Chapter 123 - 122: Writing a Self-Criticism Letter

Chapter 123: Chapter 122: Writing a Self-Criticism Letter

The next day, Tuesday, at 8:40 a.m., Qi Yue, who had arrived at the hospital early, called Yu Zhiming, Wang Zejia, Wang Zhijin, Zhou Mo, and Nurse Chief Yan for a brief, impromptu meeting.

"The first installment for the narcolepsy collaborative project—one million—has been deposited into the hospital’s research project account."

Qi Yue made the announcement, then turned to Zhou Mo and asked, "How are we doing with volunteer sign-ups?"

Zhou Mo reported softly, "Ever since we posted the recruitment notice the Sunday before last, we’ve been receiving a steady stream of inquiry calls, emails, and application forms every day."

"As of yesterday, we’ve received one hundred fifty-eight qualified applications!"

Qi Yue nodded, satisfied. "Excellent."

"Nurse Chief Yan, how many beds can you provide?"

Nurse Chief Yan thought for a moment before replying, "Director, if we add extra beds to the wards and even put some in the hallways, we can provide a maximum of eighteen beds for this project."

Wang Zejia chimed in, "Director, the main issue is equipment. Our center only has five EEG machines."

Qi Yue said thoughtfully, "As for the equipment, I’ll contact other departments and borrow a few machines from them."

He then instructed, "Zhou Mo, start by notifying the ten volunteers who live closest. Have them come in to the hospital on Friday morning to check in."

"The rest of you, get ready as well..."

Yu Zhiming, Zhou Mo, and the others all acknowledged the order.

After the impromptu meeting ended, Qi Yue asked Yu Zhiming to stay behind.

"Zhiming, about that boy who isn’t growing, Yu Qiao... if your diagnosis is correct, he must be under immense psychological stress."

"I’ve arranged a counseling session for him."

Yu Zhiming acknowledged with a quiet "oh." He then heard Teacher Qi continue, "This narcolepsy project is currently focused on monitoring and data collection. Just let the others and the interns handle it. You don’t need to be too involved."

Yu Zhiming nodded and murmured his assent.

Qi Yue then asked, "For the coronary heart disease and gallstone patients you took on yesterday, are you planning to use interventional therapy?"

Yu Zhiming explained, "The clinical indications for both patients make them excellent candidates for interventional therapy."

"I’ve already spoken with Dr. Wang Chunyuan and Dr. Han Shuo. I’ll be performing the two interventional procedures under their guidance and supervision."

"Have the surgeries been scheduled?" Qi Yue asked.

Yu Zhiming confirmed. "The interventional procedure to remove the common bile duct stone is at three in the afternoon, and the interventional treatment for coronary artery stenosis is at four-thirty."

Qi Yue nodded, acknowledging the information.

"By the way, that young fellow Qiao Lei will be starting next week. Have you thought about the car situation?"

"Having a car will make things much more convenient—for your commute, for house calls, everything."

Yu Zhiming scratched his head. "Teacher Qi, the open lots in my complex are completely packed with cars by evening. There’s nowhere to park."

"Besides, I don’t live far from the hospital. Biking to work feels convenient, fast, environmentally friendly, and it’s good exercise!"

Qi Yue cut him off. "Get to the point!"

"I’m broke!" Yu Zhiming’s reply was blunt and to the point.

Qi Yue chuckled. "I figured that was the issue. Zhiming, surely you’ve heard of financing?"

"I did a rough calculation. Based on your current workload, your income this month should be around a hundred thousand."

Hearing this, Yu Zhiming quickly started doing the math in his head.

’At Huashan Hospital, there’s the twenty thousand for the new talent bonus, and the stipend from the physical examinations should be another thirty thousand.’

’Add to that the bonus pay from the outpatient, emergency, and Ob-Gyn departments, my basic attending physician’s salary, and so on...’

’A quick tally puts it at sixty or seventy thousand, at least.’

’Then there’s Ning’an Hospital. The expert consultant side gig has a guaranteed minimum of ten thousand a month, plus fees for physicals, fetal position adjustments...’

’I never would have guessed if I hadn’t added it all up. The total is staggering—a monthly income of a hundred thousand is actually within reach.’

’This single month’s pay is more than what I used to make in half a year back at the county hospital, even during my best months.’

As Yu Zhiming was reveling in this happy realization, Teacher Qi’s voice broke through his thoughts.

"And as time goes on, your income will only increase. It won’t go down."

"You’re going to buy a car sooner or later, so you might as well get it now. Setting aside three to five thousand a month for a commuter car would be more than manageable for you."

At this, Yu Zhiming felt a stir of excitement.

’Who wouldn’t want to own their first car?’

His voice was full of excitement as he said, "Teacher Qi, I’ll ask my Fourth Sister to keep an eye out for car listings over the next few days."

"I’ll go check out some dealerships this weekend, and if I find something suitable, I’ll buy it..."

After finishing his rounds with Teacher Qi, Yu Zhiming took the two patients he was now in charge of for another set of examinations.

Even though Yu Zhiming already had a perfect understanding of both patients’ internal conditions, he wouldn’t dare perform the afternoon’s interventional surgeries without clear and precise examination results—imaging files, lab analysis reports, and so on—to serve as an archivable basis for diagnosis and treatment.

It was a frustrating but necessary step.

He had to go through the motions, step by step, which meant making the patients pay for these additional tests.

If a malpractice claim ever arose in the future, Yu Zhiming could present the imaging files, test results, and lab reports as evidence to prove his innocence.

There was one fact Yu Zhiming had to admit.

In a court of law, a diagnosis derived from his own medical expertise was far less convincing than the cold, hard data produced by medical instruments and equipment.

By the time Yu Zhiming finished the pre-operative exams with the two patients and briefed them on the necessary precautions, it was nearly twelve o’clock.

He returned to the main office, ready to pack up and head to the cafeteria for lunch, when Zhou Mo relayed a message.

"Dr. Yu, Director Yang Mai from the Medical Affairs Department wants you to go to his office as soon as you’re free."

"Now?" Yu Zhiming frowned.

The Medical Affairs Department directly managed and assessed doctors. It was also responsible for handling medical complaints and disputes.

To put it bluntly, doctors dreaded being summoned to the Medical Affairs Department for questioning. It was rarely good news.

You were either in for a dressing-down or a fine.

Of course, the dynamic between doctor and administrator could shift depending on one’s own skill and reputation.

If you were an expert or a famous doctor, the Medical Affairs Department became a department dedicated to serving you wholeheartedly.

As a recent arrival at Huashan Hospital, Yu Zhiming hadn’t had dealings with any hospital leaders or administrative departments besides Dean Li Yao. He still lacked a clear sense of his actual standing within the hospital.

So, hearing that the director of Medical Affairs was looking for him, Yu Zhiming felt a little intimidated and had an instinctive urge not to go.

Zhou Mo advised, "Dr. Yu, personally, I think it’s best to go over there now. Even if he’s not in, it shows you’re responsive, right?"

"This Director Yang Mai was just transferred from another hospital. With a new boss, we have to be mindful of appearances."

Yu Zhiming thought Zhou Mo’s advice was sound. He skipped lunch and went straight to the Medical Affairs Department in the main administration building.

A man of about thirty with an enthusiastic expression greeted him in the outer office.

"Dr. Yu, Director Yang is still busy with some urgent documents. Please have a seat and some tea while you wait..."

Yu Zhiming ended up waiting for about fifteen minutes before he was led into the inner office to meet Director Yang.

He was a man approaching fifty with a rectangular face, short, salt-and-pepper hair, and an expression that was etched with seriousness.

After a few brief pleasantries, Director Yang Mai got straight to the point.

"Dr. Yu, that molestation incident a few days ago caused quite a stir. Although it was later proven that you were innocent..."

"However..."

Yu Zhiming echoed the word ’however’ in his mind and paid closer attention, waiting to hear what Director Yang had to say.

"Performing an examination of a patient’s private areas in an inappropriate location... Dr. Yu, that is a violation of hospital regulations."

"Do you admit to this?"

Yu Zhiming nodded. "Director Yang, I admit it. I was not cautious enough, and I violated the relevant hospital regulations."

Yang Mai said, his face devoid of expression, "Given that this is your first offense, and your intention was to treat a patient, I won’t be too strict with the punishment."

"So, let’s do this, Dr. Yu. You will write a formal self-criticism."

’A self-criticism?’

Yu Zhiming had never written a self-criticism in his entire life, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of resistance.

But he had, in fact, been in the wrong, so he couldn’t argue that Director Yang’s decision was unfair.

When you mess up, you have to stand straight and take the punishment.

Yu Zhiming stated his position clearly, "Director Yang, I will write a thorough and sincere self-criticism and submit it to you as soon as possible."

A faint smile finally appeared on Yang Mai’s face.

"Dr. Yu, as the head of the department overseeing all the hospital’s doctors, I must treat everyone equally. Faults must be punished and merits rewarded. That is the only way to manage effectively. I hope you understand."

Although Yu Zhiming felt a bit resentful, he still replied agreeably, "I understand. I completely understand..."