"Hmm, very good."
Song Siming nodded. He had confidence in this surgery, but age was not on his side. Although his skills and experience had reached their peak, his body couldn't keep up.
Next was the washing of the abdominal cavity, closing up, and suturing.
After the surgery was over and the patient was sent back to the ward, the doctors in the operating room took off their scrubs. Only then did Song Siming look at the ID badge on Zhao Heng's chest and say, "Xiao Zhao, you did very well today."
He paused for a moment, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "With your skills, why are you working as an instrument nurse in the hospital?"
Song Siming had noticed Zhao Heng's performance earlier. Whether it was the professional knowledge required to diagnose the rare external iliac artery bleeding or the solid basics needed for artery suturing, Zhao Heng was overqualified for such a technical job as an instrument nurse.
The task of an instrument nurse is simple—preparing the right medical instruments for the scheduled surgery. This kind of work requires no deep technical knowledge, just a basic understanding of medicine. A graduate from a junior college or even a vocational school could do it.
Upon hearing Song Siming's words, Zhao Heng gave a wry smile and said, "Director, I'm just a bachelor's degree holder. Although I passed the licensing exam, the threshold at the hospital is too high."
"That is true."
Hearing this, Song Siming nodded thoughtfully.
The threshold of Eastern Hospital was indeed very high. To become an official doctor, one generally needed a doctoral degree. Some departments lowered the requirement slightly, but at least a master's degree was still necessary.
A bachelor's degree was indeed somewhat inadequate, no wonder Zhao Heng could only work as an instrument nurse.
Medicine is a highly specialized field, and now academic qualifications are becoming increasingly competitive.
Song Siming looked at Zhao Heng again. At this moment, Zhao Heng exuded a stable demeanor, neither arrogant nor impetuous. Coupled with his earlier performance, Song Siming couldn't help but have a thought in his mind.
Such an excellent young man, just working as an instrument nurse, seemed like a waste.
But the current high demand for academic qualifications in the hospital was too extreme. If Zhao Heng had a master's degree, there would be options, but his bachelor's degree was indeed too low.
Suddenly, an idea crossed Song Siming's mind. Maybe he could give this hardworking young man an opportunity?
However, opportunities can't be given away so easily.
After thinking about it, Song Siming said to Zhao Heng, "Xiao Zhao, with your skills, it's a waste for you to be an instrument nurse. How about this: there's recently been a shortage of surgical doctors, and I'll talk to the operating room. You can be an assistant for emergency surgeries, specifically assisting with them, and stop doing the instrument nurse work for now."
Song Siming had thought about a new policy recently introduced by the hospital: assigning an assistant to each director, also known as a director's assistant. This assistant would help share and coordinate the director's work.
And the hiring for the director's assistant position was decided autonomously by each department director, so it wasn't included in the official system, meaning academic requirements weren't as strict.
However, even though Zhao Heng had left a good impression on Song Siming, the position of director's assistant was not easy to give away. Placing Zhao Heng in the operating room for further observation was necessary. If Zhao Heng consistently performed as well as today, giving him an opportunity was not out of the question.
This was Song Siming's current thought.
Upon hearing Song Siming's words, a hint of joy appeared on Zhao Heng's face, and a warm current surged in his heart.
It was too difficult. In an international metropolis like North City, getting an opportunity was indeed too hard!
"Thank you, Director."
Zhao Heng hurriedly said.
"Work hard."
Song Siming didn't say much more, patting Zhao Heng's shoulder to encourage him.
For him, this was a small matter.
At Eastern Hospital, he was the director of the emergency department and also the permanent vice president of the Emergency Medical Society. Many young people aspired to catch his eye and earn his favor.
It can be said that getting close to Song Siming guaranteed success in both work and academic endeavors, even helping with promotions.
But Song Siming had high standards, and it's not known that he has ever given special regard to any young doctor.
The challenges Song Siming's generation faced when they were young were unmatched by today's young people. It was normal that no young doctor had yet caught his interest.
The surgery was completed, and everyone left the operating room.
Attending physician Li Yang looked at Zhao Heng with a complicated expression and, after a moment, said, "In the future, you'll be specializing in assisting with emergency surgeries in the operating room. I hope you can maintain this level of performance."
Li Yang's words had a hint of frustration; today, Zhao Heng had indeed taken the spotlight from him.
But more than that, he genuinely hoped Zhao Heng could maintain this level of performance.
Emergency surgeries are not only urgent but also difficult, with many unpredictable factors. No one can guarantee that everything will be perfect every time. Therefore, every surgeon hopes to have a highly skilled assistant who can step up in critical moments. But where can you find such a capable person willing to be an assistant?
It's rare and hard to find.
Most emergency surgeries are completed by attending physicians. Only challenging ones like today's involve the director. In the future, Zhao Heng would likely be assisting him.
The operating room is a place where skills speak louder than anything else. Here, it's like a battlefield where life and death are decided in moments, and jealousy has no place. Everyone hopes you are as strong as possible.
After speaking, Li Yang left. Today, Zhao Heng had indeed caused him some embarrassment; he needed some time alone to cool down.
"With your level of skill, why didn't you show it before?"
Xu Man Ni looked at Zhao Heng, a bit confused, and asked.
Could this really be an instance of playing the fool to trick the wise?
"I couldn't even get a chance to be on a surgical team before."
Zhao Heng said helplessly.
If he'd had a system before, he would have taken off long ago!
Zhao Heng complained inwardly.
"That's true."
Xu Man Ni suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for Zhao Heng. In such a big city as North City, there are many talented people who are not recognized!
She was a native of North City. This struggle faced by people from small towns trying to establish themselves was something she found hard to truly comprehend.
"Cheer up and keep working hard."
Xu Man Ni encouraged Zhao Heng before leaving the operating room.
Although Zhao Heng's performance amazed her today, in her heart, Zhao Heng, coming from a small place, and herself, a North City native with property and connections, would always be from two different worlds.
After leaving the operating room, Zhao Heng came to the resting area. Just as he was about to change out of his work clothes and go off duty, the OR director Xu Wenqiang came in, looked at Zhao Heng with surprise in his eyes, paused, and said to Zhao Heng, "Xiao Zhao, today's performance was impressive. I hadn't noticed before."
"Thank you, Director."
Zhao Heng replied formally.
Being a director of the OR at Eastern Hospital was not something achieved easily. So, Zhao Heng thought it wise to be cautious with those who had background and cunning.
"Director Song spoke to me. You won't need to do instrument work anymore, just focus on assisting with emergency surgeries."
Seeing Zhao Heng's calm demeanor, Xu Wenqiang continued nonchalantly.
For him, this was a minor thing. It was necessary to give Song Siming this bit of face.
Moreover, there were rumors in the hospital that Song Siming was likely to win the vice-president election this time.
"Work well, learn from Director Song, he's an expert in the field."
Without waiting for Zhao Heng to respond, Xu Wenqiang casually encouraged him.
For someone specially looked after by Song Siming, Xu Wenqiang didn't mind extending some goodwill. Initially, he was curious why Song Siming, known for being unapproachable, would favor someone in particular, so he came personally to deliver the message to see Zhao Heng for himself.
But now it seemed that aside from being somewhat good-looking like many young people, Zhao Heng didn't appear particularly different.
"I will, Director."
Zhao Heng replied calmly.
Despite the calm tone, Zhao Heng felt a sense of relief and hope.
Once he changed out of his scrubs and left the operating room, Zhao Heng felt a mixture of emotions.
Living in North City wasn't easy. Even with his bachelor's degree and a medical license, he could only do the low-skilled work of an instrument nurse.
Zhao Heng had originally planned that if he couldn't find another opportunity, he would go home.
Returning home to work in a community hospital and marrying a so-so wife might also have been an okay life.
But Zhao Heng couldn't be content with that. At home, he was seen as a golden child among relatives, but in North City, he was just one of many struggling expatriates.
Leaving the hospital, after an hour on the subway, Zhao Heng returned to his rented small room in the urban village. He thought about the future for a while before quickly falling asleep.