System Came When the Doctor was Thirty

”Teacher Chen, today’s patients aren’t special. Please go and rest, I can handle the rounds with Peng Kun, several of them were seen by you just the day before...” In the emergency department and general ward, Lu Cheng very carefully smiled and spoke to Chen Song.

”Alright...” Chen Song, with his hands behind his back, carefully glanced at the patient list. Upon noticing one additional patient post-appendectomy, he turned around and walked away with a steady gait.

Before turning, Chen Song deliberately cast a glance at Peng Kun, his gaze lingering on him for a moment.

Peng Kun, tall and slender with a rather delicate appearance, subtly remarked after Chen Song left, ”Brother Cheng, Professor Chen Song of the emergency department has quite a temper, always very proud. The fact that you can earn his recognition is truly impressive.”

Peng Kun caressed the small black mole on the right side of his chin, his thumb surrounded by short stubble, his face full of contemplation.

Peng Kun came very casually, without any sense of being an outsider.

Lu Cheng turned his head and replied, ”Young Master Kun, don’t bother with this commercial mutual compliment thing.”

”Actually, following me to learn things isn’t particularly good, I don’t really know how to teach you anything...”

Peng Kun nodded, blinking suddenly, ”I didn’t initially plan to go into hand surgery, but when I came back, my dad acquired a meniscus, but messed up during the suturing process.”

”Called Tayama, but he wouldn’t come!~”

”Eventually, someone from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital came to wrap things up, Tayama paused my surgical privileges in the medical department.”

”Damn it... Such a damn pain!~” Peng Kun suppressed his emotions intensely:

”I didn’t expect so many issues with meniscus suturing. When I was at Xiangya Second Hospital, I saw Professor Li and others doing it so effortlessly.”

Lu Cheng thought to himself, the doctors working at Xiangya Second Hospital have gone through countless challenges to stay there. Securing the primary surgeon status, getting promoted to deputy chief physician, or associate professor, requires standing out from the same batch.

Studying surgical techniques and knowing surgical techniques are entirely different things?

Hospital-wise, a surgery can be avoided, but if you choose to do it, you must do it well without any mishaps. Otherwise, the hospital won’t often cover for you.

If you want to go out and train, you can, but whether you’ll learn, how you’ll learn, the hospital can’t guarantee that.

Everyone’s skills are self-taught, not copied, nor inherited through generations.

”Perhaps the timing wasn’t right, bad luck.”

Lu Cheng responded and then perplexedly asked, ”So, Young Master Kun, do you still want to learn tendon suturing? To excel in tendon suturing, you need to first practice the fundamentals of suturing skill.”

Lu Cheng didn’t doubt that Peng Kun had the skills and a good grasp of sports medicine, but not doing it well is the reality.

Tayama, the associate chief physician, as the ’supervising director’ of sports medicine in the hospital, is the ’expert’ on technical issues, and also possesses superior techniques compared to the one from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.

Even Peng Haibo intervening wasn’t effective.

When it comes to skills, if you can’t achieve it, you simply can’t achieve it — boasting makes no difference.

”Of course, I want to learn... Basics are basics, I’ll practice them gradually.” Peng Kun nodded, shooting a complicated look at Lu Cheng and then squeezing out a fawning smile:

”Hoping during this process, Brother Cheng, you can offer plenty of guidance.”

Peng Kun’s expression seemed accommodatingly polite, but in reality, carried a sense of helpless dependency.

What was his status? The son of Director Peng Haibo, after graduating from undergraduate studies, he went to train at Hengnan University Affiliated First Hospital and had just encountered Lu Cheng upon returning to work. Within a few months, he was immediately committed to postgraduate training.

Originally, following logic, Peng Kun couldn’t pursue a professional master’s, but needed to choose a research master’s.

But with protection from Peng Haibo, Peng Kun didn’t fear being unable to publish papers for graduation, focusing solely on skills, remaining in sports medicine long-term. Now, having returned from completing his studies, he wants to ”make a big splash,” but discovers he botched even a basic meniscus suture.

Now wanting to ”change careers,” Professor Chen Song doesn’t want him, leaving him to follow ’Lu Cheng’ to learn.

Since when is an undergraduate attending physician worthy of being his teacher?

Back at Xiangya Second Hospital, thanks to managing interpersonal relationships, those teaching him techniques were at least associate chief physicians. At Hengnan University Affiliated First Hospital during training, he connected well with department heads and deputies...

”Young Master Kun, having undergone formal education at Xiangya Second Hospital, your learning materials must certainly be more thorough than mine.”

”I actually can’t guide you; I’m just following routines to learn, no other tricks...”

Furthermore, Lu Cheng adjusted his tone: ”Also, if Young Master Kun hasn’t met the tendon suturing standards, I dare not let you take the primary surgeon role. I want to state these unpleasant facts upfront.”

You, Peng Kun, may have a director dad, but your dad, Peng Haibo, can’t coerce me into giving you the primary surgeon role...

I’m officially employed, worst case, not getting promoted to deputy senior level — what can you do about it?

Peng Kun laughed wryly and said, ”If I’m not qualified for surgery, of course, I won’t take the lead. Forgetting this basic criterion would prompt my teacher to personally cleanse the portal.”

”Medical science doesn’t tolerate jokes, not to be trifled with.”

Playing is one thing, joking is another, but who dares to make jokes at patients’ expense?

Medical disputes nowadays are inherently tense, the societal status of doctors only ’sounds’ high — if something goes wrong, evading responsibility is extremely hard!

If medical accidents are overly outrageous, he might pull his dad into the trouble too.

Everyone is navigating cautiously, alright...

”So, Young Master Kun, you need to first practice basics, and learn some fundamental theories on hand surgery, like tendon zones. I suggest practising suturing skills basics alongside the modified Kessler suturing techniques...” Lu Cheng wholeheartedly shared his training ladder model freely with Peng Kun.

After listening, Peng Kun nodded, rather casually, without asking Lu Cheng for photos or files.

Peng Kun presumably had other channels for acquiring learning materials and hence overlooked Lu Cheng’s ’humble’ resources...

After all, to Peng Kun, even Chen Song wasn’t the best ”mentoring teacher,” if it wasn’t for having no choice but to depend on others, someone like Chen Song who didn’t understand hand surgery was nothing, yet dared to act as a hand surgery instructor?

Xiangya Second Hospital’s hand surgery would make him laugh!

But here at Long County People’s Hospital, leave the formalities behind.

Technical peaks are technical peaks, first master conventional techniques and routines...

Lu Cheng then took Peng Kun for rounds, but Peng Kun couldn’t bear Lu Cheng’s ”dawdling.” Halfway through the rounds, after checking three patients, he said, ”Brother Cheng, continue watching, asking questions, I’ll start drafting medical orders!”

”Later we’ll change the dressing together; you change three beds, I’ll change two.” Peng Kun very proactively and ’reasonably’ engaged in task distribution.

Peng Kun came to learn, merely learning without work was certainly not feasible, so Peng Kun undertook an extra bed’s dressing change.

Lu Cheng nodded, ”Alright, Brother Kun, you should draft medical orders first, I’ll regroup after rounds...”

After finishing rounds, Lu Cheng only accumulated 0.3 skill points through dawdling.

Returning to the ward, Lu Cheng noticed Peng Kun prescribed medication similarly to what he mentioned, but the choice differed. Lu Cheng immediately said, ”Young Master Kun, didn’t I ask you to prescribe Etoricoxib Tablets for bed 2?”

”Aren’t they more or less the same?” Peng Kun replied indifferently.

”Etoricoxib Tablets generally don’t inhibit platelets, while celecoxib inhibits thromboxane. Let me change it...” Lu Cheng said.

Peng Kun’s expression was conflicted, ”Lu Cheng, isn’t it unnecessary to fuss over such details? Both are just pain relief medications.”

”I think it’s necessary, since I’m the one on duty now.”

Lu Cheng turned his head, maintaining a serious expression, even tone: ”Young Master Kun, I can manage everything myself... If you’d like, you can first go back and practice the basics of suturing, and return when you’re better grounded.”

Peng Kun’s expression flickered for a long while, before reluctantly taking a deep breath: ”Fine!~”

Operational rules in the County Hospital are result-oriented.

Even though Peng Kun is a master’s graduate and proficient in sports medicine, he cannot perform tendon suturing, thus is not entitled to boast before Lu Cheng.

If it were regarding sports medicine, Lu Cheng faced a similar predicament, if clueless, best remain silent.

Connections merely grant more opportunities, whereas true core principles revolve around skill mastery.