Chapter 391: Chapter 391 - Chapter 391: Chapter 391: Surgery is a Means, Not an End!

Chapter 391: Chapter 391: Surgery is a Means, Not an End!

Old Chen was happy today and insisted on taking Chen Cang out for a good lunch.

Zhang Zhixin wanted to join, but considering he had a bit of a stomach problem today, Old Chen made a call to an old classmate in the gastroenterology department, booked an appointment, and decided to treat him to some medicine instead.

Otherwise, there would be no enjoyment in today’s meal at all!

It could even tarnish the reputation of the entire restaurant, or ruin everyone’s appetite!

Under Zhang Zhixin’s resentful gaze, the two Chens headed to a decent Hunan cuisine restaurant.

They initially thought about having a few drinks, but had to work in the afternoon, and Chen Cang also had a night shift, so naturally, that didn’t happen.

The dishes were sumptuous, and the two sat down to eat and laugh.

It had been a while since the two sat down for a meal and chatted like this.

In the past, Chen Cang was always following Old Chen around, just like an attendant.

“Little Chen, I’m truly grateful to you this time,” Old Chen said with a smile, “Come, let’s substitute tea for wine and toast to you.”

Chen Cang quickly smiled, “You’re too kind, Boss. You’ve taught me so much without a word from me. What’s this in comparison?”

Having said that, Chen Cang gave an awkward smile, “Besides, you really did participate, after all, all the case studies in the control group were yours.”

With that, the two exchanged a smile.

Chen Bingsheng smiled and took a sip of tea, looking at Chen Cang and couldn’t help but laugh, “You’ve really grown up, at first, I was a bit uncomfortable with it.”

“I was used to you following me around, and suddenly these past two months, you weren’t there anymore; it took me a while to adjust.”

Chen Cang lowered his head and chuckled without speaking, just as Old Chen had said. At first, Chen Cang was also a bit uncomfortable, but he had been too busy during that time to think much about it. He had always planned to find a time to sit down with Old Chen and have a good meal, have a drink, chat, but there was never a chance.

Chen Bingsheng laughed, “Now, you’re considered a new generation of talent in our emergency department.”

Chen Cang laughed heartily and bootlicked a bit, “That’s all thanks to your great teaching, Boss.”

Old Chen shook his head, “Iron must be forged of one’s own strength. You have a good talent for learning quickly, whatever you take up. Speaking of which, I do have some regrets that I kept you in the emergency department all this time.”

“You’re a natural-born surgeon; I’ve never seen anyone with a talent better than yours. I really should’ve gotten you into surgery earlier, maybe by now you could’ve been handling it on your own.”

“Even now, the surgeries you perform are formidable. You pick up on any procedure quickly, seeming to always grasp the essence. Honestly, I’ve seen your appendectomy and cholecystectomy surgeries too, and they are even better than mine.”

Old Chen had a very high opinion of Chen Cang.

But then, Chen Bingsheng’s tone shifted abruptly, gazing intently at Chen Cang, he spoke seriously, “But you must not neglect the essence for the trivialities!”

Those words left Chen Cang stunned. What did he mean?

It was only then that Old Chen looked at Chen Cang, speaking earnestly, “Surgery is a means, not an end. I hope you understand that.”

Chen Cang saw a solid calmness in Old Chen’s eyes and was momentarily taken aback.

He carefully pondered the words “Surgery is a means, not an end.”

Suddenly, many things Chen Cang hadn’t thought of before surfaced in his mind.

Old Chen continued, “The goal of medical treatment is to provide healing, and surgery is just one method of treatment. You do surgery well, I admit, that’s your talent, but you must remember, medicine isn’t just about surgeries.”

“I’m telling you this to keep you from losing yourself!”

“You are a doctor, not an artisan; you need to do more than just sculpt. You need to assess whether there’s a need for sculpting. As a surgeon, what you need to do isn’t just to perform successful surgeries, but also to make clear diagnoses, distinguish diseases, enrich treatment plans, perfect treatment methods, and provide internal medicine treatments alongside surgery…”

“So you must not become arrogant, not get lost just because of a few successful surgeries. The road to medicine is long and profound; there’s so much more you need to learn!”

Old Chen’s words somewhat relieved Chen Cang, and even made him more clear-headed.

How many surgeries could he perform?

Merely a dozen or so, but had he really mastered these dozen diseases?

Their precautions, their treatment plans, and so on…

Indeed, specialization is key, and he needed to perform surgeries well.

But can you become an outstanding surgeon, or even a qualified chief, if you only know how to perform surgery?

Where would they let you only perform surgeries?

Diagnosis, treatment, surgery, recovery—they’re all indispensable!

Being skilled in surgery has many advantages, but besides surgery, there’s so much more we can do!

Take any clinical doctor for example, not to mention others, but Ge Huai, with his clinical knowledge, Chen Cang can’t catch up even if he were horseback riding.

Of course, this requires a process. Chen Cang also gains a lot of professional knowledge during each surgical skill learning process, but he must not become a mere surgeon; he must strive to be a good doctor.

From diagnosis to treatment, from surgery to recovery, one has to improve oneself.

After all, when you become a chief, you’re the last resort for all the patients in your department, the cornerstone for all the doctors in the department, you must perfect yourself.

So, medicine is a road of no return.

One must resolve to keep learning as long as one lives!

…

…

The meal took two hours. Elder Chen and Chen Cang talked about a lot of things and went over many points to note.

Chen Cang learned an immense amount.

Many lessons were not found in books, many were Elder Chen’s life realizations.

The afternoon was busy with two emergency appendectomy patients arriving. Chen Cang led the surgery, with Wang Yong assisting.

After the surgeries, they admitted and then saw off an elderly patient with a myocardial infarction. They were busy all afternoon.

Such cases occur every day in the emergency department.

It’s hard to speak of any particular feelings about it, given that by the time they were brought in, the situations were already very dangerous.

Both the families and the doctors were already prepared for this.

Tonight is Chen Cang’s night shift.

Chen Cang felt that every night shift was like going into an examination hall, and the changing shifts in the morning was when the scores were announced.

The condition of the patients is your answer sheet.

The night shift is the true test of a doctor’s capabilities, where one must face and treat patients independently, requiring great strength in ability.

Just as Elder Chen said, you’re a doctor, and surgery is just one path. In essence, what you need to learn is how to provide an explanation to patients and even their families.

When it was past seven in the evening, Chen Cang reheated the leftovers from lunch with the microwave.

Elder Chen had ordered a lot of heavy dishes, and the two of them couldn’t eat much of it.

Chen Cang, hating waste, simply packed it all in meal boxes to save for a late-night supper.

The hospital’s nurse station had two communal microwaves, meant to accommodate patients as well as medical staff.

This is because in the emergency room, it is common to have to rush to a patient in the middle of a meal, leaving you to abandon your food and tend to the emergency.

Afterwards, you might find that your meal has gone cold.

Hence, the microwave became the most popular appliance in the hospital.

Seeing Chen Cang walk over with his meal containers in the evening, several young nurses from the nurse station quickly gathered around.

“Wow, I can smell it! Dr. Chen, sharing is caring!” Nurse Lele came over grinning with chopsticks at the ready.

Xiao Yan also took a big sniff, “That’s spicy chopped fish head!”

Chen Cang couldn’t help but roll his eyes, “How do you have such a sharp nose?”

There was plenty of food, and Chen Cang wasn’t planning to eat it all by himself. Everyone else didn’t mind either; they were all in it for the fun.”