Chapter 51 New Regulations

The month-long grassroots medical campaign concluded in a rather anti-climactic fashion. With the New Year approaching, keeping doctors stationed in a remote location was no longer practical. Furthermore, this year's snowfall was relatively light, avoiding the mountain-blocking and road-severing conditions of the previous year.

When Zhang Fan and his colleagues returned to the city, it happened to be the weekend, sparing them from reporting to the hospital. After completing Li Xiao's treatment, he took the opportunity to return the car keys to her assistant. Just as he stepped out of the residential complex, Li Xiao's assistant chased after him, breathless. "President Li scolded me already. There's no rush to return the car; just keep driving it," she said, handing the keys back to Zhang Fan. Zhang Fan refused to take them, saying, "I'm back in the city now, so I have no use for a car anyway. You should take it back."

Flustered, she insisted, "Please just take it, otherwise I won't be able to explain this to her." As she spoke, Li Xiao's call came through. "Dr. Zhang, my assistant is clueless, so please don't take it to heart. Just keep driving the car; otherwise, it'll only sit in the warehouse and turn into an old car over time. Don't stand on ceremony with me. Forget about one car—now that my back is healed, ten cars wouldn't be a problem." Since she put it that way, had Zhang Fan refused further, it would have shown a lack of respect. After hanging up, he said to the young assistant, "Then please thank Sister Li for me on your way back, and I'm sorry for troubling you to make another trip."

On Monday, a full hospital-wide meeting was held. Old Huang's era had officially ended. Under the witness of leaders from the Organization Department and the Health Bureau, Ouyang Hong was promoted to head the hospital. The leadership acknowledged Old Huang's political achievements, praised his contributions to the hospital, and expressed high expectations for Ouyang. As soon as the government officials and Old Huang exited, her very first policy was issued: the mandatory departmental rotation would begin.

The newly arrived doctors wailed in despair! Those without a medical practicing certificate were barred from fixing their specialized departments, and anyone who failed the exam within two years would be dismissed. Previously, departmental rotations were based on the personal preferences of the new doctors and the choices of the hospital departments. Those who chose internal medicine would rotate through various internal medicine sub-departments, and those who chose surgery would do the same in surgery.

"We are a Grade III, Class A hospital. Many doctors have started taking night shifts without receiving professional training. Some doctors don't even know how to treat a common cold—how can they call themselves doctors? Rushing to finalize a specialization will only produce mediocre practitioners. The development of a hospital relies on a large pool of young doctors with solid knowledge and proven skills. Being able to perform a few appendectomies does not make a qualified doctor." The good days for the surgical staff had come to an end. The faces of the newly specialized surgeons turned pale. Rotation meant no bonuses and no other sources of income. They would receive only their basic salary. If they were assigned to a decent mentor, the mentor might share a bit of money with them; if their performance was subpar or their mentor was stingy, they would get nothing at all.

"All doctors without a certificate must report to the Medical Affairs Department this afternoon for rotation assignments." After the meeting adjourned, Zhang Fan grew anxious. He wasn't worried about the reduced income—his basic salary alone was plenty. The problem was that his system currently only had General Surgery and Orthopedics unlocked. If he were to rotate through internal medicine, more than half a year would be completely wasted. He quickly placed a call to Li Xiao. Upon hearing about it, Li Xiao dismissed it as a minor issue; she was quite familiar with Ouyang Hong, so a single phone call would suffice.

With Li Xiao intervening, Zhang Fan was assigned to rotate through General Surgery. Ouyang Hong was seven or eight years younger than Old Huang. In recent years, Old Huang had neglected internal medicine, leaving its development rather mediocre. Now that Ouyang Hong had finally come to power, she began vigorously developing internal medicine. This was not opposition for the sake of opposition, but simply a difference in philosophy.

Originally, Zhang Fan had planned to go home for the New Year, but since he had to rotate through General Surgery, he figured he might as well stay. He would grit his teeth for a few more months; once he finished General Surgery and it was time to move to internal medicine, he would simply request a leave of absence. After Li Xiao called Ouyang Hong, Ouyang specifically requested a private conversation with Zhang Fan. Given that he was a relative of a provincial committee leader and connected to a major boss, Ouyang Hong could not afford to take him lightly. "Departmental rotations are for your own good. I've already asked your head of orthopedics, and he gave you an exceptionally high evaluation. Don't waste this year; solidify your foundation. A strong foundation allows for better future development. If you encounter any issues, come directly to me. Once your rotation is finished, let me know in advance which department you prefer."

In 2009, a Jeep Grand Cherokee was still considered a luxury vehicle. Since Zhang Fan had no parking space in his residential compound, he had no choice but to park it at the hospital. When Xue Fei spotted it parked there one day, he was furious. "You little rascal, no wonder you never seemed to care about your income—turns out you're a rich second-generation heir! From now on, whenever I need a car, you're lending it to me to compensate my wounded soul!"

Zhang Fan smiled without offering any explanation and replied, "Understood, mission guaranteed. Didn't you go play mahjong today?"

At the mere mention of mahjong, a cloud of gloom settled over Xue Fei's face. "I lost a fortune yesterday. I was tricked by three old hags who ganged up on me. I only found out after asking around. I'm never playing again—or if I do, I'll only play low-stakes recreation mahjong with old grandpas and grandmas." Deep down, he still wanted to play, but yesterday's crushing losses had left him feeling this way.

General Surgery consisted of three departments: Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hepatobiliary Surgery, and Dual-Gland Surgery (referring to the thyroid and breast). Zhang Fan's first month of rotation was in Hepatobiliary Surgery, under the supervision of Associate Chief Physician Zhao Jun. Since everyone worked together in the operating theater, they were already well-acquainted, eliminating the need for formal introductions. Back in Orthopedics, Zhang Fan had practically functioned as a team leader, making the attending physicians in General Surgery feel rather awkward about mentoring him.

They all worked in the same hospital and would be seeing each other every day. Zhang Fan's proficiency in orthopedic surgery was extraordinarily high, and he had already established a certain standing in the orthopedic department; he was no longer treated as an ordinary resident. The general surgeons felt it inappropriate to boss him around, so no one stepped up to take him under their wing. After Zhao Jun asked around for a long time without anyone volunteering—normally, when a rotating doctor arrived, everyone fought over them because they were handy for doing chores, writing medical records, changing dressings, and running errands, but with Zhang Fan, everyone felt too intimidated—he decided to step in.

Aware of the situation, Zhao Jun said with a chuckle, "Well, it seems Zhang Fan's skill level is simply too high. I guess I'll mentor you myself. First, accompany me to the outpatient clinic." Department directors typically did not lead specific surgical teams; instead, three associate chief physicians led three separate teams. Whenever a team had a particularly large surgery or was overwhelmed with cases, Zhao Jun would step in to perform the operation himself. In any case, the authority to schedule surgeries ultimately rested with the department director.

Gao was somewhat reluctant to see Zhang Fan go for the rotation, but there was nothing he could do; it was the dean's first administrative order, and he dared not object. Wang Nannan was sent straight to the Department of Respiratory Medicine, unable to stall or linger this time. However, when Old Huang finalized the department assignments, her name had already been recorded under the First Orthopedics Department. As long as she was willing to take the medical licensing exam later, she could return to Orthopedics after completing her rotations without any issues.

Aside from Zhang Fan, all the other young surgical doctors were assigned to various internal medicine departments. The Hepatobiliary Surgery Department of the municipal hospital was thriving, boasting a high volume of patients and numerous surgeries. Zhang Fan had never served as an assistant in the outpatient clinic before. On his first day, there were over sixty patients. From morning until noon, he was non-stop, writing test requisitions, prescriptions, and admission orders. The morning crowd surged around in a dense, chaotic mass, leaving him with not even a single moment to use the restroom.

Zhao Jun's outpatient clinic only operated during the morning half-day, while several cholecystectomy surgeries were scheduled in the department for the afternoon. After lunch, Zhao Jun rested in the director's office, telling Zhang Fan to take a break as well—he could either read a book or assist in the surgeries later. Zhao Jun himself had to attend a meeting in the afternoon; it was Monday, and all department directors and head nurses were required to attend a hospital administrative meeting. Given Ouyang Hong's newly minted status as director, meetings were bound to be frequent.

The surgeries were already fully scheduled; when he went up, there wasn't even a position left for him to hold retractors. Although these routine general surgeries were simple enough for Zhang Fan, he obviously couldn't turn to the lead surgeon and say, "Step aside, let me do it; I operate better than you." He would just have to endure it. Since he was rotating through anyway, he might as well spend more time reviewing internal medicine, gynecology, and pediatrics. It would be embarrassing if someone asked him a basic question later and he drew a complete blank.

Meanwhile, Wang Nannan sat hunched over her desk writing medical records, occasionally having to check the color of a patient's sputum while dealing with various elderly patients who kept coming into the office to ask questions. Li Hui had been assigned to Pediatrics; his ears were ringing all day long. From the moment he entered the department in the morning until the afternoon, children were everywhere, crying at the top of their lungs almost without interruption. Even when he got off work in the afternoon, the echoes of children crying still reverberated inside his ears.