Alcohol is not a good thing. Drinking harms the body.
This was Fang Ziye's biggest realization.
In the evening, Fang Ziye ordered a bowl of porridge, sipping it slowly in small mouthfuls. Only then did he feel his stomach becoming more comfortable.
When he opened his phone again, Fang Ziye discovered that his junior, Jie Han, had sent him a message.
"Senior, there's a possibility that Master failed his defense," Jie Han said.
"Defense?" Fang Ziye didn't react immediately.
But he quickly realized: "You mean the Youth Thousand Talents Program?"
"Yeah, but there's not much we can do about it."
"Senior, I'll be back in the department tomorrow. Please look after me then," Jie Han asked carefully.
Jie Han had been writing papers part-time since the end of August, partly to contribute to Fang Ziye's doctoral studies.
Fang Ziye replied: "There's no need to be so formal with me."
"If you need any help, just let me know."
"There is one thing, Senior. Can you share some tips on learning practical skills? I find it difficult to suture rubber skin and cut tofu," Jie Han responded.
He had probably been enlightened by something Yuan Weihong said.
To work in Zhongnan Hospital, being a skilled technician was a necessary quality. Your clinical skills didn't have to be top-tier, but they couldn't be subpar either.
Pure research work could lead you down the research path, to become a lab director or manager, but to become a top expert or director, you must have a certain clinical foundation.
This was the same principle as clinical doctors needing to master sufficient research methods.
"First, practice keeping your hands steady. Holding the needle without shaking and maintaining a stable grip on the scalpel are the most basic skills. Once you've mastered holding the scalpel and needle, cutting rubber skin and tofu won't be difficult."
"You can try hanging a weight on chopsticks. This exercises your upper arm strength, not just wrist strength." Fang Ziye could only refer to his own practice methods from the past, as Jie Han might not be able to learn his techniques.
Being well-prepared is the best tool for others to give you more responsibilities.
Medicine is a discipline focused on patients. You can't afford to make continuous mistakes. It's best not to have even one opportunity for error, otherwise, you might miss crucial chances.
"Alright, Senior."
"Senior, will you continue going to the training room later? Or do you plan to stay in the lab permanently like Senior Luo?" Jie Han asked.
"I'll probably be running between all three places. Although Professor Deng's talk of early graduation is just a pipe dream, if I'm well-prepared in two years, it's not impossible to strive for an early graduation opportunity."
"Completing three years in two will be very tight, but considering the remaining six months or so from the master's phase, it's actually not too bad."
"I won't be working full-time on it, don't worry." Fang Ziye understood Jie Han's concern.
Jie Han was also a novice in clinical work. In the first month of entering the department, he started writing papers part-time at the end of the month. He wasn't familiar with many procedures and still needed guidance from his senior, Fang Ziye.
If Fang Ziye had already 'transcended' and buried himself in the lab, Jie Han would have to fumble his way through on his own, without anyone to show him the ropes.
But Fang Ziye's main source of Knowledge Points came from clinical work. How could he so easily work full-time in the lab?
It's just that he must go to the lab. You might not pursue a pure research path in the future, but you can't be completely unfamiliar with it. Otherwise, how would you conclude projects when you need to apply for them in the future?
"That's great news. See you tomorrow, Senior."
"Mm, finish your porridge and go to sleep."
"Senior is also having porridge? That's right, Senior's alcohol tolerance was off the charts at noon."
"Nonsense, it's my body's tolerance that was off the charts." Fang Ziye replied, not daring to boast about his drinking ability.
"..."
October 8th was a Friday, and also Professor Deng Yong's surgery day.
However, due to the accumulation of patients during the National Day week, the number of surgeries in the group increased dramatically. On this day, Professor Deng Yong, Associate Professor Xie Jinyuan, and others were operating like madmen.
Never mind the doctoral students, even Qin Geluo, whose suturing speed was slightly slower, was kicked off the operating table. Yuan Weihong personally took over the suturing, all in pursuit of the fastest surgical turnover.
Seeing this scene, Fang Ziye decisively led his junior Jie Han out of the operating room. None of the scheduled surgeries for the day involved patients under their care, so there was no chance to get on the operating table.
However, just as Fang Ziye and Jie Han arrived at the training room, Senior Sun Shaoqing was treating everyone to coffee.
As soon as he saw Fang Ziye, it was as if he had seen his own brother. He smiled and said, "Dr. Fang is here?"
"Senior Fang."
"Senior Fang."
Hearing Sun Shaoqing's call, many people turned to look, politely calling out "Senior Fang."
"Senior Sun, you're really teasing me now."
"It's alright, I have thick skin. I'd be happy even if you called me an academician," Fang Ziye joked.
There was no way Fang Ziye could not accept such teasing.
"Just kidding!" Sun Shaoqing was from Chengdu, Sichuan Province. He had originally applied to the West China School of Medicine at Sichuan University but wasn't accepted, so he came to the Medical School of Hanshi University. Now he was already pursuing his doctorate, considering either staying at the hospital or returning to West China Hospital.
"By the way, everyone come over here. Aren't you all curious about how Ziye studies?"
"I'm curious too. Why don't we let our Dr. Fang give us some pointers?"
"As soon as he stopped writing papers, his operational skills improved at rocket speed." Sun Shaoqing asked, passing over his phone. "Ziye, Jie Han, you guys order a drink too."
The allowance for doctoral students was quite high, with an additional two to three thousand per month. Therefore, no one was being polite when Sun Shaoqing treated them. Fang Ziye ordered while speaking.
"Senior Sun, there's really no shortcut. It's just practicing in the training room, clinical work, and buying some materials to practice at home."
"You know me, I'm of average aptitude. I rely on foolproof methods: the early bird catches the worm." Fang Ziye replied.
His own shortcut was leveling up through a cheat system, but how could he say that?
"That's right!"
"Let me tell you, your Senior Fang is extremely diligent and reliable. When he's on duty, he always studies the literature while referring to it for his assigned patients."
"You should all learn from this attitude, read more literature. It's good for you."
"Operational skills are within the scope of surgical treatment, while literature, reading, and research are within the scope of understanding and cognition. Operational skills can only determine the lower limit of your future work quality. What will truly raise the upper limit is the amount of reading." Sun Shaoqing also shared some of his insights.
Then he began his own practice again.
Now, Sun Shaoqing was also in his third year of doctoral studies. The time left for him to 'change his fate' solely through writing high-scoring papers was no longer abundant. He could only continue to improve his professional skills to have a chance of staying at the hospital. If that didn't work out, he would have to find a good job elsewhere.
The level of competition among doctoral students was no less intense than when master's students were looking for jobs, perhaps even more so.
Fang Ziye hadn't yet figured out other ways to increase his Knowledge Points. He only had so many patients under his care, he could only follow his mentor Yuan Weihong in outpatient clinics, and there was no opportunity in the operating room. What was left but to rely on time to hone his skills?
Fang Ziye wondered if he could find another breakthrough in the lab.
If that didn't work either, Fang Ziye had even considered applying for the doctoral counterpart support service team in the countryside, which would likely provide good opportunities to interact with patients.