In the afternoon clinic, Chen Cang hesitated for a long time about whether to go or not.
He thought about finding someone to check on the clinic and call it a day.
After all, if there were no patients for an entire afternoon, it would be such a waste of time!
Now that he was second in command, with several people below him, assigning a few interns to take over seemed like an excellent idea.
However, before he even got to the hospital, Director Liu Yu of the outpatient office called him personally.
"Umm... Director Chen, I didn't arrange it during last week's meeting, but today I made a point of reminding the registration desk to schedule more patients for you."
Upon hearing this, Chen Cang was momentarily stunned, "Umm... Thank you, Director Liu, you really went out of your way for me."
Liu Yu smiled slightly, "No need for thanks, no need for thanks. You're now the director of our emergency department, and it wouldn't do for you to have no patients."
"Director Chen, you're busy, so I won't chat too much. Oh, also... when you go to the outpatient clinic this afternoon, take a few interns with you to help with prescribing and such. I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it all by yourself."
Liu Yu's arrangements were very thoughtful, it was clear that she was a considerate person!
After hanging up the phone, Chen Cang couldn't help but smile.
He was indeed grateful to Liu Yu for doing him this favor.
It would have been fine if she hadn't done so, but her giving him more patients was, in fact, no small favor.
After all, for a doctor, reputation is extremely important; no matter how skilled you are, without patients, you can't show your abilities.
This reputation relies on patients spreading the word by mouth.
For example, both Doctor Chen and Doctor Li are equally excellent, with a success rate of healing 70 percent of their patients.
But suppose Doctor Chen sees 10 patients a day and Doctor Li sees 50.
In just two years' time, there would be a world of difference between the two doctors in terms of skill, status, position, and influence.
This is a matter of base numbers.
Actually, the outpatient office doesn't seem to hold much power and mainly provides services to outpatients.
But oftentimes, this department works together with the registration desk.
Many patients come to the hospital without knowing which doctor to consult, so the service desk will ask which department you need or what ailment you have, then they will recommend a doctor for you.
This is actually one of the unspoken rules of the hospital!
So if you're going to the hospital and you know a good doctor, be sure to say explicitly that you want to see "Doctor So-and-So" instead of just specifying a department.
This way, many patients can be redirected.
This is also why you may notice a strange phenomenon in hospitals.
The department head often has many patients and a long line for registration, while the lines for other doctors are relatively short.
This happens because the outpatient office has close "beneficial" relations with the department head, though there are also hospital arrangements of course.
But basically, that's the idea.
However... to tell the truth, over time, these doctors enter a virtuous cycle. Seeing more patients, they gain a wealth of experience and their skills naturally improve.
Additionally, department heads get to enjoy the most resources within a department and attend all sorts of academic exchanges big and small, which naturally furthers their expertise.
This is one reason why everyone wants to become a department head.
But nowadays, there are also many young, ambitious, and capable doctors with strong up-and-coming profiles; what's key is their patience.
If you go to a department head, they'll likely send you off in a few words due to the sheer number of patients they have.
But if you find a capable attending physician with fewer patients, who is also young and patient, you might actually end up getting better care.
Therefore, I advise against blindly seeking out department heads.
Visit less senior doctors for minor conditions and specialists for complex and difficult diseases.
When Chen Cang heard Liu Yu say this, he estimated that he would have twenty to thirty patients in the afternoon.
He began to look forward to it!
Last time, he accurately diagnosed a lady with thyroid cancer, which directly contributed 3,000 experience points to him.
In this way, outpatient clinics truly became an excellent source of experience.
Thinking about this, Chen Cang felt a bit excited.
By now, Chen Cang had figured out the core elements of the system; basically, the more people he saved and helped, the richer the rewards he would receive.
Plainly speaking, saving people made him stronger!
Back in the department, the doctors were all hard at work, and the students were all seated.
Every department actually has a phenomenon where the chairs in the office are specifically designated for interns and standardized training students.
Doctors are too busy to even sit down; their butts barely touch the ground.
And many students, after arriving, conscientiously find a spot and pretend to read a book.
Or they just blatantly play with their phones.
The doctors couldn't be bothered, after all, no one wants to invite trouble, and besides, learning is about self-discipline, not everyone is your parent prodding you with a stick to study.
Of course, that's just a portion of them. Many are still running around fetching medication, receiving patients, and staying busy.
At this moment, a patient happened to walk in.
Looking at the students by the door, they cautiously asked, "Doctor, uh...why hasn't my prescription been filled yet?"
The student didn't even glance at the patient and deftly shot off the "med student triple": "Don't know, I'm a student, ask the doctor."
Uh-huh, no issues there.
This is the typical behavior of most students.
Upon seeing this, Chen Cang couldn't help but shake his head. At this time, Cheng Xin was relatively proactive and asked, "Which bed are you in? I'll ask for you."
In fact, most of the time, many medical students still regard themselves as students.
It's only when they finally come into contact with clinical practice that they realize how incredibly important those experiences as interns were, and once they start working, no one will teach them anymore, because they are already doctors.
This situation results in only one outcome: when facing a patient you want to save, there's nothing you can do but regret not having studied more in the past.
Chen Cang didn't say anything either; after all, everyone goes through the same process.
Xu Dongdong had finished her rotation a long time ago, and now as the director, Chen Cang didn't have anyone following him directly.
After some thought, Chen Cang directly said, "Cheng Xin, and that classmate, follow me to the clinic this afternoon."
Chen Cang gestured to the young people running around busily as he spoke.
After Chen Cang's words were out, that student immediately brightened up.
However...the regular students accustomed to lounging on chairs didn't even glance up, completely indifferent, thinking to themselves, to each his own, just do your own thing and that's enough.
Some even considered being pulled along would just be grunt work, nowhere as comfortable and easy as playing with their phones here until it was time to clock out, and then going home... What should I have for dinner tonight?
Actually, this is all about choices and opportunities.
Opportunities are for the prepared.
When the opportunity comes, some have the choice, while others don't even have the chance to choose.
Going to the clinic with Chen Cang is a chance for them to learn a lot.
As for the students who preferred the "med student triple," Chen Cang didn't criticize or say much, as nothing said now would be of use.
Cheng Xin was taken aback for a moment, looked at Chen Cang, and nodded with interest.
She had quite an admiration for this classmate who had become the director.
The clinic is a place that truly reflects a doctor's caliber, where you diagnose based on limited conditions and time and then provide patients with a suitable treatment plan and advice.
This is what the clinic doctors should do.
The other student also lit up, "All right, Director Chen."
On the way to the clinic, Chen Cang asked, "What's your name?"
The man smiled sheepishly, "I'm Jiang Tao, from the emergency department of Wan'an County Chinese Medicine Hospital. I'm here for further study."
Chen Cang nodded and smiled back.
Such doctors who join the work and come out for further study have a lot of enthusiasm for learning.
Chen Cang nodded, "Alright, then follow me from now on. Assist in surgeries and join me in the outpatient clinic."
Jiang Tao lit up immediately, "Sure, sure, thank you, Director Chen."
As the three arrived at the entrance of the outpatient clinic, they found it swarming with people.
Chen Cang was momentarily taken aback.
Could they all be my patients?
With that thought, Chen Cang opened the door, turned on the computer, and quickly a crowd began to squeeze inside.
Chen Cang was pleased; indeed, they were all his patients. He smiled and said, "Jiang, help maintain some order."
"Cheng Xin, you know how to write prescriptions, right?"
Both nodded, and the outpatient clinic began.