30: Chapter 30 was praised in public by Li Sen.
When Lu Chen walked out of the Emergency Department entrance, only a light drizzle remained outside.
There was still standing water in the courtyard, and the streetlights illuminated the surface in a yellowish hue.
He walked along the edge, avoiding a few deeper puddles.
Two people died today.
One was the man in his forties who, after suffering cardiac arrest in the Red Zone, could not be resuscitated.
The other was an elderly woman in her sixties who was wheeled into the corridor after seven in the evening.
She was the wife of the bus driver and had rushed to the Hospital upon hearing that her husband had been in an accident.
She slipped at the main entrance, and her head struck the steps.
By the time she was brought in, she already had a severe intracranial hemorrhage; after nearly an hour of resuscitation, she could not be saved.
The way the second person died was too absurd, so absurd that it left one speechless.
It wasn't on the bus, but on the way to find her husband.
Lu Chen stood in the drizzle for about a minute.
He wasn't thinking about any profound life insights; he was thinking very specifically about one thing.
His current skills were not enough.
His Internal Medicine Diagnostics had just broken through to the proficient level, and his mastery of Emergency Department theory was less than one-third.
If he had been a little stronger, a little faster, and a little more accurate today.
Would there have been a different outcome for those two people?
Not necessarily.
Some people leave not because the doctors aren't good enough.
But if he had been better, at least that probability could have been lower.
He solidified this thought in his mind, then withdrew his gaze and walked toward the staff dormitory.
He had another shift tomorrow.
The matter of leveling up would continue starting tomorrow.
...
The next day.
Lu Chen was woken up by the vibration of his phone; it wasn't an alarm, but a message.
The person who sent the message was Zhao Yaqin, and the time was 7:20 AM.
"Zhao Yaqin: The child with the epidural hematoma you treated yesterday had a successful surgery and woke up this morning. The Neurosurgery Department says the recovery is good, with no sequelae for the time being. The child's mother wants to thank you."
Lu Chen stared at the message for a few seconds.
Then he replied with two words.
"Lu Chen: Okay."
He put down his phone and got up to wash up.
He looked at himself in the mirror.
He felt that what motivated him most in this world wasn't the experience point numbers popping up from the system, but messages like this.
The child woke up, is recovering well, and has no sequelae for the time being.
These few words made it worth running so fast and scanning so accurately yesterday.
...
8:30 AM, morning meeting.
Director Li Sen's state today was slightly more normal than yesterday, but he still hadn't completely relaxed.
The follow-up treatment for the large number of casualties was still ongoing.
Many patients were still hospitalized, and the workload for various follow-ups and coordination was enormous.
At the morning meeting, Director Li Sen briefly reviewed yesterday's situation.
"Yesterday, the entire department treated a total of 112 casualties."
"Among them, 41 were in the Red Zone, 48 in the Yellow Zone, and 23 in the Green Zone."
"A total of two casualties died despite resuscitation efforts, while the rest are out of danger or have stable vital signs."
"I will compile a separate report on the two fatal cases."
"We will hold a short meeting this afternoon to analyze them as typical cases."
"It's not to assign blame, but to learn. Do you understand?"
Everyone nodded.
"Good. Now, there are a few people whose performance I want to mention separately."
Director Li Sen scanned the room, his gaze finally landing on Lu Chen for about two seconds before moving away.
"Zhou Ze performed six hemothorax Puncture drainages yesterday; the efficiency was fine, and the procedures were standard."
"The triage work in the Yellow Zone was handled very steadily."
Zhou Ze nodded without speaking.
"Zhao Yaqin, your overall coordination in the Yellow Zone yesterday was good, and your judgment on that splenic injury case was very timely."
Zhao Yaqin lowered her head and acknowledged it.
"Lu Chen."
Everyone's gaze shifted over.
Lu Chen didn't move, looking straight ahead.
"Yesterday, you had the highest individual patient treatment volume in the Yellow Zone: thirty-one."
"I have verified the effective treatment rate; there were no issues."
"Among them, you were the first to identify the epidural hematoma case; Director Liu from the Neurosurgery Department told me this morning."
"That child woke up today and is recovering well; you caught the time window very accurately."
Director Li Sen paused.
"You are a Trainee Physician, not a Resident Physician, not an attending physician."
"But yesterday, you did things that many Resident Physicians might not have been able to achieve."
As this short sentence fell, the entire Conference Room was silent for two seconds.
Zhao Yaqin, sitting next to Lu Chen, turned her head to look at him.
The corners of her mouth moved slightly, but she didn't speak.
Zhou Ze was sitting diagonally across from Lu Chen; his expression was calm, but there was a kind of recognition in his eyes that Lu Chen could perceive.
Lu Chen still didn't move, and his expression didn't change much; he just lowered his head and replied.
"Thank you, Director."
Director Li Sen grunted in acknowledgment and continued to the next item.
After the morning meeting ended, Lu Chen got up and walked out.
Head Nurse Fang Ying appeared from somewhere and lowered her voice to say.
"Congratulations, congratulations! Being publicly praised by the Director today, the whole department heard it."
"Just normal performance."
"With a 'normal performance' like yours, how are others supposed to live?"
Lu Chen twitched the corner of his mouth.
He didn't respond and walked into the Yellow Zone.
...
10:00 AM.
In the corridor of the Emergency Department Building No. 1, a man was walking.
This man was not wearing a white coat, but a light gray jacket.
He was in his early fifties, with his hair neatly combed back.
His walking speed was not fast, but his steps were steady, and every few steps, he would stop to glance into the ward next to him.
It was as if he were inspecting, or perhaps just strolling.
Following two steps behind him was the director of the Medical Affairs Department.
As they walked, he was whispering reports to him.
"Yesterday's accident was handled quite promptly overall. We activated the Level 3 emergency response plan, and it took less than ten minutes from receiving the notification to full personnel arrival..."
The Middle-aged man in the gray jacket nodded and continued walking forward.
"What was the final status of the casualties?"
"One hundred and twelve, two deaths, the rest are out of danger or stable."
"What about the two deaths?"
"One had already suffered cardiac arrest for over twenty-five minutes upon admission and could not be resuscitated; the other was an accident where a family member of the deceased slipped and fell at the Emergency Department entrance, resulting in an intracranial hemorrhage."
"The anti-slip measures at the main entrance need to be rectified; this kind of problem shouldn't happen on a rainy day."
"Yes, it is already being arranged."
The two men walked to the corner of the corridor connecting the Emergency Department and the Internal Medicine building.
The Middle-aged man in the gray jacket stopped and glanced toward the Yellow Zone of the Emergency Department.
"What is the name of that Trainee Physician Director Li Sen mentioned at the morning meeting yesterday?"
The director of the Medical Affairs Department was stunned for a moment, taking two seconds to react.
"Are you referring to… Lu Chen?"
"Yes. Which zone is he in?"
"Yellow Zone. He should be on duty in the Yellow Zone today."
The Middle-aged man in the gray jacket was silent for a few seconds, then turned and walked toward the Yellow Zone.
The director of the Medical Affairs Department followed and asked in a low voice.
"Are you going to go over and take a look?"
"Yes, let's go meet him."