The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 440 Promise to Su Wenhao

"There are not many patients right now. Everyone, come over."

After being in the lobby for a while, Liu Banxia clapped his hands.

"I just went to the pediatrics department to help consult on a case where I made a mistake, so I want to talk about it with all of you," Liu Banxia said.

"If any patient who has a diagnostic history from other hospitals comes to us, those previous diagnoses can only be used as a reference. Once they arrive here, we need to re-examine and re-diagnose their condition."

"The child was diagnosed with asthma at another hospital, so I just assumed it was bronchial asthma. In reality, the child has a coronary artery malformation."

"Even if I could find various excuses for myself, like the child’s symptoms being very misleading, or the connection point of the child’s vascular malformation being very small, it still doesn’t absolve me of my mistake."

"During physical examinations and auscultation, we must follow the procedures strictly. Lung sounds, heart sounds, and bowel sounds in patients with abdominal pain—these all require extra attention."

"From the many cases we’ve encountered, even the slightest unusual finding can save us a lot of time and help us make a correct diagnosis."

"Today, my mistake was minor; it only caused the child to suffer a bit more. But the same mistake in the future could threaten a patient’s life."

"Alright, everyone, keep this in mind. This is about being responsible for our patients and for ourselves. Stay alert, and don’t make the same mistake I did."

His words startled the interns; this was equivalent to a self-criticism, admitting his error.

Then, they also reminded themselves internally that they had to be serious. If Teacher Liu could criticize himself, any mistake on their part would surely bring a wave of harsh criticism.

"Why are you so emotional about this?" Wang Chao asked.

"Sigh, the child had asthma and suffered for several extra hours because of it," Liu Banxia said.

"And recently, many patients who come to us have already been diagnosed at local hospitals. We can’t just say that medical knowledge in those places is insufficient or that their diagnoses are all wrong, but we ourselves also need to be stricter."

"In the inpatient department, things are more straightforward. They handle patients systematically, one after another, and will certainly follow standard procedures. Our situation here in the emergency center is unique. We never know when an emergency patient might arrive, which increases the potential for errors."

"That’s certainly a valid point to consider," Wang Chao said. "However, for many patients who have already undergone instrumental examinations at other hospitals, they’re often very reluctant to have them all done again when they come here."

"There’s no choice in some cases; some diseases progress very rapidly," Liu Banxia explained. "Here, when we encounter emergency patients, we might have to do two or three blood tests and one or two CT scans in a single day."

"I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately, but I feel like my courage has diminished. I’m so afraid of making errors during diagnosis. It doesn’t affect me much personally, but I’m worried it will impact the development of the emergency center."

"Haha, that’s perfectly normal," Wang Chao said with a laugh. "You’re considering issues at a much higher level now, and the emergency center is at a critical stage of development. It’s natural to have such worries."

"Alright, I’ll get back to work too. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. As long as we follow normal procedures, everything will be fine. Everyone here is very serious about their work."

Liu Banxia patted Wang Chao’s shoulder. The current smooth workflow is largely due to the support from these people. He was an exception in the emergency center. In terms of seniority, excluding the interns, he was at the lowest rung among the doctors. Never mind the senior attending physicians; even Wang Chao and Qi Wentai had more "seniority" than him. Yet, everyone supported him. It wasn’t just the general surgery department; even Xu Hui and Wang Huan from the internal medicine department were very supportive. This was the fundamental reason he held such high prestige in the emergency center. Being skilled in medicine and having prestige are two different things. This point had also come up during a chat with his future father-in-law. No matter what kind of unit you work in, you need to cultivate good relationships with colleagues. Otherwise, no matter how capable you are, you’ll gradually be marginalized. People will only think of you when they specifically need your skills. How could your work proceed then?

Although the role of Chief Resident has always been criticized by peers, when you actually do it, you find that it indeed exposes you to issues you never imagined before. When I first took on the role, apart from some excitement, I didn’t feel much else. After working for a while, the excitement vanished, leaving only exhaustion. And now? Besides feeling tired, I also feel a heavy sense of responsibility. This is also a form of growth; I’m not heartless.

Although I took some detours, I managed to alleviate the young patient’s suffering. The surgery itself is straightforward, and the child will be able to return to a normal life afterward. Of course, his heart also needs to be assessed to see if the malformation during this period has caused any damage. That’s a job for the cardiology department. Judging from the ratios on the X-ray images, even if there is some impact, it probably isn’t too significant.

"Su Wenhao, if you’re not too busy, let’s chat for a bit."

After observing for a while, Liu Banxia walked over to Su Wenhao.

"Teacher Liu, I wasn’t slacking off. There are just fewer patients right now," Su Wenhao quickly said.

"It’d be a real skill if you actually learned how to slack off properly," Liu Banxia said with a smile. "The pressure in the emergency center is immense. You have to find time to rest and relieve your tense nerves."

"So, tell me, has something been bothering you lately? Your work attitude doesn’t seem as strong as before. It won’t be because you saved me and now feel your medical skills have improved, right?"

"Teacher Liu, no, absolutely not!" Su Wenhao exclaimed.

"You’re such an honest kid. I was just kidding," Liu Banxia said.

"You’ve seemed a bit off at work these past few days. It’s definitely not because of anything at the emergency center. Is it something personal? Are you comfortable talking about it?"

Su Wenhao hesitated slightly before saying, "Teacher Liu, my family called me a few days ago. They hope I’ll return to our home county after graduation."

Liu Banxia frowned slightly. "Are they thinking that a job in the county would be more stable and allow you to take better care of the family?"

Su Wenhao nodded. "The financial pressure on my family is significant. I have two younger brothers and a younger sister. If I work at the county hospital and manage to secure a decent position in the future, I can support my family and also get married."

This is indeed a difficult choice, a problem many medical students face, Liu Banxia thought, a headache coming on. He too had faced it once and made such a choice, only to be deceived. Living in a big city is truly wonderful, but the high cost of living is an unavoidable issue. Food, clothing, housing, and transportation are all on a completely different level than in a smaller county. Take the current housing prices in Binhai City, for example. An average place costs over 10,000. A slightly better one, or one in a good school district, easily goes for over 20,000. Su Wenhao’s family is clearly struggling financially. The down payment for a house would likely be a problem, not to mention the mortgage and living expenses afterward. His situation is very similar to Shi Lei’s—not just their personalities, but their circumstances too. However, Shi Lei has already overcome his difficulties. If Su Wenhao chooses to stay in Binhai City, who knows how long he’ll have to struggle, or if he’ll even make it through. The signal from his family is simple: they want him to return. If he doesn’t go back, he’ll have to provide even more support to his family, and he can forget about saving for a down payment on a house.

Returning to the county has many benefits. With his current medical skills, he could secure a good position in the county hospital. If he’s lucky, he might even become a minor official in the future. The cost of living in the county is also much lower, and he might even become a local celebrity there. The downside is that his medical skills might stagnate, unless he can find a better mentor in the county who is willing to teach him diligently. Relying on himself to figure things out? That would be incredibly difficult. Even if he has his system and can practice anatomy in the dream space, can he truly manage without guidance and teaching from others? Of course not. Practice and actual operations are always two different things. In real operations, one will inevitably encounter many unforeseen problems. This is where experience is needed—experience that supervising physicians can impart.

"Teacher Liu, I’ve been thinking about this constantly these past few days," Su Wenhao said when he saw Liu Banxia remained silent.

"What are your own thoughts?" Liu Banxia asked.

"I myself want to stay here," Su Wenhao said. "But if I stay, I can’t bring my younger brothers and sister here to live with me."

"Well... my sister is my full sister. The two brothers are my stepmother’s sons. Even though we’re not blood-related, I still have to look after them."

"Regarding this matter," Liu Banxia said, "because it involves your family’s specific situation, I really can’t offer you any definitive advice. The only thing I can tell you is that whatever choice you make, there’s no right or wrong. No one knows what the future holds."

"However, personally, I hope you can stay. At the very least, work in our emergency center for five years or more. These five years will be crucial for your growth. Perhaps it wouldn’t be too late to go back then?"

"Set a goal for yourself. Try to earn more accolades while working here. That way, if you do go back, you’ll be in a better position to secure a good job and have more leverage when negotiating your salary."

"However, this is just my suggestion. You need to think it over carefully. After all, this isn’t just your decision; it involves your family as well."

"Don’t work the night shifts for the next couple of days. Stay home and think it over carefully. Once you’ve made a decision, move forward with a clear head. Whatever you decide, I’ll support you."

"Even if you decide to go back, I’ll see if I can contact some people in your hometown. You’re someone I’ve mentored, after all; you deserve good treatment."

"Thank you, Teacher Liu," Su Wenhao said sincerely.

This was Liu Banxia’s promise to him. Having interned with Liu Banxia for only this long, this promise was incredibly weighty.