Chapter 3 of 10

Chapter 3

16 min read3,964 words

Yunhua Hospital.

At the glass-walled outpatient building, a group of interns stood with their necks craned, forming a line. Several teachers, wearing white coats with the logos of Yunhua University, Yunhua Medical University, and Yunhua Traditional Chinese Medicine College, were quietly negotiating with the hospital's administrative staff.

For medical students, internships mark the beginning of their journey to becoming doctors. There's an excitement akin to years of hard work finally bearing fruit.

"You know, I've been to Yunhua Hospital before, but the feeling is completely different now," Wang Zhuangyong said, smoothing his hair with his white-gloved hands and gazing at the hospital's emblem with a look of longing.

"You came here last time for a circumcision, of course the feeling is different," Chen Wanhuo, dressed in a crisp white coat with a large red stethoscope around his neck and two pens in his chest pocket, said sharply, as if role-playing a doctor.

Wang Zhuangyong, used to being teased, remained calm and said, "A big bird needs to be done in a big hospital."

After saying this, Wang Zhuangyong gave Chen Wanhuo a disdainful look.

Comrade Chen Wanhuo couldn't take it anymore and angrily said, "What do you mean by that!"

"Old Chen, don't get so worked up," a classmate advised. "We all shower together in the public bath; who hasn't seen who?"

Chen Wanhuo couldn't suppress his anger and said, "No one's going to calm me down today..."

"Everyone, quiet down," the leading teacher said into a megaphone. "Next, we'll have a brief meeting to discuss internship guidelines, tour the hospital, and then you'll be assigned to different departments. Pay attention, as every step will affect your internship evaluation."

Several students looked worriedly at Chen Wanhuo, who had just been raging like a madman but now sat quietly like a drugged rabbit.

After the routine speech and tour, the interns were herded into Yunhua Hospital's practice room in a chaotic manner.

At this point, the teachers from each school had returned to their respective institutions, and the person in charge was now Dr. Lei Beisha, the director of the Medical Education Department at Yunhua Hospital.

As the best hospital in Yunhua, Dr. Lei Beisha saw groups of interns come and go every year.

Facing the young and excited new faces, Dr. Lei Beisha started with a stern warning, his voice deep and resonant: "Most of you will end up in small hospitals! You'll spend your days giving injections, prescribing medication, and performing appendectomies as if it were a holiday."

"Are there shortages of doctors in top-tier hospitals in China? Of course there are. Do top-tier hospitals like ours in Yunhua lack doctors? We desperately need them, and we dream of recruiting more. But..." Dr. Lei Beisha emphasized, his voice thunderous: "We need experienced, mature doctors."

"Of course," Dr. Lei Beisha continued, "we will also train our own doctors. Many famous doctors have come from Yunhua, but! Only those with talent, diligence, and the right attitude deserve our training. This isn't just true for Yunhua; it's the same for all the top hospitals in China."

"So, are you the doctors with talent, diligence, and the right attitude?" Dr. Lei Beisha stood on the podium in the practice room, looking down at everyone from a height, and said slowly, "The next year will be your time to prove it."

The originally spirited medical students instantly became dejected.

Everyone understood the reality, but being told so bluntly was hard for the young to accept.

Ling Ran remained unmoved.

His family ran a clinic, so he knew what small clinics and small hospitals were like.

Whether public or private, small clinics and small hospitals in China could only treat minor illnesses and pains. They were good for making a living, but they could be demoralizing.

Especially for medical students who had studied hard for years, they didn't want to be doctors who just measured blood pressure and treated colds.

Ling Ran didn't want that either, but he never expected things to go as he wished.

"Our hospital also has a ladder to success," Dr. Lei Beisha said, seeing that his warning had taken effect. His face softened, and he added with a gentle tone, "If your internship scores rank high, our Medical Education Department will prioritize your recruitment. Other hospitals will also consider your internship performance when hiring."

Seeing the students' spirits lift, Dr. Lei Beisha smiled again and said, "You have a full year of internship at Yunhua. We will be watching your performance closely. You should also strive to improve. For example, this practice room, which we invested millions in, is specifically for you to practice."

Dr. Lei Beisha stepped back and introduced another young doctor standing beside him, saying, "This is Dr. Kang, a renowned surgeon in our hand surgery department. He will now explain suturing techniques."

Kang Jiuliang, 35 years old, was in his prime and one of the most capable young surgeons in the hand surgery department.

When called by Dr. Lei Beisha, Kang Jiuliang took it as a break and lazily said, "There are many skills a surgeon needs to master, and suturing is just the most basic. You should have practiced it in school."

Kang Jiuliang smiled and continued, "In our hand surgery department, the basic requirement for new doctors to perform surgery is to complete their training in the practice room."

Kang Jiuliang glanced at Dr. Lei Beisha and added, "The standard for completing the practice room is simple: perform a microvascular anastomosis on the tails of 10 white rats."

As he spoke, Kang Jiuliang pulled back the curtain next to the podium, revealing a large glass window and a small laboratory behind it.

In the laboratory, which was about ten square meters, a white rat was fixed to the central lab table, and a binocular microscope was mounted about 20-30 centimeters above it.

Behind the podium, a projection screen slowly lowered, and once the projector was turned on, the white rat's tail was visible.

"Our hand surgery interns and doctors practice in the practice room whenever they have free time. We thank the experimental animals for their sacrifice, which allows so many patients to recover," Kang Jiuliang said, then added, "The diameter of a human finger's blood vessel is only about 0.3 millimeters, while the diameter of a white rat's tail vessel is about 0.5 millimeters, similar to the middle finger of an average person. Therefore, those who cannot complete the practice room cannot perform hand surgery."

"Director Lei mentioned the ladder to success. In our hand surgery department, the ladder to success is the reattachment of a white rat's tail. Any intern who can complete this within a year will be warmly welcomed by our department."

After saying this, Kang Jiuliang smiled subtly and said, "I'll ask one of you to join me and try it out."

The medical students all raised their hands eagerly.

While they had much to learn about performing surgery, suturing was a skill they had practiced extensively.

Just look at how well bananas and pomelos sell at the school gate; anyone who wants to become a doctor after graduation practices suturing and knot-tying whenever they have free time, and many students have gained confidence through practice.

"Put your hands down, no need to raise them; this isn't school," Kang Jiuliang said, tilting his head and looking at the students. He immediately noticed Ling Ran, who stood out for his good looks, and without hesitation, pointed to him, saying, "This student, sit opposite me. I'll do one part, and you'll do the other."

Then, Kang Jiuliang pushed open a small door on the other side and invited Ling Ran to change into surgical attire and prepare for the procedure.

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