32: Chapter 32: Opportunities for Exchange and Learning?
At 8:10 AM the next day, just as Lu Chen walked into the Yellow Zone, Head Nurse Fang Ying trotted over.
"Lu Chen, Director Li wants you to go to his office."
"Did he say what it was about?"
"He didn't say, just told you to go over immediately."
Lu Chen set down the medical records in his hand and turned to walk toward Director Li Sen's office.
He knocked on the door twice, and a voice came from inside.
"Come in."
Pushing the door open, he saw Director Li Sen sitting behind his desk, reading a document.
He looked up at Lu Chen and closed the document.
"Sit."
Lu Chen sat down on the chair opposite him and waited.
Director Li Sen didn't get straight to the point; instead, he asked a seemingly unrelated question first.
"How did you sleep last night?"
"It was fine, quite good."
"Do you have any physical discomfort?"
"No."
Director Li Sen nodded, then leaned back in his chair, his tone shifting slightly.
"President Zeng wants you to go to his office at 10:00 AM this morning."
Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained unchanged.
"Okay."
"Before you go, I have a few things to tell you."
Director Li Sen's eyes were fixed on him; his voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.
"President Zeng is a man of high caliber and acts with discretion, but he is not a man without a purpose."
"After you go there, just listen to whatever he says."
"Don't be in a rush to state your position; listen to everything first."
Looking at Director Li Sen's expression, Lu Chen sensed the weight of these words.
"Understood."
Director Li Sen looked at him for another two seconds, then waved his hand.
"Go on, head back to work first. I'll have someone take you over before 10:00."
Lu Chen stood up, and as he reached the door, Director Li Sen spoke again.
"Lu Chen."
"Yes?"
"Don't be nervous; it's just a chat."
Lu Chen nodded and went out.
Back in the Yellow Zone, Head Nurse Fang Ying leaned in close.
"What happened?"
"Nothing much, I'm going to see President Zeng in a while."
Head Nurse Fang Ying's eyes lit up again.
"You're really going?"
"Yes."
"Are you nervous?"
"Not nervous."
"You're lying. It's your first time meeting the Vice President; how could you not be nervous?"
"Sister Fang, I didn't even get nervous with that child with the epidural hematoma. Why would I be nervous about meeting a Vice President?"
Head Nurse Fang Ying thought for a moment and felt that made sense.
"Fine, then, just watch your appearance—make sure your white coat collar isn't crooked and your hair isn't messy."
"Sister Fang, I'm going to meet the Vice President, not going on a blind date."
"With that face of yours, anywhere you go is pretty much like a blind date."
Lu Chen ignored her and looked down at his clothes; they were indeed neat and tidy.
9:55 AM.
A staff member from the Medical Affairs Department came to the Yellow Zone to find Lu Chen and take him to the Administrative Building.
The Administrative Building was on the north side of the Hospital, some distance from the Emergency Department.
Lu Chen followed the staff member across the connecting corridor, took the elevator, and arrived at the sixth floor.
The entire sixth floor was an administrative office area, so quiet that it felt like a completely different world from the Emergency Department.
The corridor was carpeted, and the walls were hung with display boards detailing the Hospital's history and various awards.
The Vice President's office was at the end of the corridor. The door plate bore the name "President Zeng Dayang," with a line of small text below reading "Vice President, Chief Physician."
The staff member knocked on the door.
"President Zeng, Lu Chen is here."
"Please come in."
The door was pushed open, and Lu Chen walked in.
The office wasn't very large, but it was kept very clean.
Various medical books and documents were neatly arranged on the bookshelf.
President Zeng Dayang was sitting behind his desk with two cups of tea in front of him; one was clearly freshly brewed.
"Sit."
Lu Chen sat down opposite him.
President Zeng Dayang pushed the freshly brewed cup of tea over.
"Have some tea."
"Thank you, President Zeng."
Lu Chen picked it up and took a sip; it was neither too hot nor too cold, the temperature was just right.
This indicated that the tea had been steeped with careful timing, as he knew roughly when he would arrive.
President Zeng Dayang didn't rush to speak, looking at him for a few seconds first.
Then he smiled.
"When I saw you in the Yellow Zone yesterday, I wanted to say that you are younger than I expected."
"Twenty-four years old, first year of residency training, working in the Yellow Zone of the Emergency Department, handling thirty-one car accident casualties in a single day, and identifying a critical case of epidural hematoma."
"To be honest with you, I've been working at this Hospital for nearly twenty years, and I've never seen anything like this."
Lu Chen sat up straight, neither being overly modest nor boasting.
"I just happened to be there; the situation the day before yesterday was quite special, the volume was high, and I just happened to encounter that case."
President Zeng Dayang shook his head.
"It wasn't just luck; it's your capability."
"Being there is just an opportunity, but being able to handle it when the opportunity arises—that is real skill."
"How long have you been at the Hospital?"
"Counting my residency training and my previous rotation in the General Surgery Department, it's been less than two months in total."
"Two months."
President Zeng Dayang repeated the time, then shook his head.
"Director Li Sen told me about your situation. You performed very well during your rotation in the General Surgery Department, and since arriving at the Emergency Department, you've just kept moving up."
"You were the first to discover that myocardial infarction case, and you were the lead surgeon for the appendicitis surgery, with Director Li Sen acting as your first assistant, right?"
Lu Chen was a bit surprised; President Zeng Dayang knew much more about him than he had imagined.
"Yes."
"Director Li Sen rarely acts as a first assistant for a Resident Trainee. You know what that means, right?"
"It means Director Li has confidence in me."
President Zeng Dayang smiled again, this time a bit more deeply.
"You are neither haughty nor humble, and you speak with discretion. I appreciate that."
He picked up his own teacup and took a sip. When he set it down, his tone became more formal.
"Lu Chen, I didn't ask you here today for idle chatter."
"I have an idea I'd like to discuss with you."
Lu Chen sat up a little straighter.
"Please go ahead."
"You are currently a Resident Trainee. According to the standard procedure, residency training takes three years, and you can only officially become a Resident Physician after obtaining your certificate in three years."
"However, there is a situation where this process can be accelerated."
President Zeng Dayang paused, looking Lu Chen in the eyes.
"Every year, the province has a batch of spots for inter-Hospital technical exchanges. Doctors who participate in these technical exchanges and perform exceptionally well can receive extra points in their assessments, shortening their promotion cycle."
"To put it bluntly, if you go to participate in this exchange, upon your return, I can help you clear some procedural hurdles to allow you to be promoted directly to Resident Physician."
Upon hearing this, Lu Chen's heart gave a slight jolt.
Direct promotion to Resident Physician.
This meant he could skip most of the remaining time in his residency training and officially become a staff physician.
Independently managing beds, independently being on duty, and his income would also see a significant increase.
For someone urgently in need of money, this temptation was very real.
"What level of doctor is this spot generally given to?"
Upon hearing this question, a hint of approval appeared in President Zeng Dayang's eyes.
"Normally, it's given to Resident Physicians or Attending Physicians; it's basically impossible for a Resident Trainee to get it."
"But there are exceptions to everything."
"Your performance the day before yesterday, combined with Director Li Sen's evaluation of you, is enough for me to make an exception."
Lu Chen was silent for a few seconds.
He was thinking about one thing.
Why did President Zeng Dayang want to help him?
A Vice President, managing the entire Hospital's medical operations, was busy with a thousand things.
Why would he specifically come to the Yellow Zone to find a Resident Trainee and then give him the green light?
In this world, there is no such thing as a benefit without a reason.