7: Chapter 7: Daily Life in the Emergency Room! Free Housing?

Lu Chen was assigned to the Green Zone.

To put it simply, work in the Green Zone was the Emergency Department's version of an outpatient clinic.

Consultations, physical examinations, ordering tests, writing preliminary diagnoses, issuing prescriptions, or deciding if a patient needed observation.

Although the conditions were mostly common minor illnesses and injuries, the volume was huge; one might handle dozens of patients in a single morning.

Lu Chen sat in the Green Zone's consulting room and began seeing his first patient.

A young woman in her early twenties walked in clutching her stomach, her face pale and her forehead covered in sweat.

"Doctor, my stomach hurts. It's been hurting all night, and painkillers didn't help."

The moment Lu Chen looked at her, the Eye of Truth in his mind automatically activated.

A three-dimensional diagram of the human body's structure emerged.

[Patient Information Scanning...]

[Gender: Female, Age: 23 years old]

[Chief Complaint: Abdominal pain for 12 hours]

[Eye of Truth Diagnosis: acute appendicitis, mild congestion and edema of the appendix, no perforation, McBurneys point tenderness positive]

[Recommended Action: Conservative treatment with antibiotics or surgical excision; suggest completing a Complete blood count and Abdominal CT for confirmation]

Looking at the diagnostic results in his mind, Lu Chen felt confident.

However, he couldn't just say it outright.

Because his status was that of an intern, he had to follow the standard medical procedure.

"Please sit down first, and I'll examine you. When did the pain start? Where did it begin? Do you have any nausea or vomiting?"

"It started hurting after dinner last night. At first, it was around the belly button, but then it moved to the right side. I feel a bit nauseous but haven't vomited."

It was a textbook case of migratory right lower abdominal pain.

Lu Chen took notes while performing a physical examination on her.

McBurneys point tenderness was positive, and Rebound tenderness was weakly positive.

Her conjunctiva was not pale, and her temperature was 37.8 degrees Celsius.

It matched the system's diagnosis perfectly.

"I'll order a Complete blood count and an Abdominal CT for you. Go get the tests done first, and bring the results back to me when you're finished."

The girl nodded and left with the forms.

Lu Chen continued to the next patient.

An old man in his sixties said he was dizzy, but as soon as he entered, he started chatting with Lu Chen about domestic matters.

"Young doctor, how old are you this year? Twenty-four? Oh, you're the same age as my grandson. Are you married yet?"

"Sir, let me take your blood pressure first."

"No rush, no rush. Let me tell you, my grandson works at the bank next door, making over ten thousand a month."

"Sir, give me your arm."

"Do you doctors get really busy? I see it on those TV shows—performing surgeries every day and falling in love right after."

"Sir, your blood pressure is a bit high, 160/100. Do you usually take blood pressure medication?"

"I do, I take it every day, but I forgot yesterday."

"..."

Lu Chen was silent for two seconds.

"Sir, you can't forget to take your blood pressure medication."

"I know, I know. It's just that I was so happy playing cards yesterday that I forgot."

Lu Chen finished writing the prescription, gave a few more instructions, and saw the old man out.

Then came the third, fourth, fifth...

In one morning, Lu Chen saw twenty-three patients in the Green Zone.

There were those with headaches, diarrhea, sprained ankles, and fish bones stuck in their throats.

There was even one who came to the Emergency Department because they cut their finger while clipping their nails and it bled.

Bleeding from clipping nails.

Seeking emergency care.

Lu Chen's expression at the time was quite a sight.

But he still seriously treated the patient's wound, applied iodine for disinfection, and put on a band-aid.

"Be more careful next time."

He said this with a deadpan expression.

During lunch, Zhao Yaqin ran into him in the Cafeteria.

"How was the morning? Are you adjusting?"

"It's okay. There are more patients in the Green Zone than I imagined."

Zhao Yaqin chuckled.

"This is nothing. Today was actually considered a slow day."

"During holidays, seventy or eighty people can show up in the Green Zone in one morning. Just treat it as practice."

Lu Chen nodded, silently shoveling down his six-yuan vegetable rice bowl.

Zhao Yaqin glanced at his tray. "Just eating this? Shouldn't a young guy eat a bit more?"

"It's enough, it's enough. I have a small appetite."

As he said this, his stomach growled right on cue.

Zhao Yaqin looked at him but said nothing.

She stood up, walked to the counter, bought an extra serving of braised pork, and brought it back.

"Eat. The Emergency Department doesn't keep idle people, but we don't mistreat our own either."

"Since you're interning under me, don't let yourself go hungry."

Lu Chen looked at the braised pork, momentarily stunned.

"Thank you, Teacher Zhao."

"Less talk. Hurry up and finish eating. Director Li is coming this afternoon."

...

2:30 PM.

Emergency Department Director's Office.

Lu Chen knocked on the door. Hearing a deep voice say "Come in," he pushed the door open and walked inside.

Director Li Sen sat behind the desk.

He was in his early fifties with graying hair and deep wrinkles on his face, but his eyes were very bright.

They had the sharpness found only in people who spent years making life-and-death decisions.

Several documents were spread out before him, one of which had Lu Chen's name on the cover.

"Sit."

Lu Chen sat down.

Director Li Sen did not look up, continuing to read the document in his hand.

After about a minute, he finally put the document down and raised his eyes to look at Lu Chen.

"Lu Chen, ranked first in your class at the medical school, straight A's throughout your five undergraduate years, and evaluated as excellent during your internship in the General Surgery Department."

"Your instructor's comments were: solid fundamentals, good psychological resilience, and strong practical skills."

He paused.

"Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang even wrote you a recommendation letter, saying you're the most promising intern he's ever seen and suggesting I focus on training you."

Lu Chen was slightly surprised.

He didn't expect Attending Physician Liu Wenqiang to have written him a recommendation letter.

That eight hundred yuan had already felt like more than enough; he hadn't expected this on top of it.

Director Li Sen closed the file and leaned back.

"I'll be honest with you. Liu Wenqiang called me last night and told me about what happened in the Operating Room."

Lu Chen's body tensed slightly.

"He didn't tell you he made this call?"

"No."

"Well, I'm telling you now. He told me the whole story, including how he stepped away from the table, how you took over, and your surgical maneuvers—everything."

Lu Chen remained silent.

Director Li Sen stared at him for several seconds.

"What are you nervous about? I'm not here to discipline you."

"I'm not nervous."

"The corner of your mouth is twitching."

"That might be because the braised pork at lunch was too spicy."

Director Li Sen was taken aback for a moment, then laughed.

"You're quite an interesting kid."

He stopped laughing, and his tone became serious.

"Lu Chen, I don't care how you pulled off those maneuvers that night."

"Whether it's talent or because you've practiced in private."

"The bottom line is you saved a life; that is a fact."

"But it is also a fact that you performed surgery as the lead surgeon while being an intern."

"These two facts together create a contradiction."

"You have the ability, but you don't have the qualification."

"Until you get your medical license, you simply don't have the qualification. That's not my rule—that's the law."

Lu Chen said, "Director Li, I know."

"It's good that you know." Director Li Sen stood up and walked to the window.

"I welcome you to the Emergency Department, but there is one red line you must not cross."

"Without explicit authorization from me or another superior physician, you cannot perform any procedures on any patient that exceed the scope of an intern's authority."

"This includes independently issuing medical orders, independently performing invasive procedures, and independently managing critically ill patients."

"What you can do is participate in diagnosis and treatment under the guidance and supervision of a superior physician. Can you do that?"

Lu Chen: "I can."

"I don't just want you to say you can; I hope you truly can."

"The Emergency Department has critically ill patients every day. When you see them, your instinct will tell you to rush in, but your brain must tell you to ask for instructions from a superior first."

"The interval between these two reactions might only be two seconds."

"In those two seconds, you must make the right choice."

Lu Chen said seriously, "I understand, Director Li."

Director Li Sen turned around and looked at him.

"One more thing."

"What is it?"

"Regarding your accommodation. You're living off-campus right now, right?"

"Yes, I rented a place near the Hospital."

"The Emergency Department has on-call dorms. Although the conditions aren't great, they're free. If you don't mind, you can move in to save on rent."