Chapter 15: Come And Learn!
Tendon suturing proficiency 2/10, improved Kessler suturing proficiency 3/10 compared to two with proficiency 0/10, seemingly only an increase of 2 and 3 proficiency points.
This kind of technical proficiency, however, shouldn’t be gained by instantly leveling up like Lu Cheng; it requires very meticulous training and persistent effort.
After proficiency increases, it doesn’t just look prettier; it materializes in every operational detail, making it increasingly ‘pleasing to the eye’ for professionals!
Without a ‘level’ leap in proficiency, there definitely won’t be a qualitative change, but quantitative change is the source of qualitative change.
“I just came over to take a look.” Chen Song wouldn’t admit that he saw the message in the group chat, saw Lu Cheng taking a patient to the operating room, and came over to observe Lu Cheng.
Lu Cheng hasn’t officially become his disciple yet; at most, he drank a milk tea worth thirty-one yuan from him as ‘tuition’.
The ‘thirty-one yuan’ tuition was long since paid.
A doctor doesn’t knock on doors, and a teacher doesn’t coincidentally pass by. Chen Song is not a pushover. Chen Song’s voice was slightly teasing: “If I hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have discovered my eyesight is getting worse… I must have been hit before.”
Lu Cheng understood the alternative meaning of ‘misjudging’ in Chen Song’s words.
Han Xiaoping looked up and joked, “Professor Chen, is it really good for you to be so biased towards Xiao Lu?”
Chen Song glanced at Han Xiaoping, his tone amiable: “Oh, Xiao Han, you have an opinion?”
“Do you want me to give you another chance to evaluate your basic skills? If you’re better than Xiao Lu, I can be even more biased towards you.” Chen Song said seriously.
Han Xiaoping chuckled sheepishly and tried to appease him.
“Or are you doubting the teaching evaluation methods that have always been prevalent in our hospital?”
Han Xiaoping’s head almost became a square under Chen Song’s weighty implication: “Professor Chen, look what you’re saying.”
“What I mean is, you have a lot of ‘milk,’ Xiao Lu drank the first batch, why not let us have some too…”
“Cough! Cough!” The circulating nurse Xue Xue immediately coughed and said, “Be more civilized with your wording.”
Han Xiaoping didn’t mean anything else, but what he said was indeed a bit explicit, so he quickly shut his mouth.
Chen Song turned around with arrogance: “I am very weak, I don’t want to be squeezed dry by you all.”
“I’m going back to rest.”
“Xiao Lu, after the surgery, come find me. Accompany me for a late-night snack… your treat…” Chen Song instructed.
“Okay, Teacher Chen.” Lu Cheng didn’t doubt him.
Chen Song had taught him so much; it was very normal for him to treat Chen Song. Usually, Zhang Tiesheng and Zeng Huanqi wanted to invite Chen Song to dinner, but Chen Song couldn’t be bothered to go.
Although his monthly salary was only eight thousand yuan, which wasn’t considered wealthy, Lu Cheng didn’t dare to be so stingy.
After Chen Song left, Han Xiaoping looked on with admiration, his eyes slightly flattering: “Xiao Lu, Professor Chen is really good to you.”
“After a few months, you might take off. Don’t forget your brother Ping then.”
The patient’s injury standards were all within expectations, and the surgical procedure was one Lu Cheng was proficient in, so Lu Cheng handled it with ease, lightly curling his lips: “Take off? My wings might be broken as soon as they spread.”
“Without surgical volume, how can I take off? Where do I fit in the seniority order?” Lu Cheng looked at Han Xiaoping, speaking lightly with a smile.
Han Xiaoping didn’t reply, clearly acknowledging the facts in Lu Cheng’s words.
Lu Cheng could perform surgeries that others couldn’t, and no one dared to complain, but if there were core surgeries performed by others, it wouldn’t be Lu Cheng’s turn.
…
After the surgery, Lu Cheng didn’t go to find Chen Song immediately. Instead, after the patient returned to the ward, he meticulously explained the details the patient needed to pay attention to postoperatively to the patient’s family members:
“You have a plaster cast today, and it might be uncomfortable, but you must bear with today’s discomfort. You can’t take it off, otherwise, there’s a chance the sutures might break.”
“Don’t extend or retract your hand forcefully.”
“After the anesthetic wears off, the pain will start to intensify. I’ve added pain medication for you. If the pain is still significant, you can ask the on-duty doctor to give you more pain medication.”
“Don’t worry too much about other things. Get good rest tonight. I will come to see you with Professor Chen tomorrow, and then we will arrange a postoperative rehabilitation exercise plan based on your actual situation.”
“Oh, you can’t compare yourself to patient 3. His surgery was four days ago, so he can move his hand freely.” Lu Cheng explained seriously.
“No, I just had surgery. Why would I compare myself?” The patient was in his sixties, with completely white hair and a simple, honest expression.
“Doctor Lu, I will watch him, he won’t dare to mess around.” The person accompanying him was the elderly man’s wife, her temples also half white, smiling warmly.
Lu Cheng chuckled: “Most people wouldn’t think of comparing, but there are a few highly driven individuals. I encountered one during my standardized training.”
“A complex fracture case who secretly got out of bed on the first day and was back in the operating room two hours later.”
“Don’t find me too wordy. What I’m telling you is based on what I’ve encountered and heard. There’s nothing else to it…”
“But one thing, if you feel your hand is very numb or swollen, find a doctor immediately. This could be a hematoma. Hematomas are easily handled if discovered promptly, so don’t be careless.”
“As for your gastroenteritis, we can’t handle it today. We’ll arrange for a gastroenterology specialist to consult tomorrow and prescribe some medication…”
On the other side, Xiao Gao said to his patient: “Doctor Lu is very meticulous. Although he seems to talk a lot, it’s for your own good. Listen to him, and you won’t go wrong.”
“Okay, okay, it’s good that he talks a lot; it makes us feel more at ease.” The patient smiled heartily.
“Doctor Lu, have you eaten dinner? Will this delay your meal?” the elderly woman asked quickly.
The county is like this, with many social graces; while having many social graces, the human touch is also not comparable to Hanshi City.
“I’ve eaten, I’ve eaten, but I have to get off work now. See you tomorrow…” Lu Cheng turned and walked away.
…
About two hours after Lu Cheng left, a not-too-old doctor in a white coat came to the comprehensive ward of the Emergency Department. The tall and thin man immediately slipped to the bedside of the elderly couple.
The newcomer was wearing a white coat. The elderly man asked doubtfully, “Are you?”
“I’m Peng Kun from Orthopedics. I’m on duty today. I heard from the operating room staff that a tendon suturing was done in the Emergency Department, so I came to learn.”
The elderly couple stood up with a slight tremor, looking nervous and frightened: “I had the surgery, doctor. What’s wrong? Did the surgery fail?”
Peng Kun was thin. He shook his head slightly, his tone casual: “There’s no problem with the surgery. I just came to learn. Can I do a simple examination for you? Is that okay?”
“No problem, no problem. I thought there was a problem with the surgery.” The elderly couple shook their heads.
As Peng Kun approached, the elderly man quietly asked, “Doctor Peng, are you an orthopedic doctor?”
“Yes, I did my postgraduate studies at Xiangya Second Hospital and just returned to work recently.” Peng Kun replied, while carefully examining the patient’s fingers and the blood circulation on the back of his hand.
If the fingers and the back of the hand are pale, it might indicate a postoperative hematoma or vascular suturing, with a risk of necrosis.
Upon hearing that Peng Kun was a graduate student from Xiangya Second Hospital, the elderly man immediately became cautious: “Then Doctor Lu said that no one in People’s Hospital performs tendon suturing. Wasn’t he lying to us just to operate on us?”
Peng Kun tightened his eyelids: “I did graduate studies, but I majored in sports medicine, not hand surgery. I also don’t know how to perform tendon suturing.”
“Of course, now that I’m back, I want to learn, so I came to study.”
“Otherwise, if it were me on duty today, I would definitely have performed the surgery on you.”
Having just finished surgery, Peng Kun didn’t dare to remove the plaster cast for other examinations, but after examining the sutured incision for a while, he could discern some skill: “Indeed, the suturing is good. Doctor Lu, who operated on you, has very good technique.”
“It’s a pity he’s no longer with our Orthopedics department…” Peng Kun felt a slight regret.
“Oh, was Doctor Lu also an orthopedic doctor before?” The elderly man completely relaxed upon hearing that Peng Kun also acknowledged Lu Cheng’s good surgical skills and began to gossip.
“Yes, Doctor Lu was still in our department last month and only came to the Emergency Department this month.”
“Uncle, your surgical quality is acceptable. Actively follow the doctor’s orders for recovery, and your functional recovery will be good.” Peng Kun released the elder’s hand, removed his examination gloves, and wiped his forehead with the ulnar side of his index finger.
Peng Kun went to pursue his postgraduate studies through entrusted training. Three years ago, when Lu Cheng came to work in Orthopedics, he was still at People’s Hospital. At that time, he only knew that Lu Cheng had excellent basic skills and qualifications.
He was so good that his father felt he would threaten Peng Kun’s future development, so he immediately arranged for him to go for entrusted postgraduate studies…
