Shen Bingqian was truly enlightened by the slightly unusual celebratory feast today. She had truly never witnessed such an interactive dynamic before.
And judging from what she saw in the afternoon, Liu Banxia's status in the emergency center was exceptionally high.
But these matters had little to do with her; it was more of an opportunity to witness the operational speed of a large hospital. If this were their district hospital, that patient would probably have had to wait two or three days for a diagnosis.
"Nuonuo, you all are really amazing. No wonder I always hear that you are the fastest progressing interns of this batch," Shen Bingqian commented as they walked out.
"Well… the pressure is immense too. I'm always afraid of making a mistake at some point," Xu Yino sighed.
"Teacher Liu knows this, so sometimes he jokes with us to lighten the mood. But sometimes, his methods can be overwhelming, and honestly, quite vexing at times."
"By the way, initially, none of us really wanted to stay in the emergency center. But then Teacher Liu somehow led us astray, and we all ended up staying."
Shen Bingqian nodded with a smile; she believed this. Given Xu Yino's resources, if she herself hadn't wanted to stay, no one could have compelled her.
"Keep up the good work. It's not easy to find such a good mentor, and with such a pleasant personality too. You should head back quickly; it's getting a bit cold outside at night," Shen Bingqian said.
"Drive slowly on your way home. Call me if you need anything," Xu Yino replied.
Watching Shen Bingqian's car drive away, Xu Yino wandered back to the emergency center. Just as she walked in, she saw Liu Banxia waving at her.
"Teacher Liu, is there anything else?" Xu Yino asked as she ran over.
"Nothing much, just rest early tonight. No one can keep going if they're constantly sleep-deprived," Liu Banxia said.
"Yes, I'll have a good night's sleep tonight," Xu Yino nodded.
There was no need to put on a brave face about this.
She hadn't slept last night and had managed less than three hours of sleep during the day today. If it weren't for the lingering excitement from the child's diagnosis, she reckoned she would have been drowsing off long ago.
"President Liu, today was truly impressive," Wei Yuan remarked, approaching him.
"I can only say we were lucky. I was telling them during dinner, if we had proceeded with examinations and eliminations at a slower pace, there's no telling when we would have reached a definitive diagnosis," Liu Banxia replied.
"This Coccidioides fungus is truly bizarre. The CT scan looked exactly like pneumonia. However, when combining it with the other results, it strongly resembled lung cancer," Wei Yuan said.
"I don't know much about Coccidioides either, and I'm too lazy to look it up now. Will such a large nodule in the lungs be dangerous?"
"Generally not. Based on some information, it will resolve on its own," Liu Banxia said.
"This is the first time I've encountered this disease. I think that no matter where one plans to travel, it's crucial to research the prevalent local diseases."
"Often, the pathogen's incubation period is quite long, so symptoms might only manifest after you've left the tourist area. This can complicate diagnosis, and many doctors in our country tend to overlook this possibility."
"Let alone other hospitals, even we asked about travel history during consultations, didn't we? Honestly, if we hadn't encountered patients with similar experiences before, we probably wouldn't have thought to ask."
"After all, international travel is still a luxury for many. Symptomatically, it strongly pointed towards pneumonia or lung cancer."
Wei Yuan nodded in agreement.
If this young patient hadn't presented with abdominal distension, he might have indeed been treated for pneumonia. At most, they might have prescribed bronchodilators to improve his breathing.
Although he hadn't deliberately searched for detailed information about coccidioidomycosis, he had heard the gist of it from everyone.
The child's symptoms were, arguably, different from those of many typical patients. That is to say, the child's symptoms had some unique characteristics.
Normally, the disease manifests with a rash first, but this young patient's rash appeared later. Furthermore, this pathogen rarely invades the digestive tract, yet this child had severe intestinal edema.
The conclusion drawn from this case was that it presented with a broad spectrum of symptoms.
"I mentioned in a lecture at the medical college that the geographical spread of pathogens is now wider. It's quite common now for southern pathogens to travel north and eastern pathogens to move west," Liu Banxia continued.
"Then, we encountered a case like this. When the patient initially denied any relevant history, I dismissed that line of inquiry. If Xu Yino hadn't reminded me, I genuinely might not have considered it."
"In the future, our work as doctors will have to be like that of detectives. Overlooking even the smallest piece of information could compromise the diagnosis."
"Actually, you don't need to overthink it. Most patients present with quite typical symptoms," Wei Yuan tried to comfort him.
"It's these atypical patients I worry about, like the one today," Liu Banxia said.
"Anyway, I've made up my mind. From now on, if I encounter an unknown pathogen and the patient's symptoms are also highly unusual, I'll definitely make sure to inquire about their travel history."
"Not many people in our country can afford international travel on a whim. However, there are many who work overseas. Cases like the African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, we saw last time demonstrate that indirect infections are possible."
Wei Yuan chuckled. "That's a valid thought. But regarding this case, your diagnostic speed was already commendable. It didn't even take twenty-four hours. Don't put so much pressure on yourself."
"Are you feeling suffocated by the demands of organizing the intern training program? There are still several months to go, so why the rush? It's essentially a minor enhancement of the existing foundation; no need to stress over it like this."
Liu Banxia grinned and nodded. "Actually, judging from today's reactions, the influence of attending physicians on interns is really quite significant."
"What the director wants to see are genuine results, not inflated, fabricated data. How could I not feel pressured? Sometimes I agonize over how to adjust, but I rack my brains and still can't come up with a solution."
"Essentially, it's about finding a balance: enabling interns to acquire genuine skills without imposing excessive additional burdens on the various departments."
"Educational training is indeed a component of each department's responsibilities, but the primary mission is to treat patients and save lives, ensuring they are discharged in good health."
"So, these two tasks must be carefully balanced; one cannot be allowed to impede the other. This is my first time shouldering such a crucial responsibility, and frankly, I'm overwhelmed."
Wei Yuan patted his shoulder. This was something he hadn't expected. In his perception, Liu Banxia had always struck him as a decisive and cheerful person.
However, in this matter, the most he could offer was moral support. He certainly didn't want to get further entangled in this, as it concerned all departments.
Liu Banxia's current standards for general surgery were already very high. These expectations would inevitably need to be lowered somewhat once the new interns arrived.
The new interns, in terms of proficiency, would undoubtedly be somewhat less capable than the current six. If he maintained such high standards, the new interns would likely crumble under the pressure.
"I should probably go find a quiet spot to think this through," Liu Banxia said. "Anyway, there's still plenty of time for me to mull it over slowly."
"If there's nothing else, get some rest early today. We haven't had an overwhelming number of patients visiting at night these past few days; we can manage perfectly well," Wei Yuan said.
"The educational training program is very important; you must organize it well. If you're really struggling, why not discuss it with the director? That should be fine, right?"
"There's a problem, a very big problem, in fact," Liu Banxia said.
"The director's instruction to me was simply to figure it out on my own. He'll just review the plan and the outcomes. Can you imagine the pressure? Let's not talk about it; it's a tale of woe."
Watching Liu Banxia wander off to the side, Wei Yuan could only offer him some comfort in his heart.
This could be seen as a trial for Liu Banxia by Zhou Shuwen. The kind of proposal he ultimately presents could very well influence his future bid for the deputy director position. This was no laughing matter; Zhou Shuwen was entirely capable of doing such a thing. The closer people were to him, the stricter his demands became. In fact, Wei Yuan felt that whether Liu Banxia could become deputy director hinged critically on gaining Zhou Shuwen's approval. If he couldn't even clear Zhou Shuwen's assessment, then even a nomination from the Chief Director would likely be futile. Therefore, he could only offer moral support. Action-wise, he wasn't adept in this area and didn't dare offer hasty advice, fearing it might be counterproductive.
Back in his seat, Liu Banxia began to think seriously.
The more he pondered, the more he realized the immense difficulty of this task. Another factor contributing to his stress was the allocation of time between administrative duties and clinical work, which was proving more challenging than he had anticipated. It was clear that administrative tasks were increasingly encroaching upon his time for clinical practice. He had even performed fewer surgeries lately, delegating some routine procedures to others. He needed to dedicate his time to planning the educational training program. If all this time spent could yield a viable plan, that would be one thing. The crux of the matter was that he currently had no plan, and time was slipping away. Many things are easier said than done. This pressure would only intensify as time went on. His own resilience was also being put to the test. If his mental fortitude crumbled, it would all be over. He knew this was a challenge he had to overcome. Not only overcome, but excel, lest people gossip that he advanced solely due to his mentor-disciple relationship with Zhou Shuwen. That was not the outcome he desired. If such rumors were to spread, it would mean he hadn't performed adequately. It seemed he would have to find some time to chat with his father-in-law or Qiu Huaili. Perhaps their perspectives could help him devise a solution.