Chapter 49: The Weight of Responsibility
by xennovel“Dr. Xu, your arrangement is unreasonable! Zhou Can is only a resident—he’s not qualified to operate solo. Why not have him assist you? Just like Jin Mingxi, I managed a Level One trauma case on my own.”
Zhou Can doesn’t have a medical license, but Jin Mingxi does.
That is Zhou Can’s one weak spot.
When Dr. Lu heard he was to assist Dr. Xu, his face immediately soured.
He even found a justified reason to swap with Zhou Can.
Zhou Can seethed silently.
Dr. Lu is truly despicable. With so many injured waiting outside, he shows no compassion—he’s more interested in shirking responsibility than saving lives.
It’s a tragedy when someone without integrity becomes a doctor.
“Who says he’s operating alone? I’m here guiding the surgery! Enough chatter—get to work. Tang Ling, roll in the most critical case from outside.”
Dr. Xu’s words left Dr. Lu utterly silenced.
This proves you should never cross your superior—you simply can’t win against them.
Soon, two temporary nurses arrived, one to assist Zhou Can and the other Jin Mingxi.
The small operating room quickly became a hive of activity.
Up to three patients could be admitted at once, with several doctors working simultaneously.
Zhou Can was at full throttle—assessing injuries, performing debridement, achieving hemostasis, and suturing.
Most injuries were mere abrasions.
The more severe cases involved head or arm contusions with bleeding.
All patients sent to the operating room had been preliminarily examined by the attending doctor.
However, given the massive influx and scarce resources,
some minor injuries received only a basic check before being sent for further treatment.
This demanded strict vigilance from the surgical team to avoid errors.
“Next patient!”
After finishing with the first patient, Zhou Can quickly had the nurse send them out and brought in the next one.
The previous patient had been sutured on the palm side of the hand.
According to his account, he was lucky to be far from the collapsing stage.
Yet he was still struck by a long advertisement board.
Instinctively, he raised his hand to shield his head and face.
The impact left a 2.5cm deep, bone-exposing wound on his palm.
Zhou Can administered anesthesia, debrided, stopped the bleeding, and sutured the wound—earning him 4 points in injection experience, 1 in debridement, 5 in hemostasis, 4 in suturing, and 4 in ligature experience.
Overall, his progress was impressive.
He was particularly surprised by the debridement experience gained.
When he checked his stats, he discovered a new skill had unlocked.
【Debridement Technique – Advanced Medical Skill; Current XP: 8/10. Intern-level excellence.】
This technique applies to cleaning soft tissue injuries, irregular wound debridement, and cleansing ulcerated or contaminated wounds.
To his shock, the Debridement Technique is considered an advanced medical skill.
Still, his proficiency remains at an intern’s level.
Its 8/10 XP suggests it was always part of his practice.
He simply hadn’t noticed it before.
Soon, a new patient was wheeled in before Zhou Can.
They arrived in a wheelchair.
The sight startled Zhou Can.
At his half-baked skill level, he couldn’t manage overly complex injuries.
Especially not those potentially involving fractures.
He crouched down to examine the patient’s knee; fresh blood had stained large patches of the pants.
The patient’s face was twisted in pain.
“Have you had an X-ray?”
“Yes. The attending said there’s no fracture—just a need for treatment in the operating room.”
Zhou Can carefully inspected the X-ray film.
The bones were intact with no signs of fracture.
The external injuries were merely intimidating in appearance.
With his abilities, treating superficial wounds was well within his competence.
“I’m afraid these pants will have to go,” Zhou Can told the patient.
He explained matter-of-factly.
“Cut them off—just hurry to get into surgery.”
The patient winced in pain.
After obtaining consent, Zhou Can promptly excised the pant legs.
The wound was now clearly exposed.
It was an irregular, almost circular laceration.
“Did you fall?”
“Don’t even mention it. The stage collapsed suddenly, and in my panic I tripped over something and hit the ground hard. My right knee struck first, scraping against gravel and causing immediate bleeding.”
Recalling the event only deepened the patient’s dismal expression.
“Doctor, will my leg end up disabled?”
“Based on the current condition, it shouldn’t cause permanent disability.”
It’s merely a superficial injury, so the risk of disability is low.
Still, Zhou Can was careful not to make absolute assurances.
He had learned such cautious speech during his internship with the resident doctors.
He took the prepared anesthetic and administered it around the wound.
【Injection XP +1】
【Injection XP +1】
【Congratulations! Your Injection Technique has reached Level 2. Current XP: 0/100. Resident-level skill.】
Finally, he reached Level 2.
He now understood injections much more deeply—in the past, he’d assumed any person could just give a shot.
At Level 2, he realized that even a simple injection requires nuanced technique.
For instance, intramuscular injections must avoid areas rich in blood vessels and nerves—especially major arteries and critical nerves.
In fact, every injection should steer clear of large vessels and nerves.
Puncturing a major artery isn’t saving a life; it’s tantamount to murder.
Even selecting the injection site demands expertise.
Muscle injections are best administered in areas with well-developed muscle, like the arms or buttocks.
Depending on the drug, the injection site is critical.
The arms, being closer to the heart and brain, allow for quicker drug absorption.
Meanwhile, the buttocks, with their poorer blood flow, absorb drugs more slowly; additionally, their robust muscle and thicker fat layer allow for higher tolerance.
Beyond theoretical know-how, his practical skills had advanced considerably.
At his current level, he could reliably execute complex intravenous injections; errors like injecting into the skin, striking bone, or hitting major vessels were nearly nonexistent.
He had only administered two injections to this patient so far.
Considering his habit of diligently accumulating medical experience, he typically needed at least four injections.
After selecting the site, he proceeded with a third injection.
His hand was steady, and the depth was impeccable.
He slowly pushed the anesthetic in.
Within the syringe, the anesthetic steadily diffused into the muscle layer.
“Hey Doc, out of the three injections, that last one was the best!” the patient complimented.
He hoped Zhou Can would keep up the high standard.
Compared to the previous two, the third was noticeably more comfortable.
“You wouldn’t understand,” Zhou Can replied, “the first two had to be forceful to ensure rapid action.”
The patient, unaware of the technicalities, played along to keep a smooth doctor-patient rapport.
Effective communication is an art form in medicine.
It’s an essential part of every healthcare professional’s training.
Securing the patient’s cooperation is as critical as the treatment itself.
He then administered a fourth injection, still at resident level.
His technique was flawless.
This time, not only did the patient agree with his explanation, but he also showered him with praise.
“Doctor, you look so young—I never expected you to be this skillful! Your anesthesia is perfectly balanced, precise and controlled. Tsk tsk, your technique is truly impressive—way better than those nurses!”
Hearing this, Zhou Can blushed profusely.
The nurse beside him rolled her eyes.
Next, Zhou Can methodically debrided, achieved hemostasis, and sutured the wound.
Given the wound’s peculiar nature, he boldly employed a Flap Suture Technique.
It was a true test of his abilities.
Compared to straight-line suturing, the Flap Suture Technique is far more complex—it’s often used in plastic surgery to minimize scarring.
“Alright, send him out! The wound must stay dry—being at the knee means excessive bending could reopen it. Make sure he returns for timely dressing changes.”
After issuing instructions, the patient was wheeled out.
Once the patient was gone, the nurse winked at Zhou Can, saying, “Dr. Zhou, I don’t recall anesthesia requiring both a heavy and a light shot?”