Exiting the elevator, Ye Xiu walked down the corridor, listening to the occasional coughs echoing around him. His initial plan of heading straight back to his office to read was altered as he turned towards the adjacent inpatient ward instead.
In the midday hours of the inpatient ward, aside from the sporadic coughs of patients, there was a quiet atmosphere. The duty nurses sat at the nurse station, seemingly nodding off, while other nurses took their breaks or went to eat.
Some of the patients' family members had also reached their most tired state and were dozing off.
Ye Xiu casually walked into a room, picked up the patient's chart from the bedside, and began to review it. This patient had COPD, a common respiratory disease. While mild symptoms could be managed through self-care measures like smoking cessation and exercise, this patient's condition was severe, requiring oxygen therapy.
Ye Xiu carefully reviewed the chart, then closed his eyes slightly and placed his hand on the patient's wrist, listening intently. Afterward, he hesitated for a moment, picked up a pen, and began writing on the chart.
The attending physician had diagnosed the patient with COPD stage four, but Ye Xiu felt it might not have reached that level yet. He adjusted the medication dosage accordingly and suggested a milder alternative for one of the drugs.
Knowing this might seem abrupt, Ye Xiu still did it for the patient's well-being.
After reviewing the patient's chart, Ye Xiu moved to another bed.
"Who are you?"
The patient in this bed wasn't asleep, and their family member, having just finished eating, sat beside them. Upon seeing Ye Xiu approach, they became a bit nervous.
"Don't be nervous. I'm a doctor from the hospital, here to check on the situation," Ye Xiu reassured them with a smile, picking up the chart from the bedside to begin his examination.
Upon hearing that Ye Xiu was a doctor, the patient and their family member relaxed.
Wow, this doctor seems quite capable. Whether it's the diagnosis or the treatment plan, it's all very precise and clever.
After flipping through several pages of the chart, Ye Xiu's eyes lit up. This was the kind of chart he wanted to see, to witness the level of skill of domestic doctors and learn from the experienced internal medicine physicians.
Upon finishing the chart, Ye Xiu felt he had gained invaluable insights. He humbly admitted to himself that while he might have devised a suitable treatment plan for this patient, it might not have been as refined as the doctor's.
One couldn't underestimate others. Even in this small hospital, there were skilled practitioners.
With a newfound sense of respect, Ye Xiu made a mental note to seek opportunities to learn from this doctor in the future.
"The attending physician is Wang Yanchao," he read on the chart.
Him?
Seeing the elaborate signature of Wang Yanchao, Ye Xiu couldn't help but be surprised. His impression of Wang Yanchao wasn't particularly favorable from their interaction earlier in the day. He had seemed worldly and smooth, and Ye Xiu didn't hold such types in high regard.
However, Wang Yanchao's competence in respiratory medicine, as evidenced by this chart, truly earned him the title of expert.
Sometimes, there were exceptions to the rule. Ye Xiu felt humbled and ashamed of his previous judgment.
"Doctor, how is my father?" the patient's family member asked anxiously as Ye Xiu had been lost in thought.
"Your father is doing fine. Maintain a positive attitude and cooperate with the doctor's treatment. He should recover and be discharged soon," Ye Xiu reassured them with a smile.
With gratitude, the patient and their family member thanked Ye Xiu, their faces filled with hope and joy.
Ye Xiu loved seeing the genuine joy on the faces of patients and their families. It gave him a sense of fulfillment.
After bidding farewell to the happy pair, Ye Xiu moved on to the next bed, ready to read the next chart.
And so, Ye Xiu went from one bed to another, reading through each patient's chart, examining their condition, and cross-referencing with the doctor's treatment plan. He was disappointed that there weren't many charts as impressive as Wang Yanchao's, but he still learned a lot from the routine and flawed cases.
Unfortunately, most of the charts didn't measure up, but Ye Xiu made notes and corrections where necessary. He even found one case with a completely wrong diagnosis and temporarily stopped the medication, planning to discuss a new treatment plan with Wang Yanchao later.
Ye Xiu also took care of medication changes and equipment adjustments for some patients without calling the nurses, knowing that they were busy.
He answered questions from patients' family members, providing them with hope and encouragement when necessary.
Ye Xiu understood that a patient's confidence and mindset were crucial in overcoming illness.
The respiratory department was the largest at the hospital, with over a hundred beds. As Ye Xiu finished examining the last bed, he felt a sense of satisfaction. The gains from this lunch break were significant. Whether it was Wang Yanchao's brilliant chart, the average ones, or the flawed ones, Ye Xiu felt he had learned a great deal.
Alright, it's time to go back to the office, take a break, read some books, and digest the lessons learned today!
With a contented smile and a stretch, Ye Xiu headed back to his office. Meanwhile, the director of the respiratory department, Wang Yanchao, emerged from his office, wearing his white coat and walking briskly towards the inpatient ward.