Chapter 87, Part 3: Troublemaker (2)

The email Professor Kim Yong sent to me started and ended with the importance of memorization.

The reason why memorization is attractive.

He explained that even the original and meticulous interpretation of ECGs requires a solid foundation of memorization.

'So, memorization was the secret.'

I nodded repeatedly as I read the email.

In my previous life, I poured my heart into interpreting ECGs.

To read the secret messages the heart sends, hidden within the electrical signals moving up, down, left, and right.

However, I never considered memorizing all the different ECG cases and patterns.

I wasn't studying in medical school, and I thought it would be impossible to memorize so many ECGs.

But Professor Kim Yong's ECG interpretation technique turned out to be surprisingly based on memorization.

Memorize and

memorize again,

and if you encounter an ECG you haven't memorized, memorize it again.

Eighty percent of what made Professor Kim Yong an expert in ECG interpretation was memorization.

'Incredible.'

I shook my head as I checked the attached file.

The ECG graphs that Professor Kim Yong had organized and classified numbered nearly 2,000.

This revealed how systematically and rigorously he had memorized them.

Even though interning was already difficult,

how could I memorize all of this and pass the test?

It felt like facing a mountain I couldn't climb, but I quickly regained my confidence.

To put it somewhat masochistically,

no one could match me in my inflexibility and pedantry from my previous life.

Memorization was one of the things I was most confident in.

- Break down the time to memorize various ECG cases.

- Pass the first test during my cardiology internship.

I set a specific plan with ambitious aspirations.

* * *

The second day of my cardiology internship.

As expected, I was incredibly busy.

Even Cinderella, who was tormented by her stepmother and sisters, probably didn't have a harder day than I did.

The cardiology ward nurses called me frequently.

- Dr. Lee, please do the ECG for patient 703, Jung Byung-wook.

- Please give an enema to patient 707, Lee Hanna.

- Patient Yoo Tae-min, who is supposed to be discharged today, can't leave because the discharge order hasn't been entered. Please enter the discharge order.

The pager never left me alone.

Even if it was late, the gap between pager calls never exceeded 10 minutes.

This meant that every 10 minutes, I had tasks popping up all over the place.

In the examination room, cardiology ward, other departments' wards, ICU, emergency room, and on-call room, etc.

I spent the whole day running around the hospital.

I couldn't remember the last time my feet ached from walking so much.

It was a natural part of the job.

Even if time could be reversed,

there's a joke that if you start with military service, you wouldn't reverse time.

For doctors, the most grueling time is the first year of residency and internship.

It was a period of thorough physical and mental strain, a painful time.

Even more so, in the era I was working in, there was no Resident Law.

To put it simply, the Resident Law was a law that stated residents' training hours should not exceed 80 hours per week.

It was a law enacted to prevent overwork and ensure rest for residents.

Without the Resident Law, which was like a last line of defense, how difficult must it have been for residents and interns?

However, despite the difficulties, I found my internship very enjoyable.

The fact that I could work in a hospital.

The fact that I could directly help patients.

These two things alone gave me a great sense of satisfaction.

'Sigh, finally my time.'

After returning the portable ECG device to the ward, I headed to the on-call room.

I wanted to take a moment to check Professor Kim Yong's ECG files.

“Hey, does an intern have the luxury to rest? If you start slacking off on the second day, it'll only get worse.”

Rattle.

Just then, or rather, as if on cue, Kim Seulgi entered the on-call room.

She immediately started picking on me as soon as she saw me.

Even though she must have suffered during her internship, she seemed to have no gentlemanly qualities, judging by how she was tripping me up.

“I came to print the consent form for patient 701, Lee Hyung-dong, for a coronary angiography (CAG).”

“What? Is that all? Do you have anything else to do?”

“I also plan to get consent forms for other patients and check their conditions during rounds.”

I answered firmly.

To prevent Kim Seulgi from finding any fault.

“Since you're on your way to get consent forms, also get the surgery consent forms. I have too many orders to input.”

“With all due respect, isn't that something the senior resident should do?”

“What did you say?”

Kim Seulgi's eyebrows trembled, thinking I was being defiant.

“If it sounded aggressive, I apologize. However, I understand that interns get consent for examinations, while residents get consent for surgeries.”

“Ha… You’re something.”

“Yes.”

“You’re so inflexible. What difference does it make whether you get the consent or I do?”

“...”

“Whether it's surgery or an examination, just do as you're told.”

“Understood.”

Although I found Kim Seulgi's attitude annoying and offensive, I answered.

I also printed the surgery consent forms for the patients she mentioned.

‘There’s a reason why Kim Seulgi is treated like an ace.’

I secretly glanced at Kim Seulgi, who was inputting prescriptions.

People like Kim Seulgi aren't limited to hospitals; they exist in every workplace.

- Supervisors who offload their work to subordinates.

- Supervisors who act as if they are competent because of the hard work of their subordinates.

A lower version of the type that sank me in my previous life, like Kang Tae-sub.

In my previous life, I was a good target for people like Kim Seulgi.

I believed that diligence and hard work were virtues.

I thought that if I worked hard, my superiors would recognize me.

But now I painfully realized that wasn't the case.

Does a mosquito thank you for letting it suck your blood?

Absolutely not!

If I started letting people like Kim Seulgi suck my blood, I would only wither and die.

One of the reasons I heard the sound of a failing grade during my internship in my previous life was because of this.

There were two main reasons I heard the failing grade in my previous life:

One was the psychological burden that led to test anxiety.

The other was the mistakes I made because I was too busy doing others' work to focus on my own.

I can't repeat the same mistakes in this life.

No, I won't.

“I’ll go get the consent forms signed and do the rounds.”

“Okay, come back quickly. There’s more to do.”

I went around the ward to get the signatures on the examination and surgery consent forms.

Getting consent signatures is a simple task, but it can be a hidden challenge.

Explaining the procedure is easy,

but some patients and their guardians show resistance when you explain the side effects.

- So, if side effects occur, will the hospital be responsible? Please clarify that part.

- Is there a safer method? I heard that some people have died from allergic reactions during contrast agent tests.

...and so on.

When dealing with patients and guardians who have many doubts and concerns, the doctor's words are crucial.

Instead of a mechanical attitude,

a human touch is needed to understand the patient's and guardian's feelings and get their signatures.

But since I was good at connecting with patients, I managed to get the consent forms without much difficulty.

In a way, I was leveraging the strengths from my previous life.

“Did you get the surgery consent form for patient Ha Sang-tae?”

When I returned to the on-call room, Kim Seulgi asked.

“Yes.”

“That patient’s consent was hard to get. He was very picky, demanding that the hospital take responsibility if anything went wrong.”

“I handled it smoothly. Shinwon University Hospital is one of the top five hospitals in the country, and all the professors are highly skilled.”

“...”

“The patient is here for treatment at Shinwon University Hospital for that reason. I told him not to worry too much.”

Listening to the patient's concerns and appealing to authority.

This was a special skill I used 18 times during my internship and residency in my previous life.

“Oh, impressive. You may not be observant, but you’re quite articulate. You can handle difficult patients.”

“Thank you.”

I pretended to be grateful, even though I wasn't.

Kim Seulgi had me stand in for her to get the consent form from patient Ha Sang-tae because she found it awkward.

I easily figured that out.

She would probably boast to her senior colleagues later that she did the work.

What a despicable person...

I felt the need to quickly gain the upper hand and get rid of Kim Seulgi.

I had enough of being used by others in my previous life.

After finishing the consent forms and rounds, I sat at the computer to start the prescription work.

But soon, a hand landed on my shoulder.

I didn't need to guess who it was.

“Are you busy?”

“Yes, I still have a lot to do.”

“Tsk, when a senior asks, you should say you have free time. You’re good in many ways, but you lack observation skills. Like during the conference, you didn’t even bring coffee.”

Stupid, it's not that I lack observation skills; I just don't like you. You're the one who lacks observation skills.

...I barely managed to hold back these words.

“I have something to teach you, so come with me for a moment.”

“Yes.”

Following Kim Seulgi, we arrived at room 709.

By the bed near the window, a dressing cart and a nurse were already waiting.

‘Is this person determined to use me as a slave?’

I shuddered as I confirmed the patient.

The patient's name was Shim Jun-sub.

He had been discharged after receiving a percutaneous coronary intervention two weeks ago.

However, he was readmitted due to a severe abscess in his thigh, which was discovered during follow-up.

“I did the dressing for this patient this afternoon.”

“I know, but a second-year resident said it would be better to perform an abscess incision and drainage.”

“...”

“I’ll teach you, so follow along slowly.”

An abscess incision and drainage is one of the more difficult procedures.

You need to perform local anesthesia,

make an incision in the skin,

squeeze out the pus inside the incision,

disinfect with saline,

insert a drainage tube,

and secure the drainage tube.

However, abscess incision and drainage is generally performed by first-year residents.

So, the intern's job is to manage the abscess incision and drainage performed by the first-year resident.

‘Is she going to offload the procedure to me under the guise of teaching?’

I clenched my teeth, realizing Kim Seulgi's intentions.

Kim Seulgi was even more malicious than I had expected.

“Why are you just standing there? You’ve done this during the practical exam for the