Not entering a department immediately would require the rotation doctor to mention this to the hospital administration director. This was because all of the rotation doctors who weren't permanently assigned to a department yet were under the jurisdiction of the hospital administration department. If any problems occurred during rotation, the hospital administration department would also take care of it.
Zhang Fan was going to join an award ceremony, which was a major public event. The hospital administration director simply gave Zhang Fan three days of vacation. This was the preferential treatment for someone so skilled.