Free Web NovelChapter 87: Chapter 87: Personnel Adjustment, Wu Ting’s "Promotion
Hearing that the Thoracic Surgery department was being dissolved, the assembled directors couldn’t help but sigh. Director Shi’s departure had shattered the department, which had only just become independent, forcing it to be reabsorbed into Cardiothoracic Surgery.
When Director Shi was around, General Thoracic Surgery had distinguished itself with minimally invasive thoracoscopic procedures. It was the first in Fan City to master and routinely perform thoracoscopic radical resection for lung cancer, anatomical segmentectomy, extended thymectomy, and other minimally invasive surgeries for conditions like pneumothorax, hemothorax, and pulmonary bullae.
But now, with its core leader poached by a high-paying offer, the General Thoracic Surgery department was gutted. Without its pillar, it could no longer perform major operations and could only fade away.
This was a clear demonstration of how heavily a department relied on its star physicians. If the main pillar was removed, how could a castle in the air remain standing?
Once they were done lamenting the fate of Thoracic Surgery, the discussion turned to the fight for the newly vacant operating room.
Several department directors were not pleased with the idea of handing the operating room directly over to the Emergency Department.
After all, an operating room was a department’s vital asset. An additional O.R. meant more opportunities for growth, the ability to admit more patients, and a chance to develop new surgical techniques.
The director of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Cai Qi, immediately voiced his opposition:
"Dean Tang, I don’t think it’s appropriate to just hand this operating room to the Emergency Department. We in Hepatobiliary Surgery are also developing brand-new surgical techniques, and this O.R. is crucial for us. With it, our department can better contribute to the hospital’s surgical capabilities."
"Furthermore, our Deputy Director Lu Ping will soon be returning from his advanced training in Xianglin City, and he’s sure to bring back new research projects with him."
"Besides, an operating room requires significant funds for maintenance—utilities, consumables, nurses, rent, and so on. All these expenses have to be covered by the supervising department. Unlike the Emergency Department, our Hepatobiliary Surgery department is profitable enough to cover these costs."
Director Cai clearly had reason to be confident.
Huo Yun immediately cut in:
"Our Emergency Department is certainly not a high-profit center. If it weren’t for the hospital’s special and project-specific funding, we might have gone bankrupt already. But the ED is the hospital’s front line. It’s the face of our hospital and, more importantly, a hotbed for medical disputes. Our department has taken countless bullets for other departments, handling all sorts of ’dirty work’..."
"The Emergency Department operates 24/7. We are the guardians of critically and severely ill patients, the last hope for them and their families. If we had another O.R., our medical staff could assemble more easily, our overall response time would improve, and our comprehensive treatment capabilities would be enhanced, which in turn would reduce the pressure on every other department..."
"Moreover, our department has now implemented the Wu’s Umbilical Hole Laparoscopic Appendectomy. The revenue from this procedure alone is enough to support an independent operating room..."
After Huo Yun finished, Dean Tang didn’t allow any other directors to speak and made the final decision on the spot.
"This matter is settled. The decision to assign the operating room to the Emergency Department was made after comprehensive consideration by the hospital leadership. As for Hepatobiliary Surgery’s concerns and Deputy Director Lu Ping’s return, the hospital will provide policy support for you as well. We’ll discuss that at a later time."
Since Dean Tang had spoken, the other directors said no more.
With the two main agenda items concluded, the hospital-wide meeting drew to a close.
This time, the Emergency Department was the undisputed winner. Of course, this also meant the next few years would be a period of rapid growth and immense pressure.
After the meeting, Huo Yun returned to his department. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
He immediately gathered all the medical staff.
Huo Yun got straight to the point, announcing the decisions made at the staff meeting.
When they heard that Wu Ting had secured a permanent position through the talent acquisition program, everyone offered their encouragement and congratulations.
Cheng Feng was surprised to learn Wu Ting had come in through talent acquisition. ’That means my residency spot is still open!’
"Brother Ting..."
Wu Ting looked at Cheng Feng and smiled. "Keep up the good work. Once your paper is published, securing your position here will be a sure thing. Then we can work together to contribute to the Emergency Department’s grand plan."
For the past few days, Cheng Feng had maintained a diligent and solid front at work, but at home, he couldn’t help but feel dejected and lost.
Hearing this good news, he was not only happy for Wu Ting but also thrilled for himself, his eyes turning slightly red. He knew, of course, that Wu Ting’s consideration was a big part of this.
’Once I secure my position, I have to work even harder to keep up with Brother Ting.’
After sharing the good news, Huo Yun moved on to the new personnel arrangements.
"Everyone, our department is about to enter a critical five-year plan. First, I’m going to reorganize some personnel. In addition to our existing staff, I will also be starting a talent acquisition program to bolster our department’s capabilities."
"For the upcoming five-year plan, our core staff must lead by example. Deputy Director Jiang Ming, you will be in charge of your own team. Continue to develop our laparoscopic diagnostic and treatment techniques, especially in the areas of hepatobiliary, hernia repair, and gastroenterology. I expect you to make breakthroughs."
"If necessary, Jiang Ming, you will also need to pursue advanced training on the latest techniques so the experienced can bring along the newcomers."
No one objected to this; Director Jiang’s appointment was widely supported.
"Qin Donglai, you will lead a team responsible for routine surgical procedures to maintain our department’s foundation. But you personally need to put more effort into research. With your experience, you should be moving up to Deputy Director by now."
Huo Yun’s frustration with Qin Donglai’s wasted potential was palpable, but he also wasn’t shy about showing his favoritism.
Qin Donglai nodded repeatedly, but inside, he was thinking, ’Just doing surgery is fine with me. Publishing papers, applying for grants, getting promoted to deputy director... I’d rather not.’
"As for Dr. Wu Ting, there’s going to be an adjustment to his duties. He will no longer be responsible for ward management. This will free him from tedious tasks like making rounds and writing case notes so he can focus all his energy on learning surgery. Whenever you have an opportunity—Jiang Ming, Qin Donglai, Song Qi—I want you to take Wu Ting with you."
"In addition to appendectomies, he needs to progressively learn hepatobiliary, hernia repair, and gastrointestinal surgeries."
"I’ve also already spoken with the directors of General Surgery, Orthopedics, and other departments. When a suitable opportunity arises, Wu Ting will join their consultations and surgeries as well."
Hearing Director Huo’s arrangements, the other doctors in the department were incredibly envious.
This was a blatant, all-out effort to cultivate his talent. He didn’t even have to manage the wards anymore; he could just focus completely on learning surgery.
"Incredible."
Even senior residents like Luo Ming and Yasui were filled with envy.
"Director Huo, I have no problem with letting Wu Ting focus his energy on learning surgery. That’s the only way to fully develop his clinical talent. However, Dr. Wu is still young and lacks experience. He’s not like a senior doctor who has spent decades honing their skills, who understands a patient’s entire disease progression inside and out, and can handle any situation with ease. For them, just focusing on the surgery itself is fine."
"But Dr. Wu still needs to go through a comprehensive process of learning and experience accumulation. So for his long-term development, I think he should still be involved with the wards, just without being bogged down by trivial tasks. We could assign him two junior doctors to assist him. He would just be the physician in charge of the patients."
Qin Donglai had proposed a better plan. Even though Wu Ting’s wings had grown strong enough for him to fly solo, as his mentor, Qin Donglai still felt a responsibility to plan for his long-term future.
"Donglai, that’s not a bad proposal. A thoughtful idea."
Huo Yun agreed after hearing the suggestion.
The only question was, who would be Wu Ting’s assistants?
After all, Wu Ting had only just finished his residency; he was far too junior. If they assigned doctors at his level, or even interns, his team would be too weak.
But if they assigned senior doctors, Huo Yun worried that physicians with more seniority than Wu Ting would resent the arrangement, become complacent, and refuse to cooperate.
Qin Donglai understood Director Huo’s dilemma.
"I think the first candidate should be Cheng Feng. He and Wu Ting already have great synergy. Furthermore, Cheng Feng is excellent with data and statistics, and his contribution to Wu Ting’s two papers was outstanding. I think we should have him continue to support Wu Ting. His main duties would be recording and analyzing surgical data, assisting with grant proposals, and helping write Wu Ting’s papers, thereby strengthening the department’s research efforts."
Hearing Qin Donglai’s proposal was a pleasant surprise for Cheng Feng. ’This way, I can put my talent for research to good use, and following Wu Ting will open up better opportunities for my own career.’
’Plus, if Wu Ting is publishing papers, I can get my name on them as a co-author. It’s basically a free ride to success!’
Cheng Feng was already one of Huo Yun’s students, so Huo Yun was very pleased with the idea of him following Wu Ting. This way, the team that would eventually blossom from this initiative would be his own direct proteges.
Qin Donglai truly was his most trusted subordinate. This recommendation was exactly what he wanted to hear.
Now, who to choose for the second assistant?
It was obvious that this next person would have to be the real workhorse of the trio.
They would have to handle most of the ward duties, and they couldn’t be too junior in terms of seniority or experience. It had to be someone at the senior resident level, at least.
