Chapter 254: 【254】Wasn’t called out by the teacher Chapter 254: 【254】Wasn’t called out by the teacher The First Assistant at this moment seemed not so much in an auxiliary role, but more like a teacher supervising students doing homework, occasionally picking up the “Teaching Whip” to chastise the student.
One could imagine how great the pressure was on the young doctors in such a surgery.
In the afternoon’s operation involving the intestines, Xie Wanying took an S-shaped retractor to help the Chief Surgeon separate the intestines and expose the lesion. Her hands alternated back and forth, showing no sign of being a novice; not yet skilled but certainly quick and smart in response.
Slickness is laziness in the movements. She was upbeat, thinking of countless ways to assist the Chief Surgeon, and naturally, the results were exceptionally good.
As long as the surgical field was well-exposed, the operation became much easier. Sun Yubo was about to hum a tune, just as he expected; Tan Kelin hadn’t even touched his head yet in the afternoon.
Tan Kelin remained silent, his gaze shifting quietly from Sun Yubo to Xie Wanying beside him, probably thinking: Good job, you two—
Basically, in this afternoon’s surgery, the First Assistant had little to do and therefore no need for any lectures.
In high spirits, Sun Yubo asked the new intern, “Do you want to try suturing the skin later?”
Having spoken, he realized that the Associate Chief Physician was present. He said too much. Swallowing hard, Sun Yubo wondered, how to retract his words now?
Luckily, the new intern, Xie Wanying, understood propriety and first sought permission from the superior: “With Teacher Tan’s approval.”
“Go ahead, give it a try,” said Tan Kelin.
Teacher Tan agreed in just a second?! Xie Wanying and Teacher Xiao Sun were somewhat surprised.
Suturing skin is such a basic surgical skill that it’s usually left for medical students to practice. For an intern on their second operation, this pace of learning was extraordinarily fast.
With the Associate Chief Physician’s approval, everyone else prepared.
Abdominal surgery typically involves four layers of sutures, with skin being the last; it’s a time for medical students to practice and also a leisurely time for the teachers. Sun Yubo figured the superiors would leave soon. Such menial tasks wouldn’t interest the Associate Chief Physician, and he could mentor the new intern, Xie Wanying.
The more he observed the new intern, the brighter and more agile she seemed—a student worth teaching. Most importantly, she was excellent as a teacher’s assistant.
With more time on the job, every senior preferred to find someone who could help out. Especially someone like him, residing in the hospital, could use a student with “three heads and six arms,” since the task of mentoring was mostly on his shoulders.
The instrument nurse prepared the suture needle and thread, and Sun Yubo asked Xie Wanying, “I’ll demonstrate it for you first. Can you tie a knot?”
“Yes,” Xie Wanying nodded.
Teacher Xiao Sun began to explain to the student: “This is the simple interrupted suturing technique, tying a knot after each stitch. It’s the most common. Watch closely. Pinch the skin to insert the needle; after it passes through the skin, clamp the needle and pull it out. Good, you hold this thread, and now, tie the knot.”
Xie Wanying took both ends of the thread and swiftly tied a square knot.
The student tied the knot well, it was precise and fast. Teacher Xiao Sun quite admired it.
It was time to cut the thread, a question of who would take the scissors. Both Xie Wanying and Sun Yubo were pondering this when scissors already came from the side, with a snip, the end of the thread was cut. They looked up to find that the Associate Chief Physician hadn’t left but had helped them with the scissors.
So Teacher Tan, you didn’t leave. That’s what both their faces read in unison.
“Continue,” Tan Kelin said in a voice as if nothing had transpired.
It was time for the student to try her hand at the task. Sun Yubo asked Xie Wanying to switch positions.
After exchanging places with the teacher, Xie Wanying finally stood at the Chief Surgeon’s position: The feeling was so moving to her. Even if it was just suturing a stitch or two of skin, it was a first step for a surgical medical student.