Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 51

#51 The Marine Corps in the ICU (11)

The highest score?

The professor was surprised.

Of course, he thought that the intern Shin Sun-han was fully qualified.

Because he had shown a diligent attitude throughout the month.

However, the reason the professor was surprised was that the person who scored the grade was none other than Teacher Byun.

‘What’s wrong with that guy who hates troublesome things?’

Teacher Byun had never done this before.

Giving the highest score to an intern is quite a hassle because the residents have to add special comments.

According to the personality of Teacher Byun that he knew, he would never give such a high score.

‘Let’s see… what kind of comment did he write?’

Professor Eom Seo-yong couldn’t contain his curiosity and quickly scrolled down.

And soon he found a long article.

[Evaluation Comments]

I have been unknowingly lazy.

The eyes in the mirror were gradually becoming dull.

But intern Shin Sun-han was different.

I was very impressed with his attitude of doing his best for each and every patient.

Even in the midst of his busy schedule, he printed out papers on the patient’s symptoms and studied them…….

In such a figure, I felt ashamed on the one hand, and on the other hand, I was reminded of when I first applied to surgery.

I am in a position to teach, but I have learned and felt a lot through the intern teacher.

I want to go back to the beginning from now on…….

“Is this an intern evaluation or a written apology?”

The professor had a dumbfounded expression.

This is the first time I’ve ever seen such an evaluation comment.

After that, the writing, which felt like a solemn determination, continued endlessly.

After a while, Professor Eom Seo-yong chuckled.

“You rascal. He’s a funny guy anyway.”

Tap, tap…….

Professor Eom Seo-yong pressed the approval button and added a comment agreeing to the intern evaluation.

That’s how May ended, and June, the hot season, was approaching.

#Stove League (1)

In professional baseball, there is something called [Stove League refers to the off-season period where teams strategize and make player acquisitions].

It refers to the period from the end of the season to the start of the new season.

During this time, each club prepares for the next season and reorganizes the team, and in this process, a fierce trade market unfolds.

The future of the club changes depending on which players are released and recruited.

And now.

One day in June, when it was about to begin.

A kind of [a metaphor for the intern schedule trading period] was also being held among the interns at our hospital.

“Did you get an ophthalmology schedule?”

“No, not yet.”

“Shouldn’t you get it soon?”

“I’m already looking around, but there’s no one selling it. I think there are quite a few ophthalmology hopefuls this year.”

“Ugh, I’m aiming for rehabilitation medicine, but I can’t find any slots to buy……”

Several intern colleagues were talking about that as they passed through the cafeteria hallway.

Buying and selling majors?

It may sound strange at first glance, but in fact, there are circumstances unique to our interns.

The first year of internship is a really important time.

Your life can change depending on which major you choose to apply for at the end of the year.

However, you can’t apply anywhere just because you want to.

In order to apply to the department you want, you must have rotated as an intern in that department beforehand.

In other words, to put it simply…….

If you want to become an ophthalmology resident, you must rotate as an ophthalmology intern for at least a month to make an impression.

“Did everyone get the schedule they wanted?”

Lunch cafeteria.

Joong-won hyung [older brother/friend] asked as he sat down in the seat across from me.

Geun-wook, who was eating next to me, answered, mumbling.

“No. I have to find out now.”

“You better hurry. If you don’t find out soon, you’ll be late because there are no slots to trade.”

“It’s not like we’re bartering, it’s so annoying.”

“What can you do? The schedule is random from the beginning.”

Joong-won hyung and Geun-wook grumbled.

The schedule for the one year of internship is basically determined arbitrarily by the hospital.

Therefore, you may not be assigned to the department you want!

Of course, the so-called ‘major’ departments (internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics) are assigned as mandatory courses, but other departments are not.

So, if you want a certain department, interns have to exchange schedules with each other.

“Anyway, hurry up if you want a certain department. I heard that popular departments even buy and sell them with money.”

“Money?”

“Of course. Isn’t it the law of the world that you have to pay the price if you want something?”

I was surprised by Joong-won hyung’s words.

I knew that transactions were active among interns, but I didn’t even know that they were even bought and sold with money.

At that time, Geun-wook peeked into Joong-won hyung’s rice bowl.

“Hyung [older brother/friend], can I have one of those cheese cutlets? It looks delicious.”

“No way, you idiot! How long did I wait in line for this?”

“Hehe.”

“What did you just hear? You have to pay the price if you want something. Bring a side dish of similar grade or something!”

Geun-wook picked up his chopsticks and made a sullen expression at Joong-won hyung’s nagging.

I chuckled and turned on my smartphone.

All sorts of transaction posts have been actively uploaded to the intern bamboo forest community [anonymous online forum] since morning.

―Looking for Busan dispatch in September with July ICU!

―Anyone want orthopedics in September?

―Selling October ER!

―Looking for rehab in July and August ㅠㅠ

―Anyone want to switch June PS and NS?!

―Looking for family medicine with July OS.

└ Do you have any conscience? LOL

└ Are you trying to get a honey schedule [easy/desirable schedule] that you can’t even buy with money for free? LOL More posts seem to be coming up as the end of the month approaches.

I asked Joong-won hyung.

“I guess it’s hard to get a schedule for popular departments?”

“Of course. Look over there.”

Joong-won hyung pointed somewhere with his chopsticks.

One wall of the cafeteria.

There is a long line at the cheese cutlet corner, which is a popular menu.

On the other hand, the gondre bibimbap [Korean dish], chogye noodles [Korean dish], and braised saury corners next to it seem relatively quiet.

“Even a simple pork cutlet has so many people lining up, how much more would a major be? The future of your entire life as a doctor is at stake.”

“Well, it really hits me when you say that.”

I nodded.

It’s already been three months since I started my internship.

Now that I’ve finished adapting to hospital life, I need to start designing my future in earnest.

It’s time for the interns, who have been laughing, chatting, and sharing hardships together, to slowly start seeing each other as competitors.

If the time up until now was the warm-up season, then from now on, it can be seen as the interns’ main game.

“I should get my schedule soon too.”

“Sun-han, where do you want to go?”

“I want to go to thoracic surgery.”

“Thoracic surgery?”

Joong-won hyung laughed and said.

“Hey, don’t worry. If you want to go to thoracic surgery, you can get it in 30 minutes if you want to. If you ask to switch, there will be many guys who will welcome you with both hands and feet.”

Well…….

As Joong-won hyung said.

Thoracic surgery is not popular.

It is uniquely ranked at the bottom among the 20 or so departments of Yonsei University Hospital.

To put it in terms of popularity, it is no exaggeration to say that it is a C grade.

Of course, people may wonder when they hear this story.

‘What’s wrong with thoracic surgery?’

‘It’s cool!’

‘When you watch dramas, only thoracic surgeons come out, right?’

But the reality is different.

Thoracic surgery is famous for being physically difficult and exhausting.

Not only during the residency period, but also after becoming a specialist, you may have to give up having a life with evenings and weekends while being exposed to 24-hour calls.

Furthermore, since it is not easy to open a private practice and become independent, you should give up the idea of making a fortune by opening a practice from the beginning.

Perhaps thoracic surgery will not seem like an attractive option to most interns.

Unless you’re a unique person like me…….

“So, which department is the hottest this year?”

Geun-wook asked, looking curious.

Soon, Joong-won hyung starts rattling off excitedly.

“Keu~ As expected, old is gold! Isn’t Pi-An-Sung, Jung-Jae-Young [Dermatology, Plastic Surgery, Psychiatry, Radiology, Rehabilitation Medicine] the traditional powerhouse? There was a time when other departments suddenly rose to prominence, but trends come and go and come back again!”

The voice is almost like a TV information program introducing a famous restaurant.

According to him, the A-class or higher cards in popularity are as follows.

[Dermatology] (S)

Scarcity: ★★★★★

Intern Difficulty: ★★

Prospects: ★★★★★

The most rare card in name and reality! There is a lot of demand, but there is only one spot for interns each month, so it is called a needle hole [extremely competitive]. Moreover, interns’ work is relatively easy?

[Plastic Surgery] (A+)

Scarcity: ★★★☆

Intern Difficulty: ★★★

Prospects: ★★★★★

The number one residency competition rate in the country is plastic surgery! The famous plastic surgeons in Gangnam [affluent district in Seoul] are all from Yonsei University…… If you open a practice and hit the jackpot, will you also become a building owner in Gangnam?

[Rehabilitation Medicine] (A)

Scarcity: ★★★★

Intern Difficulty: ★★

Prospects: ★★★★☆

Demand is soaring with the increase in nursing hospitals! A card whose popularity is increasing day by day. Moreover, sports superstars, including Son Heung-min [famous soccer player], frequently visit the Yonsei University Rehabilitation Center?

[Radiology] (A)

Scarcity: ★★★★★

Intern Difficulty: ★

Prospects: ★★★☆

If you go here, you, an intern, can enjoy a well-being life! At 6 p.m., you will be watching Netflix at home. There is a lot of demand, so it is a very good choice for a full-fledged career!

[Psychiatry] (A)

Scarcity: ★★★★☆

Intern Difficulty: ★★★

Prospects: ★★★★☆

Social demand has been increasing rapidly recently! There are many people who have become doctors looking only at psychiatry, so they are securing a unique area!

Etc…….

The departments that Joong-won hyung mentioned are all famous.

It’s not for nothing that they take the first letters and call them Pi-An-Sung, Jung-Jae-Young.

“Especially this year, plastic surgery and psychiatry seem to be popular. I’m looking into it too.”

“Ah, I have both of those.”

“Huh?”

Joong-won hyung looked at me with surprised eyes.

Geun-wook next to me also widens his eyes.

“Sun-han, you have both plastic surgery and psychiatry?”

“Yes.”

“Wow…….”

“You have all the popular departments? If you haven’t traded yet, let’s do it with me, Sun-han! I’ll give you a generous price.”

Joong-won hyung rubs his hands together.

He has already become a merchant and is sending me eyes that only want to trade with me.

Geun-wook also looks at me enviously and says.

“What else do you have besides that?”

“Radiology and rehabilitation medicine…….”

“What?”

The two people are surprised once again.

Geun-wook has a dumbfounded expression, and Joong-won hyung coughs as if he has choked.

“Hey, isn’t this a computer error? How can Sun-han have all the super popular cards?”

“Then what’s the use, Sun-han only wants surgery.”

“That’s right, a guy who wants to become a surgeon has all the A-class cards. What kind of fate is this?”

Joong-won hyung laughs in disbelief and says.

“He doesn’t have dermatology too, does he?”

“Puhaha, no way.”

Dermatology.

The most popular.

Everyone wants to go, but there are only a few TOs [Table of Organization, number of positions].

That’s why the competition rate is the highest among the many departments.

“Dermatology is really rare. It’s already popular, but only one person rotates per month.”

“That means there are only 12 people among our interns who have a dermatology schedule. Everyone is probably looking for it with their eyes wide open?”

“Ah, I have dermatology too.”

Stop.

The two people’s chopsticks stop in mid-air.

They looked at me as if they couldn’t believe it.

“You have dermatology on your schedule too?”

“Yes, in June.”

“Crazy!”

“Isn’t this a complete scam!”

Joong-won hyung got angry, spitting out rice.

Geun-wook threw his wooden chopsticks.

And then.

Ding!

A message notification window popped up on Joong-won hyung’s smartphone.

Soon, Joong-won hyung’s eyes widened as he checked the text message.

“Hey, something big happened. Look at the text message.”

Why suddenly?

Ding, ding, ding!

Soon, messages arrived on everyone’s smartphones.

It’s not like a disaster text message……?

Soon, even the other interns who were eating in the cafeteria all picked up their phones and checked the screen.

“Gasp…….”

“Hey, this is a big deal!”

Gasping sounds come from all over the cafeteria.

What on earth is going on?