CHAPTER 218: 218 FUTURE IS PROMISING

(Thanks to friends lifengshu, Da Baojian Ai Nigu, eye135, Fei Dao Uncle for their monthly ticket support)

DING! Daily task completed (20/20).

You have gained 300 experience points and 5 Glory Points.

Consultation task completed. Gained 200 experience points, 100 proficiency points in Diagnostic Skills, 50 proficiency points in Dressing Change Skills, and 100 proficiency points in Suturing Skills.

This task was rated Flawless. You have gained 300 experience points, 200 proficiency points in Diagnostic Skills, 100 proficiency points in Dressing Change Skills, 200 proficiency points in Suturing Skills, and 3 Glory Points.

Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 36 (65,442/68,586 EXP). Gained 1 attribute point and 5 Glory Points.

Liu Banxia was somewhat surprised by the task rewards. The proficiency in Suturing Skills awarded today for a simple abdominal closure was unusually high. Based on previous experience, such a simple operation would, at best, only yield 50 points. Could these extra points be because he had patiently explained and demonstrated to the interns?

"Teacher Liu’s suturing is so good! I wonder when I’ll be able to reach that level," said Li Hao, who was interning with Qi Wentai.

"Just practice hard," Liu Banxia responded with a smile. "As long as you’re willing to put in the effort, you can almost always master it. Even if it takes a bit longer, it doesn’t matter. Our Dr. Shi, for example, is never fast with his sutures, but they’re always perfect."

He continued, "You guys can send the patient to the ward together later. Who was it that convinced the patient to agree to this surgery? I’ll treat them to a drumstick at lunch."

"Teacher Liu, it was me!" Xu Yino excitedly raised her hand.

"Okay, you’ll get your drumstick," Liu Banxia said with a beam. "The responsibility of managing this patient’s care is yours. As a reward, you’ll be on duty in the Emergency Department tonight. The rest of you, keep up the good work. I’m eager to see who will be next."

The people in the operating room were surprised to hear this. Could it be done this way? Wasn’t this a punishment? But looking at the expressions on their faces, it seemed they genuinely considered it a reward. What on earth was Liu Banxia up to now?

"Dr. Liu, could you stay for a moment? I have something to discuss with you," Li Liwei said, stopping Liu Banxia as he was about to leave.

"Brother Li, what’s up?" Liu Banxia asked, curious.

"I’ll be heading to the Emergency Department too. What’s it really like there?" Li Liwei inquired.

"Brother Li, you’re putting me on the spot," Liu Banxia said. "I can’t give you a definite answer right now. Anyway, I predict it’s going to be very busy in the future; we’ve already prepared so many operating rooms. However, I heard that under certain conditions, the Emergency Department’s operating rooms, radiology department, and laboratory will also be open to outpatients and inpatients. It’s about making the most of our resources. So, if you do come over, you won’t have to worry about the workload."

Li Liwei nodded. "Although we all know the Emergency Department will undoubtedly get better and better, the timing is hard to predict. Besides, our hospital has always been trying to recruit anesthesiologists, and it’s not an easy task. This time, we have more than ten interns in our anesthesiology department. Our director said we need to make the utmost effort to retain all of them. To be honest with you, Old Wang and I haven’t been home for two days; we’ve just been crashing at the hospital."

"Is our hospital performing that many surgeries now?" Liu Banxia asked in shock.

"It’s not that there are many surgeries," Li Liwei explained, "but rather that two anesthesiologists from our department were poached. It threw everything into chaos, and it coincided with the preparations for the new Emergency Department."

Liu Banxia nodded. Anesthesiologists were already in short supply, and losing two more would undoubtedly make the anesthesiology department incredibly busy. He was surprised to have only heard about such a significant matter today. It seemed he hadn’t been communicating much externally lately, and his information wasn’t up to date.

"By the way, I’m quite curious," Li Liwei asked again. "How did you manage to ’convince’ them to work overtime at night?"

"There was no ’convincing’ involved. It really is a reward," Liu Banxia replied earnestly. "The Emergency Department isn’t very busy right now, and the break room is so small that if there were too many people, there wouldn’t be enough space for everyone to sleep. So, I told them I wouldn’t be scheduling any night shifts; even if they wanted to, they couldn’t. Only those who performed well would earn this privilege. They haven’t graduated yet, so they’re full of enthusiasm. Turning a tough assignment into a reward is one way to motivate them. Anyway, when I first started my residency, just hearing about night shifts gave me a headache."

"You! You’re too cunning," Li Liwei said. "Alright, go back and keep an eye on things. With so many new people, you need to be cautious. It’s always the newcomers who are prone to making mistakes; they need extra supervision."

"Okay, Brother Li, I’ll get going then," Liu Banxia nodded with a smile and left.

Only now did he truly realize how difficult it was to get the Emergency Department fully operational, especially since this one was being prepared as a trauma emergency center. First, there was the provision of equipment and space, followed by staffing. If they were truly to follow the path of a trauma emergency center, this place would be equivalent to a new hospital. Ultimately, it all boiled down to one thing: money. Only with a significant injection of funds could this project succeed. And when funds were invested, results were expected. One could only imagine the immense pressure on the higher-ups. If it wasn’t accomplished or wasn’t done well, they might even be replaced. He decided it was best not to worry about the affairs of the higher-ups. As long as he could complete his assigned tasks smoothly, that was better than anything.

Back in the Emergency Department, Liang Xiaolin and the others were still gathered, discussing today’s case. Liu Banxia didn’t interrupt them; it was rare to see them with such enthusiasm.

Liu Banxia approached Xu Hui and asked, "Brother Xu, I heard a rumor. Have any doctors from our hospital been poached recently?"

"Isn’t that normal? Every year, some people leave, and some new ones arrive," Xu Hui replied with a smile. "Let’s put it this way: in Binhai City, our income is above average but not top-tier. But don’t expect a particularly high quality of life. After paying the mortgage, household expenses, and child-related costs from our annual income, what’s left to save? We were even planning to move to a bigger house, but our child is about to start middle school, so we don’t dare make any rash moves."

He continued, "You’ll definitely be better off than me in the future. Next year, when you become an attending physician, you’ll get a new contract. You won’t be short of surgeries, and you might even get occasional opportunities for private practice. But it will be very tiring. The initial staffing in the Emergency Department definitely won’t be at full capacity."

Liu Banxia nodded; he could understand that. Otherwise, the original plan to allocate a significant portion of staff directly to the Emergency Department wouldn’t have been scaled back to just a reduced complement for general surgery and internal medicine. There weren’t enough resources to spare. They would have to wait until the new building was handed over for use; only then could all resources be properly integrated.

"If you’re really thinking about changing houses, I can help you with some contacts," Liu Banxia said. "I don’t know how much cheaper it would be, but it would definitely be somewhat cheaper, certainly a better discount than what the sales office offers. I can’t say for sure. Anyway, one of my patients does construction work for those developers. We can check it out then. But it definitely won’t be as big a discount as Sister Li got when she bought her house. After all, that was the first time, so they gave a bigger ’face’ discount. If our people want to buy later on, they should still get some discount."

"Alright, I’ll discuss it with your sister-in-law when I get home," Xu Hui said excitedly. "Why do we want to change houses? Your sister-in-law wants another child, and a two-bedroom place won’t be big enough."

"Tsk tsk, you were just complaining, but it seems your wallet is still quite full. Not me, I’ll just have to make do with the dormitory for now," Liu Banxia said with a grin.

"What’s your rush?" Xu Hui said. "Find a girlfriend first. Besides, you’re definitely going to earn a lot in the future. Based on our hospital’s standards, once you become an attending, you should be making at least 300,000 a year as a base."

"Can I really earn that much?" Liu Banxia’s eyebrows shot up.

Actually, he had always wanted to ask Shi Lei about future earnings but had been too embarrassed to bring it up. Now, hearing Xu Hui say this, he was even more excited than when he had solved the earlier medical case.

"More or less," Xu Hui said with a laugh. "You’ll definitely be performing many surgeries in the future. Anyway, as long as you’re not afraid of hard work, you’ll earn more. And once your reputation grows, more hospitals will want to collaborate with you, and your value will increase. But, as I said before, it will be very tiring. Just look at how busy Shi Lei and Director Zhou are every day. When I first started, I almost switched to surgery. Later, I was very glad I didn’t; at least now I still have time to take care of my family."

"I’m not married yet, so let the storm rage even more fiercely!" Liu Banxia said delightedly.

Xu Hui was amused. Actually, there was something else he hadn’t said: as a surgeon, you either have to be outstanding or just average; don’t get stuck in the middle. Whatever you do, your rewards are proportional to your efforts. If you want to earn more money, you have to endure the hardship. You can’t just look at how much others earn without considering their sacrifices. And in his judgment, Liu Banxia’s future prospects were limitless. He was already so highly valued, and crucially, his skills were solid. What was there to fear for his future?

"There are no patients for now," Xu Hui said. "You guys keep an eye on things here. Qi and I will go get something to eat."

"Alright, leave it to our group," Liu Banxia nodded.

Xu Hui shook his head. It seemed this fellow hadn’t come down from his high yet, still looking so pleased with himself. But it was understandable. After all, he had just escaped the low salary of a resident doctor. What was work for? To put it bluntly, it was to support a family and enjoy a high quality of life. His own goal was just to smoothly become an associate chief physician in the future. He couldn’t compare himself to Liu Banxia. As long as Liu Banxia didn’t make mistakes, he would advance through each professional rank with seniority.

Just as Xu Hui thought, Liu Banxia was currently immersed in fantasies of a wonderful future. The future was full of promise! If he could really earn that much, his life would be set. He didn’t have many other expenses right now. If he worked hard for a couple of years, he could afford a down payment on a house. He needed a home. Even if he was too busy with work to go back often, he still needed a home to feel a sense of belonging, to feel at ease.