Chapter 742: Chapter 302: The Boldness of a Newborn Calf and the Importance of Reputation for Doctors_2
The bolder one is, the greater the yields from the land.
Zhou Can, a novice doctor, isn’t as cautious and meticulous as an old doctor like Director Zhang.
In his diagnoses, he dares to boldly overturn some ironclad rules.
“Teacher, I also think that this child’s symptoms are too similar to systemic lupus erythematosus. When I was interning in pediatrics, I once encountered a six-year-old patient, a little girl, very cute and sensible. Initially, her symptoms resembled those of a cold, and treatments from several hospitals were ineffective, making her condition progressively worse. Symptoms emerged like bamboo shoots after the rain.”
“Afterward through diagnosis, she was confirmed to have systemic lupus erythematosus. However, her ANA test came back positive.”
Yang Chan also supported Zhou Can’s diagnostic speculation.
She thought it was at least worth a try.
“You young people, each of you as brave as a calf not afraid of tigers! Diagnosing a disease can’t be taken so lightly. However, your willingness to not be bound by some so-called gold standards and to doubt and hypothesize boldly is highly commendable. Alright, let’s perform the ANA test again on him, both at Xinxiang Women and Children’s Hospital’s laboratory and Tuya General Hospital’s laboratory.”
Director Zhang’s decision had a profound implication.
There are things that cannot be said openly in front of the doctors and nurses of Xinxiang Women and Children’s Hospital.
In terms of laboratory infrastructure, Tuya Hospital is now recognized as the province’s leader. With various biochemical tests and specimen examinations, Tuya’s technical capabilities are significantly superior to other hospitals.
ANA, also known as the antinuclear antibody spectrum, tests for a series of autoantibodies in the blood serum. Typically, if antinuclear antibodies test positive at a high titer, it often indicates the presence of connective tissue disease.
The test itself is not particularly advanced or high-end, but this patient’s ANA has been tested several times, all showing negative results.
Sending a blood sample to Tuya Hospital for another test is a very wise choice.
It can largely rule out the possibility of missed detections due to subpar equipment or inadequate technique.
The family now places considerable trust in Zhou Can and Director Zhang and readily accepts their proposed testing plan.
In the past three days, a total of eleven patients were admitted, including two surgical cases, which made Zhou Can quite envious. Since he entered the residency program in internal medicine, he has had few opportunities to practice surgery.
One was a myomectomy, and the other was a thoracic granuloma removal surgery, both of which were challenging.
Allowing Zhou Can to perform the surgery would greatly benefit his surgical experience.
Most importantly, he needs to practice his surgical skills regularly, or they will deteriorate with disuse.
According to Director Zhang, these two patients’ surgeries might need to be scheduled for the evening. Director Zhang would conduct the surgeries himself after hours, ensuring it wouldn’t interfere with the day’s outpatient clinic.
After making the rounds, Zhou Can joining Director Zhang back in the outpatient lobby for consultations goes without saying.
Although Zhou Can made a small name for himself during his first day of consultations, making two successful diagnoses, and the patients who came to him saw satisfactory treatment outcomes, building and enhancing a reputation is much harder than he imagined.
Today he faces the task of starting from scratch again in his consultations.
There are no patients coming to consult at his desk, which remains decidedly quiet.
Compared to yesterday, there’s a clear increase in the number of patients seeking consultations.
The number of patients is higher, yet the number of patients requesting his services has not increased at all. This is an awkward phase that every new doctor must endure.
Some young doctors, relying on the backing of a major hospital, have something akin to a platform with built-in traffic and credibility assurance, so they manage to attract some patients seeking treatment.
After all, many patients and their families choose the hospital rather than the doctor.
They are willing to accept a regular consultation number when expert appointments are snapped up.
The situation at Zhou Can’s consultation desk, however, is different.
Xinxiang Women and Children’s Hospital itself is facing a severe crisis of confidence, unable to endorse and support him.
Although he can, to some extent, ride on the reputation of Tuya Hospital and has the support of being part of an expert team, he is still too young, and patients have a wide range of other options.
It’s only natural for people not to put their lives in the hands of a young doctor who appears to lack experience.
Du Leng is faring much better.
A medical doctorate from an overseas prestigious university is a prime banner. The patients and their families, unfamiliar with the details, see an international graduate with a doctorate in medicine, and their trust soars.
There are indeed quite a few patients seeking treatment from Du Leng.
Who says education isn’t important?
Besides being a stepping stone for job-seeking, education is also a golden sign in one’s resume that can give you a much higher starting point than others.
So it went, with Zhou Can’s consultations remaining quiet for the entire day.
He had managed to see seven patients yesterday, but today, only two came to him.
And they came with faces full of disdain and distrust.
One patient, upon seeing Zhou Can prescribe a CT scan, outright left cursing and muttering. Another patient was just suffering from a common cold, yet their parents were extremely distressed. Calling their child ‘precious’ and ‘darling’ incessantly, which made Zhou Can’s skin crawl.
He forced himself to examine their child and prescribe medicine despite feeling uncomfortable.
In the end, the parents lacked trust and stubbornly went to consult with Director Dai at the next table again.