CHAPTER 347: 347 LIU BANXIA’S TRANSFORMATION

News of Liu Banxia organizing a group assessment for the interns spread throughout the Second Hospital. As the one most prone to stirring things up, he naturally attracted more attention.

Some said he was too bold, merely trying to grab attention. Others pointed out the Chief Director’s favoritism, claiming he only sent promising interns to the emergency center.

All sorts of things were said, but Liu Banxia didn’t care. He just worked steadily at the emergency center, performed a few surgeries, and participated in some emergencies.

Gradually, people noticed that Liu Banxia had changed after returning to his post, becoming more composed than before. He handled emergencies much as he always had, but invested more time in guiding the interns.

And ’interns’ didn’t just mean the six general surgery interns under him, plus Qing Kewa and Liang Xiaolin. It extended to all interns affiliated with the entire emergency center.

This was no laughing matter; his involvement put pressure on the attending doctors supervising interns in other departments.

Everyone supervising interns felt the pressure to keep up, especially since the six general surgery interns had become minor celebrities in the emergency center, demonstrating commendable practical skills during patient consultations.

This comparison naturally bred a sense of rivalry, so they too had to step up their efforts and dedicate more time to their interns.

However, this shift in focus didn’t necessarily mean their schedules became more packed. On the contrary, after a while, they found themselves feeling somewhat more relaxed than usual.

One reason was that Liu Banxia himself also got involved in training interns from other departments. He didn’t say much regarding internal medicine, but he intervened more with the surgical disciplines.

Even though he was just a general surgeon, the fundamentals of all surgical procedures were the same, involving anatomical knowledge, and he also had some expertise in orthopedics.

Another reason was that after investing more effort in their respective interns, they found they could confidently delegate more tasks to them.

They could have delegated tasks before, but they couldn’t do so with complete peace of mind. Consequently, they still had to oversee things, which inadvertently wasted time.

This was an issue of trust, a common problem prevalent in teaching hospitals today.

Every doctor carried a heavy workload, especially since the emergency center had been operational for some time and patient numbers had increased. With such high caseloads, attention to interns naturally dwindled.

The conventional approach was to guide them through a slow learning process, allowing them to handle practical tasks independently only after they reached a certain level of proficiency.

Liu Banxia’s intervention changed this. Instead, he first applied a certain amount of pressure to foster rapid growth in the interns, which would subsequently ease the training workload.

This approach carried certain risks, as interns would inevitably make some mistakes during procedures. Surgery had its operations, and internal medicine had its corresponding procedural requirements.

The pros and cons of each approach were equally apparent.

The former method’s advantage was stability, allowing supervising doctors to gain a comprehensive understanding of their interns. Its disadvantage was the slower pace; genuine development required significant time.

The latter’s advantage was speed, enabling interns to acquire more skills quickly. Its disadvantage was that it was somewhat riskier. Furthermore, it demanded a significant upfront investment of time and effort from the supervising doctors, which naturally impacted their personal lives.

This was Liu Banxia’s transformation. While he remained as excellent as ever in surgery, he now dedicated more time to the management and training efforts within the emergency center, becoming even more composed than before.

"President Liu, I’m truly in awe of you. How do you manage to be so energetic every day?" Wang Chao grumbled during lunch.

"I feel like if I don’t push myself, I’ll fall behind them by the time their internships are over. Seriously, I can’t let that happen. I need to take on more surgeries this month."

"Well, who’s to blame for that? You need to put in the hard work too," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"Still, these past two months have been exhausting for them. Haven’t you noticed they’ve all slimmed down a bit? But it’s a good thing. At least in the future, when it’s their turn for the set of general duties of residents, they won’t find it so overwhelming."

Hearing his words, the interns all grinned, taking it in good humor. Then they lowered their heads and wolfed down their food; after finishing, they still had to catch a quick nap.

"President Liu, tell me secretly, are there going to be some changes in the emergency center again?" Wang Chao asked in a low voice.

"What changes could there possibly be? The emergency center was established such a short time ago. Can it really keep changing?" Liu Banxia shook his head.

"I just feel that since I don’t need to go out for freelance surgeries anymore, there’s nothing much else to occupy my mind. Now, I just need to focus on my primary responsibilities. At least I can still take a proper day off each week, right?"

"I’ve also done some planning for my career. Honing my medical skills is one aspect. But in the future, I’ll also need to take on some administrative roles in the Second Hospital; that’s how I can earn a bit more money."

"What else can I do? Qiaoqiao’s family is so wealthy. Even if I don’t mind, I can’t let the gap be too wide, can I? Once I step down as chief inpatient physician, I’ll just be an ordinary attending physician. It’s a worry."

"I don’t think it’s a big deal. Not only does the director think highly of you, but the Chief Director also values you. Even when you’re no longer chief inpatient physician, they’ll likely assign you other duties," Wang Chao said.

"You’re still so young, what’s the rush? I reckon you can’t escape becoming the deputy director of the emergency center; it’s just a matter of sooner or later."

"Your skill as a chief surgeon is exceptional now. Even Dr. Shi admits he sometimes can’t quite match you. What more do you want? Give us a break, will you?"

Liu Banxia gave him a helpless look. "That’s exactly what I was thinking, which is why I’ve been keeping such a low profile lately. Actually, it was Old Qiu who enlightened me during a chat: it’s okay to have a sharp edge, but you can’t always have it exposed."

"The hospital structure is also quite unique, and seniority matters a lot. If too many resources are skewed in my favor, it will definitely cause resentment from others, making things difficult for both the Chief Director and the director."

"So, I have to maintain a low profile and gradually take on various types of surgeries. Generally, for surgeries and emergency procedures that don’t specifically require me, haven’t I always passed them on to you guys?"

"I’ve found that the more surgeries I perform, especially those I haven’t had much contact with before, the deeper my understanding of the conditions seems to become."

"Many conditions I previously only read about in textbooks often present with unique manifestations during our emergency treatments. Sometimes, we overlook these manifestations. A deeper understanding is always beneficial."

Wang Chao nodded. "That’s true. There are definitely many who feel envious. And surgery itself is quite special. Few people can pick it up as quickly as you; most rely on accumulated experience."

"Anyway, since you have this mindset, just follow your instincts. But when it comes to surgery, you don’t need to be so overly cautious. Who in our general surgery department here doesn’t look up to you? You’re my senior, and both Dr. Shi and Dr. Wei have a great relationship with you."

"Even Qi Wentai doesn’t seem to harbor any other intentions now; things are pretty much settled. Don’t be so hard on yourself; after all, you’re still the chief inpatient physician. Even if seniority is a factor here, this place ultimately values competence."

"Actually, I’ve performed quite a few surgeries recently. I did a count for this month: six small-incision appendectomies and three partial hepatectomies. Including other operations and emergency surgeries, it comes out to over thirty for the month."

"Damn, that many? How did I not notice?" Wang Chao asked in surprise.

"Perhaps it’s because I tend to perform surgeries relatively quickly? And you’ve been a bit busy?" Liu Banxia said with a smile.

This revelation left Wang Chao quite troubled. In his perception, even including emergency surgeries, Liu Banxia only performed about a dozen or so operations a month. After all, many minor surgeries were now delegated to the interns; for instance, with appendectomies, Liu Banxia wouldn’t intervene unless specifically requested.

Thinking about it now, Liu Banxia seemed somewhat terrifying to him.

Previously, Liu Banxia had been somewhat ostentatious; whatever he did was out in the open. But now? He had become very low-key. In reality, the things he was accomplishing were still astounding.

How could he have stealthily performed so many surgeries right under my nose? It’s infuriating! Can someone really be that brazen just because they’re fast?

A flicker of anger rose within him. Hadn’t he just been worrying about this guy? What a waste of concern, a complete waste of emotion! Seeing Liu Banxia still had a meatball left, he promptly speared it with his chopsticks.

Might as well channel this frustration into appetite, he thought, deciding the meatball would compensate for his wounded pride.

"Honestly, you’re acting like a child," Liu Banxia said with a helpless sigh.

"Christmas and New Year’s are just around the corner. We should add some festive cheer to the emergency center—hang some balloons, put up some streamers, that sort of thing. Also, there’s been a surge in flu patients recently, so we need to manage that carefully."

Wang Chao nodded. "Alright, I’ll get on that. But since it’s gotten colder outside, shouldn’t we shift the location for our public medical awareness campaigns? Perhaps we could approach community hospitals."

"You can take charge of arranging that. After all, it’s an initiative spearheaded by our emergency center, and it’s proven to be somewhat effective. I heard the director mention it at a hospital committee meeting; it’s a good thing, so you should see it through."

Wang Chao sighed, knowing Liu Banxia was giving him credit. He was the one who drafted the monthly work reports; he was, in effect, the person in charge of this project.

But now he also felt some pressure, as this work inevitably involved off-site activities. Furthermore, it wasn’t just the emergency center; various departments from the entire hospital participated on a rotational basis. The coordination of relevant personnel and logistical support had to be handled meticulously, demanding a great deal of his energy.

However, the rewards were substantial. He was considered quite a figure in the emergency center now. He had also received a lot of praise from his parents, which felt very good.

After lunch, Liu Banxia led his small contingent back to their posts. Others still needed to be relieved for their meal; the emergency center was indeed very busy these days.