The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 641 desperately short of people’s ICU

He slept soundly through the night. While a patient did require emergency surgery last night, it wasn't very serious, and Wei Yuan handled it directly.

After breakfast, Liu Banxia went over to the ICU.

"Who's coming to our ICU tomorrow?" Zhang Zhiyuan asked.

"Xu Yino. What's wrong? Still fixated on that?" Liu Banxia asked.

"What else? They said they'd send us reinforcements after the New Year. It's been ages, and we haven't seen anyone," Zhang Zhiyuan said.

"Although Amphotericin B was administered, her symptoms aren't expected to improve immediately. However, we've slightly reduced her oxygen supply, and her blood oxygen levels are being maintained, so it's still having an effect."

Liu Banxia nodded. "Her symptoms are quite unusual; otherwise, oral medication would have been enough. Any side effects?"

"None so far. We've been continuously monitoring her liver and kidney functions. There's no hypokalemia either, so there shouldn't be any issues," Zhang Zhiyuan said.

"And I estimate we can extubate her in another two days. As long as the bronchial swelling subsides a bit, we can switch to oral medication."

"Intubation isn't easy on her, especially at her age. We're constantly trying to comfort her. If it weren't for the need to monitor her liver and kidney functions, I'd want to transfer her to a general ward so her parents could be with her."

Liu Banxia frowned. "I'll go ask Sister Li how busy the nursing staff is right now. She's been on the medication for a while with no side effects, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"If she can be transferred to a general ward, her parents will also feel more at ease. With her parents by her side, the child's fear will lessen too. I'll arrange it."

"Thank you so much. At least we can breathe a little easier here," Zhang Zhiyuan said.

"Brother Zhang, the hospital is definitely working on the staffing issue. But, as everyone knows, the situation in the ICU... not many people genuinely enjoy this line of work," Liu Banxia said.

"Sigh... I know. If you get a chance, see if you can mention it to the administration. If that doesn't work, maybe they can compensate through bonuses," Zhang Zhiyuan said.

"That way, it might offer some incentive. For intern recruitment, the Emergency Center could also establish some preferential employment policies. Even if it takes time to train them, at least we'd see some light at the end of the tunnel."

"Otherwise, even if other resident doctors or interns rotate through our department, it doesn't help much. If they were all at the level of the interns you trained, that would be fine. But how can we trust inexperienced ones?"

"Sigh... that's a common criticism of internships and residency training," Liu Banxia nodded.

"Actually, I'm having a real headache trying to manage the teaching and training program effectively. It's hard to find the right balance, and every department has its own difficulties."

"As you just said, when interns or resident doctors rotate through, if they lack a solid foundation of medical knowledge, it can take up a lot of your energy."

"These people... myself included, back when I rotated through the ICU, I was just going through the motions. I just wanted to get it over with, pass the rotation, and move on to another department."

"Looking back, I actually regret that. Otherwise, I wouldn't have added an extra rotation for the interns. Even if it's not very long, just a week, it can be very beneficial for them."

"That's exactly it. Here, they get exposure to more critically ill patients, which broadens their horizons and trains their reaction time and emergency response skills," Zhang Zhiyuan said with a smile.

"So, discuss it thoroughly with the director or the hospital administration. Try to get some more favorable policies to attract more interns."

"Let me put it this way: if any interns dare to come here, I guarantee you, we'll teach them everything we know."

"More of them would be fine too. It doesn't matter. Even if some aren't that diligent, they can still help with nursing tasks, lightening the load for our nurses."

Liu Banxia gave him an exasperated look, not knowing what to say.

However, this also highlighted a critical problem: the ICU's staff shortage was urgent. It seemed Zhang Zhiyuan would take anyone he could get.

"I'll do my best. This isn't something I can decide alone; it will require gradual coordination," Liu Banxia said.

"Keep at it! Go ask Sister Li again about caring for the little patient. If it's feasible, she can be transferred to a general ward immediately."

Liu Banxia nodded and strolled out.

With so many inpatients at the hospital currently, the nursing staff was heavily burdened.

It wasn't as simple as people often thought—nurses just coming in daily to measure blood pressure and take temperatures with a scanner, and that was it. That perception only applied if 'your' ward wasn't dealing with serious cases; there were many tasks unseen by the casual observer.

After explaining the situation to Zhou Li, Liu Banxia asked, "Sister Li, that's the gist of it. What do you think? Can your team manage?"

Zhou Li nodded. "It should be manageable. Fortunately, her case isn't too complex; we'll just need to be extra attentive."

"Alright, I'll inform the ICU and the child's parents right away. They've been worried sick, waiting outside the ICU this whole time," Liu Banxia said.

This arrangement would offer some comfort to the child's parents. Even though they knew the details of her condition, not being able to see her inevitably caused them constant worry.

"Teacher Liu, are you busy right now?" Xu Yino approached at that moment.

"What's up?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Actually, it's nothing major. I was just wondering, regarding operations like the one we performed yesterday, could we develop a standardized model? Wouldn't that make it much more convenient if we encounter similar situations in the future?" Xu Yino asked.

"That's a good idea, but many problems would arise during its implementation," Liu Banxia said.

"First, there's the issue of usage frequency. Across all hospitals combined, how many similar cases would be encountered in a year? Second, personnel. Interns alone certainly wouldn't suffice; it would have to involve the hospital's attending physicians."

"Another potential issue is a high rate of false positives in the future. Some symptoms can appear very similar, which is why I had to go in person yesterday—I needed to see it with my own eyes to confirm."

"However, while it might not be universally applicable, you can still explore this aspect. For instance, if someone encounters difficulties during diagnosis, you all could use it as an informal channel for communication."

"It would be like an informal consultation. But you can't guarantee the timeliness of information, right? Besides, they all have their own attending physicians. If it involves cases related to assessments, wouldn't that be considered a form of cheating?"

"Anyway, think it through carefully and see how you might avoid the potential problems. I actually think it's quite good; even if not used regularly, it could be very helpful at critical times."

Xu Yino nodded dejectedly; the issues Liu Banxia had just mentioned were indeed significant points to consider.

Her initial idea was to establish a platform where various hospitals could collaborate, thereby aiding the diagnostic process by looking up related cases.

But the problems Liu Banxia raised now were unavoidable, especially the last one.

Many attending physicians give impromptu small tests, and inevitably, some might take shortcuts. They'd be too lazy to look things up in books and would just ask for the answers directly.

"Don't be discouraged; it still has some use, after all. The key is not to make the platform too limited. Anyway, you think it over carefully," Liu Banxia encouraged her again.

"I don't have the mental energy to think about these things right now. The teaching and training program is giving me a massive headache; all my focus is on that. Do you have any suggestions?"

Xu Yino shook her head; she couldn't offer advice on such a profound issue. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Don't hold back. Just tell me, during your internship, did you encounter any hardships? Was there anything that hindered your growth?" Liu Banxia pressed.

Xu Yino shook her head again. "Not really. We've already enjoyed so many advantages; how could there be any shortcomings?"

"Even the new standards probably won't be as strict as what we experienced during our internship, right? And it's probably not helpful to ask other interns either."

"Many people are just thinking about having an easier time and passing the internship. Anyway, I think you'll have to figure this out yourself, Teacher Liu. I'm off now."

With that, Xu Yino bolted.

She was terrified Liu Banxia would keep her to discuss this problem further; she really didn't want to waste brain cells on it.

Liu Banxia shook his head helplessly. Looks like I'll have to puzzle this out myself. Besides, there was another problem that needed solving: the ICU, which was crying out for staff.

They had been trying to recruit doctors externally for so long without success that it was probably best not to hold out much hope. Transferring people from other departments would just cause chaos.

They could indeed use this opportunity to recruit more interns specifically for the ICU, offer preferential policies, and then sign contracts.

However, this wasn't something he could decide on his own; Zhou Shuwen would have to take it to the hospital administration for discussion.

It had to be said, the medical profession looked glamorous, but only those who did it knew how exhausting it was. It might be easy to work in a hospital that just went through the motions, but doctors there couldn't expect to earn much.

Not everyone had such lofty ideals of selfless dedication; most people did this grueling work to earn money.

Just then, his phone rang. Seeing it was Wang Xiaoyan, he quickly answered, "Yanzi, what's up?"

"One of my students fainted. I'm driving them to your hospital now," Wang Xiaoyan said.

"Alright, come straight over. I'm not busy at the moment," Liu Banxia said.

"Okay, we'll be there soon," Wang Xiaoyan said and hung up.

Liu Banxia put other matters aside for the time being and went to wait for the patient's arrival.