Chapter 138: What Hospital Leaders Value

Ji Xiang finished his surgery and ate, then began writing medical records without time to rest.

Every medical team's work is very busy; although he had completed a high-yield task after being "temporarily transferred" by Liu Zhuren, the medical team's work could not be delayed.

Knowing that Mo Chenggui and Wang Daxiao would not make things difficult for him over such a small matter, Ji Xiang still conscientiously completed the tasks that belonged to him.

In fact, there is no such thing as belonging or not belonging; it is all just convention.

It would be possible to force the issue by using Liu Zhuren to pressure Mo Jiaoshou, but Ji Xiang liked Mo Chenggui and Wang Daxiao from the bottom of his heart, so it was just a bit of work, it didn't matter.

Wu Zong walked in while biting on dental floss; seeing Ji Xiang writing medical records, his heart stirred slightly.

His feelings toward this little Standardized Training Student were complex, and Wu Zong himself could not clearly explain them. Especially since he felt he owed Ji Xiang a favor, he was always pondering how to repay it.

But Ji Xiang was not an ordinary Standardized Training Student; he had been poached by Wang Daxiao and Mo Jiaoshou early on, and had just gained the favor of the director only a few days after arriving.

As an "experienced person," Wu Zong felt he still had something to offer Ji Xiang.

He walked over to Ji Xiang and sat down, "Doctor Xiao Ji, busy?"

"Yes." Ji Xiang tapped the keyboard with both hands, focused on writing the medical record, "Not many emergency cases for Wu Zong today?"

"I performed two Laser Lithotripsy surgeries this morning." Wu Zong said with a smile, clarifying the matter first to let Ji Xiang know he knew he owed him a favor.

"Doctor Xiao Ji, working hard is a good thing, but you cannot just work without looking at the road ahead."

"Oh?" Ji Xiang tilted his head, "Wu Zong, what road should I look at?"

Seeing that Ji Xiang truly did not seem to know, Wu Zong felt a bit smug.

"Doctor Xiao Ji, let me test you with a question."

As he spoke, Wu Zong waved his hand, beckoning Lu Kai over.

"Wu Zong, your question is a bit childish." Lu Kai said with a smile, "The hospital is a place that values skill. What kind of doctor do leaders like? Isn't it just those who can work?"

There was nothing wrong with that statement, but Ji Xiang felt it wasn't quite right.

Wu Zong curled his lip, "Doing many surgeries and seeing many patients as a doctor is just the passing line; you have no qualification to use this as a reason to discuss bonuses and treatment, and naturally, you have no qualification to make the leaders constantly think of you."

"Wu Zong, you mean the hospital leaders like things that can add luster when reporting work to provincial and municipal leaders, right?" Ji Xiang pondered and guessed.

Wu Zong was startled; Ji Xiang had actually "guessed" the correct answer.

Many veteran doctors of many years complain about the unfairness of leaders, yet they have never seen clearly what it is they need.

Where you sit determines how you think; when I was young, I thought this sentence was particularly absurd, but looking at it now, it is the truth.

What they need is backing and background, but that is not entirely it either.

Moving up by one's own strength... Ji Xiang is right, perhaps one more thing must be added—things that allow leaders to brag at the dinner table and show they are stronger than other hospitals.

"Doctor Xiao Ji, tell me what you think."

Ji Xiang scratched his head, "Wu Zong, I was just guessing randomly, you explain it."

"Being a doctor doesn't rely on skill?" Lu Kai was somewhat surprised; Wu Zong's words had subverted his worldview.

"Having a few research projects, launching a few new programs a year—these are what the hospital leaders value." Wu Zong glanced at Lu Kai, then stared at Ji Xiang and said earnestly.

"If you have those, even if your surgery skills are terrible, in the eyes of the leaders, you are still an awesome doctor. For example, a Cardiothoracic Surgery department at a certain hospital encountered a case of Aortic Dissection."

"They didn't have a vascular department, nor an Interventional Department, so the Thoracic Surgery director directly submitted a new project application and performed a major stent placement on the patient."

"Wu Zong, I heard that performing a major stent placement is quite simple." Lu Kai said.

"Simple? That's only if you know how; it's difficult for those who don't." Wu Zong said with disdain.

He was more familiar with Lu Kai, so they spoke like buddies without any airs.

"And then?" Lu Kai asked.

"Because they had never done it before, they were nervous during the surgery, and as a result, the major stent was placed in the wrong direction."

"!!!" Ji Xiang was startled, surgery could be done like that?!

"That would cost a life!" Lu Kai was surprised.

"They were lucky; they messed around, yet nothing happened. The patient was discharged in good health, and they didn't even have to perform a Surgical Operation to open the aorta and flip the stent."

"Tsk tsk."

"I also heard this from someone in Cardiothoracic Surgery; this is 'new technology'." Wu Zong did not dwell on a Medical Malpractice incident, but instead steered the topic back, "A new technology can win a provincial scientific progress award, and publishing a few papers is more effective for gaining recognition from the hospital than just treating illnesses."

"Just that?" Lu Kai was confused.

His worldview was definitely not like this.

Ji Xiang thought silently.

"Yes, just that!" Wu Zong emphasized his tone, "If there is no scientific research and no papers, even if your surgery skills could carve flowers on a grain of rice, and your Internal Medicine could cure any disease, it would be useless."

"Let alone ordinary doctors, what about those Nobel Prize winners? Don't they still have to churn out papers? The investors don't understand what profound technology you are researching; you have to produce results periodically to tell them you are working."

Lu Kai stared blankly.

In his view, what Wu Zong described was something only the top-tier doctors could achieve.

Even curing diseases is useless; there are such absurd things in this world.

"Even so, in the end, you might still be an old Attending Physician or an old Resident Physician at sixty."

"Wu Zong, I heard Zhao Tianjiao started writing papers; is that what this means?" Ji Xiang asked.

"What? Zhao Tianjiao started writing papers? Let me ask." Wu Zong didn't know about this either; he picked up his phone, but feeling it wasn't good to make a call here, he hurried out.

"Ji Xiang, you said that being a doctor isn't about treating patients as the most important thing?" Lu Kai was confused, his head full of questions.

Ji Xiang had heard similar things from his own father and mother; as for the rules, those that are put on the surface don't count for anything, and what Wu Zong said was very likely the honest truth.

It was worth the effort he spent giving him those pointers, improving his Laser Lithotripsy technique.

But Ji Xiang didn't fully believe it either; he prepared to go to the System Space in a while to ask the System NPC.

Soon, Wu Zong returned.

"Wu Zong, what kind of article did Zhao Tianjiao publish? It must be just messing around." Lu Kai said, "We just arrived at the Clinical department, what the hell would we know."

"A child who hasn't finished school publishing an SCI, you've never heard of it?" Wu Zong laughed, "Look at Dean Zhao; he paved the way early on. See, this also corroborates what I just said."

"Publishing an article?"

"Yeah. Zhao Tianjiao is incredible," General Manager Wu said, lowering his voice and looking left and right. "Professor Deng gave his own first-author position on an article to Zhao Tianjiao, and he only took the corresponding author spot."

"What level of article?" Lu Kai asked.

He only knew this much.

"A Zhonghua-level one."

Lu Kai felt a little dejected, but then he smiled immediately. "When I finish my Standardized Residency Training and go back to the county hospital, there won't be so much talk about that."

General Manager Wu looked at Ji Xiang silently.

Ji Xiang nodded earnestly, signaling that he understood.

In a flash of thought, he arrived at the System Operating Room. This time, the System NPC stood in place; seeing Ji Xiang enter, he beckoned.

(End of this chapter)