the joy of snatching a prized recruit from a top university momentarily fading.

He hoped Gao Jian wouldn’t fall too far behind Zhou Can, or it would be a major loss.

In time, Zhou Can’s development in the Emergency Department would reveal whether he was a dragon or a snake.

……

In the Emergency Department, Dr. Xu was showing Zhou Can and Jin Mingxi around.

“Our Emergency Department is a melting pot. According to hospital regulations, we must attend to any patient in need – whether it’s a simple headache or fever, or cases of car accidents, burns, or acute illnesses. Typically, only two doctors handle consultations: one for internal cases and another for surgical ones.”

Tuyu Hospital’s emergency caseload is frighteningly high; just two doctors on duty is almost unthinkable.

One wonders just how hectic it gets.

“Working in the Emergency Department is grueling. We operate on a three-shift rotation. With staff shortages, sometimes we even have to work back-to-back shifts. You two need to be prepared for hardship.”

Dr. Xu prepped the two on what to expect.

“If you can grow, a little hardship is nothing. I once worked thirty-six hours straight at the County Hospital – nearly collapsing from exhaustion,” Jin Mingxi joked with a smile.

Zhou Can had long suspected that Jin Mingxi was already a seasoned doctor.

With a bachelor’s degree and at 35 years old, he likely had over a dozen years of work experience.

In terms of surgical skills, Jin Mingxi was no slouch compared to Zhou Can.

“How about you? Are you afraid of hard work?”

Dr. Xu was pleased with Jin Mingxi’s response, then turned his gaze to Zhou Can.

“I’m not afraid of hard work – I’m more worried that Dr. Xu might coddle me like a child, not giving me the chance to earn real experience,” Zhou Can admitted. He needed to constantly diagnose and treat patients to gain experience and level up quickly.

The scariest thing was missing out on learning opportunities.

Originally, he had hoped to join the General Surgery training program.

Deputy Director Liu had already placed some trust in him and even promised to mentor him.

But things didn’t go as planned – when the Surgery department head chose candidates, Zhou Can was completely overlooked.

They chose the returning PhD, Du Leng, instead.

“Don’t worry, there will be plenty of opportunities to learn. As a resident under me, I need to see that you have the capability before giving you more responsibility,” Dr. Xu stated firmly.

“Dr. Zhou, you’re eager to learn – I’m counting on you two newcomers to grow quickly and help shoulder our workload,”

a young doctor on duty cheerfully greeted him.

News of Zhou Can’s earlier triumph in the resuscitation room had spread; both the doctors and nurses treated him with extra courtesy.

“Luo Yong, don’t try to multitask when treating a patient – mistakes can be fatal,” Dr. Xu warned the young doctor. “Come on, let me show you the observation and infusion areas.”

Worried about interrupting the two on duty, he quickly led them to the observation and infusion rooms without further introduction.

The areas were mostly staffed by busy nurses.

Without an emergency, doctors rarely visited these sections.

“Hey, Dr. Zhou, great to see you!”

A cheerful, attractive nurse greeted Zhou Can.

“I remember you – you were the brave one who stood up to Dr. He in the Emergency Room,” Zhou Can replied with a smile.

“Goose, goose, goose…”

She giggled, covering her mouth as her eyes crinkled.

“Internists have a notorious reputation for being haughty. You managed to get a chance to give him a piece of your mind – thanks to you! I’m Ye Tingting, in charge of patient monitoring in the observation area, and sometimes I help out in the resuscitation room. If you need anything, just let me know.”

Not only was she bold, but she was also extremely warm.

“Haha, then I’m counting on you, Miss Ye,” Zhou Can laughed heartily.

He couldn’t help but feel that the Emergency Department was one big, welcoming family.

“Now, let me show you the two core areas of our Emergency Department – the ICU and the operating room.”

The Emergency Department was essentially divided into the internal and surgical consultation desks, observation area, infusion room, resuscitation room, operating room, and ICU.

The operating room and ICU best showcased the department’s strength.

The operating room was Zhou Can’s favorite.

He wondered what kinds of surgeries were performed there and if he’d finally have the opportunity to hone his skills.