This doctor is already middle-aged, and he's only just started practicing medicine.

Chapter 17 Medical Skeleton!
"So, do you hate those rules now? For example, having to submit academic papers for postgraduate entrance exams or doctoral studies?" Chen Song asked, his tone ethereal as he intently stared at Lu Cheng's expression.

Lu Cheng said, "I can only say I don't like it."

Lu Cheng sighed softly: "Teacher Chen, I just haven't enjoyed or integrated into the rules, so it's not a matter of whether I like or dislike the rules."

Do most people fundamentally dislike social customs and etiquette? Not at all. Most people dislike them because they don't enjoy the benefits they receive from social customs and rules. Those who benefit from them, however, respect them as if they were laws.

Chen Song comforted him, "It seems that your personality has indeed been worn down quite a bit over the years."

"Actually, graduate students need to focus on academic ability, which is the most essential path to success. After all, in medicine, the development of surgical procedures, improvement of surgical techniques, and exploration of treatment plans for new diseases are all nonsense without scientific research skills."

"Our duty as doctors is to treat and save lives, not only treating curable diseases, but also thinking about incurable diseases."

"This has been the prevailing view since ancient times."

"Therefore, scientific research is indispensable to becoming the most outstanding doctor."

"However, the reality is that less than one in ten thousand doctors will eventually become top-tier doctors who will need to use scientific research to support clinical techniques. The vast majority of doctors are actually just repeaters of other research papers. Do you understand what I mean?"

Lu Cheng understood, and nodded: "Professor Chen, what you mean is that the books and textbooks we've read, down to every single sentence, are actually the research outputs of other predecessors, and their research results have become classics, which is why they've been included in textbooks."

“When we read it, learn it, and use it, we are simply putting our predecessors’ understanding of medicine into concrete form on specific patients.”

Chen Song said, "Yes!"

"That's us, and I'm the same way."

"Medicine is so vast and profound..."

"Moreover, the essence of medicine and the operation of medical institutions is 'new'."

"For example, the world's first case, the first surgery in China, the first surgery in the province, and the first surgery in the county."

"For an individual, it's the first one in their life."

"This is the 'most difficult' part to get started!"

Chen Song did not engage in empty talk with Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng had worked at Longxian People's Hospital for five years, so he could understand what Chen Song meant: "Teacher Chen, in terms of tendon suturing, it is actually a treatment that Longxian is 'newly researching'."

County hospitals and township hospitals shouldn't even dream of being the first in the city, province, or country to perform a surgery; that's simply impossible.

Doctors in county hospitals who can keep up with the technical level of doctors in prefecture-level city hospitals are considered to be "outstanding" in their local area.

Scientific research is not nonsense; it is about innovation. The prerequisite for innovation is that you must understand the "old" and improve upon the "classics," having a sufficient understanding of the "classics."

The current emphasis in China on technology transfer to lower levels is essentially about this.

The main task of doctors in prefecture-level city hospitals is to learn some of the techniques from provincial hospitals and bring them to prefecture-level city hospitals. The lifelong task of doctors in county hospitals is to bring back the techniques from prefecture-level city and some provincial hospitals, acting as porters.

It's not easy to do it well. At least with the current medical infrastructure, there aren't many county hospitals whose specialties can meet the 'national policy'!
"In the end, medicine is all about technology, whether at the county, provincial, national, or international level."

"However, if it's about technology dominating the national and international arenas, and there's also the clash of ideas, then that's not something you need to understand. Right now, all you need to do is transfer the technology."

"Don't think about the distant future, let's focus on doing a good job of suturing the tendon first."

"Once you've mastered tendon suturing, it's feasible for you to learn about other diseases or further refine your skills. You'll have a clear direction then." Chen Song's guidance remained very specific and detailed.

Lu Cheng wasn't unaware of the techniques involved in hand surgery; it's just that the entry barriers to these techniques were too high. "Professor Chen, do you mean I should specialize in hand surgery?" Lu Cheng asked sincerely.

Chen Song shook his head: "That's not true. It depends on how you plan your future life. Do you want to become a specialist doctor or a full-time emergency room doctor? If you want to be a full-time emergency room doctor, then tendon suturing is enough in the face of emergencies."

"If you want to be a specialist, then you also need to learn finger replantation, or more advanced techniques such as hand surgery or orthopedics."

"Of course, at your county hospital level, it would take many years of experience to successfully replant a severed finger."

"In contrast, the hand surgery department of Xiangzhou People's Hospital, where your Longxian County is located, focuses on 'tendon' and 'blood vessel' transposition surgery. For example, Xiangya No. 2 Hospital focuses on 'nerve transposition,' 'functional reconstruction,' and 'surgical technique improvement.'"

"Of course, renowned orthopedic hospitals such as Huashan Hospital and Jishuitan Hospital take the research and improvement of surgeries such as 'functional reconstruction' and 'fracture correction' as their mission to pursue the highest achievements in hand surgery."

Chen Song gave Lu Cheng a fairly detailed explanation of the medical framework.

Lu Cheng felt a surge of excitement, but after listening more closely, he realized that these things were far too distant...

It was nearing the height of summer in July, but not yet the dog days of summer. After drinking three bottles of beer, Lu Cheng chose to walk home.

The familiar Chaoyang Road, the familiar Xinhua Bookstore, the familiar lanterns, the familiar corner, the familiar streetlights.

Lu Cheng just felt a little unfamiliar with himself.

After his conversation with Professor Chen Song, Lu Cheng has a new definition of what a good doctor is.

As a doctor, treating the sick and saving lives is my primary duty.

But to achieve just these few words, it seems insufficient at any level, yet it seems sufficient at every level...

When Lu Cheng pushed open the door, his father and mother were counting the loose change.

One-yuan notes, fifty-cent notes, five-yuan notes, ten-yuan notes, twenty-yuan notes... all bundled together, and all cleared out...

Tian Hui said happily, "After deducting expenses, the total is 7,363.5 yuan. I can deposit another 7,000 yuan."

Tian Hui and Lu Nan's family earns small amounts of money, with daily income to cover expenses, so they don't need to keep a lot of cash at home.

"Mom, do you need money? I have over 200,000 yuan here..." Lu Cheng said earnestly.

Lu Cheng has been working for nearly five years, living and eating at home, with his parents covering his expenses. He used to earn 7,000 yuan a month, and after becoming a specialist, he earned 8,000 yuan a month, so Lu Cheng has quite a bit of savings.

Lu Cheng doesn't smoke or chew betel nuts, yet he still spends over 20,000 yuan a year, which isn't exactly frugal.

"Keep your money for finding a wife. We didn't take any of the money you have. So you just can't bring a girlfriend home, huh?" Tian Hui slammed a wad of five-yuan notes into her palm.

Although she was in a good mood, she was already thinking about having a grandson.

"The department head wants to arrange a blind date for me this month."

"I'm going to take a shower..." Lu Cheng slipped into the room.

Lu Nanjia and Tian Hui didn't pressure Lu Chengwen. Finding a wife isn't something you can do by forcing or tying someone up.

Silent all night.

The next day, when Lu Cheng went to take over his shift, he could sense that the other older men and nurses were noticeably more polite to him...

(End of this chapter)