Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Wrapping Up the Conference (1)
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A brief silence was broken as a hand shot up from the opposite side.
Ah, shit. What the hell.
I spotted the face from the podium and screamed internally.
That guy's name was Park Ju-seong or something like that.
Last fall, during the rhabdomyolysis poster presentation, he'd demolished my classmate Kim Ji-hoon with a question about the "efficacy of urine alkalinization therapy" or whatever.
The very professor from Seoul Catholic Sacred Heart Hospital.
And... last year, when Professor Kim Hyuk-jae handed me his business card, this guy had been staring right through me.
The chair pointed to him.
Professor Park Ju-seong took the mic.
"I enjoyed the presentation. I'm Park Ju-seong from Catholic Sacred Heart Hospital. Teacher Han's case is very intriguing. However, a single case is just an interesting anecdote; the level of evidence is far too low to draw institutional or academic conclusions."
...Here it comes. The classic attack.
I swallowed dryly.
"In the latter part of the presentation, where you raised issues of institutional discussion and education systems, that could actually be the biggest leap—and the key point—of this talk. You should have considered that more carefully. Yes."
He wasn't asking a question. Just pointing it out.
"Your presentation lacks evidence, so why are you pushing it so hard?"
He'd dressed it up in sophisticated, academic language and slammed it right into my face.
...What is this? A question or not?
I stared blankly at Professor Park for a moment.
Was he expecting an answer or not?
The lecture hall started buzzing again.
"Yeah, he's right... Going overboard with one case."
"A case report to discuss systems?"
I had no choice but to grab the mic.
Sometimes you just had to back down.
The logic was similar to that resident's earlier, but the speaker was different.
When a professor steps up to say generalizing from one case is tough, you couldn't just fire back like before with "Then let's build it starting now!"
"Thank you deeply for your esteemed opinion, Professor..."
"And one more thing."
Professor Park cut me off.
"Ah, a combo."
"Performing a laparotomy in an ER resuscitation bay that's deficient in sterility, lighting, equipment, and staff imposes enormous infection risks on the patient and a high chance of procedural failure. It's an extremely dangerous operation. You were aware of that, right?"
"Yes... I was aware. But the situation was so urgent at the time..."
"Executing a procedure not included in the residency training curriculum based on your own unilateral judgment."
Professor Park's voice grew cold.
"That's creating risks for the entire system. You can't justify that decision just because the outcome was good."
The air in the lecture hall turned icy.
Publicly beating me down like this.
I desperately squeezed out the extenuating circumstances again to cover myself.
"Of course, Professor. But the patient's survival odds were less than 1%, and in that treatment vacuum where surgical support was impossible..."
Every time I started making excuses, I caught Professor Cheon Eun-jeong—standing far off by the entrance—clutching the back of her neck in the corner of my vision.
Professor Park listened quietly to my excuses and finally nodded.
"So, as a professor, my conclusion is..."
...Conclusion?
"Despite those risks, it was worth attempting."
"...Yes?"
A dumb sound escaped my lips.
The entire lecture hall erupted in murmurs.
"What the hell? He beats me like a rat then drops a weird conclusion?"
Professor Park looked at me and smiled faintly for the first time.
"Discussing scope of practice—that's work for professors, sure. But if you view it as the grit of a young resident rolling in the trenches..."
He swept his gaze across the audience.
"Rather than crushing that grit, we should start discussions to channel that energy in the right direction. Preparing some level of education system for those rare worst-case scenarios is certainly worth debating."
He looked back at me.
"Great presentation."
"...Yes. Thank you."
I stood there dazed, bowing automatically.
What just happened?
It felt like I'd been beaten like a dog a second ago.
By the time I snapped out of it, he was applying salve.
Was this the legendary "beat then heal" technique I'd only heard about?
The chair finally took the mic.
"Yes, due to time constraints, we'll end the Q&A here. Once more, a big round of applause for Teacher Han Hyun-jae, please."
Clap. Clap. Clapclapclapclap...
The applause was huge and fervent, nothing like before, filling the lecture hall.
I bowed blankly and practically fled the podium.
My legs were shaking.
The hundreds of gazes that had been crushing me moments ago now chased my back with awe, curiosity, and a mix of pity like "that crazy bastard."
I ignored them as best I could and hurried toward the entrance, where my supervising professor—my one and only shield, and the very person who'd shoved me into this hell—was still clutching the back of her neck.
"Professor. That presentation..."
I stood before Professor Cheon and opened my mouth in a voice tinier than an ant's. She slowly lifted her head.
She was still massaging the back of her neck with one hand, her face on the verge of enlightenment.
"Oh man, my neck..."
"Yes?"
"Hyun-jae."
"Yes, Professor."
"The abstract you got confirmed from me clearly..."
Professor Cheon tapped her forehead in disbelief.
"...only had a tiny line in the conclusion like 'further discussion may be needed' on scope of practice, right?"
The last paragraph of the final file I'd submitted flashed in my mind.
"Yeah... that's right? [Interdisciplinary discussion deemed necessary.] Something like that."
"But you."
Professor Cheon pointed at the podium I'd just stood on.
"You went up there and basically recited an Emergency Medicine Independence Declaration."
Professor Cheon grabbed the back of her neck again.
I looked into her eyes and started genuinely worrying.
She might blow C6-C7 discs at this rate.
"Uh, Professor. You okay? Should I book you an appointment at the Joint Center outpatient? They specialize in discs..."
"...Ha, forget it."
Professor Cheon brushed off my lame joke with a sigh.
"It's done. Water under the bridge. Let's go."
And so we wandered the conference hall, drawing all kinds of stares.
Every time we passed a hallway, people from that lecture hall recognized me, froze, and whispered.
"That guy over there..."
"The second-year from earlier..."
"The one who rode the boat from Busan."
The murmurs followed me.
I stuck close behind Professor Cheon, walking like a scared soldier hiding behind a massive shield.
***
Professor Cheon quietly warned me the whole time about how to conduct myself going forward.
We picked one of the afternoon sessions and went in.
"Oh, it's Lee Min-jae."
I spotted a familiar name on the presenter list at the session room entrance.
Meaning I was about to hear Lee Min-jae's presentation.
We grabbed seats toward the back.
Lee Min-jae's first conference presentation since becoming a fellow.
Wonder how exaggerated his gestures would be this time.
Soon, Lee Min-jae ascended the podium.
Unlike his fourth-year days, he was trying to look calm and intellectual like a fellow... but his tie was slightly askew, and his hair had a bird's nest.
Still, compared to last spring conference, he seemed much more seasoned and relaxed.
"Hello. I'm Lee Min-jae, clinical instructor in Emergency Medicine at Busan Cheongjin University Medical Center."
Oho, listen to that polished voice.
I made eye contact with Professor Cheon beside me and chuckled.
She just shook her head.
"Today's topic is..."
A massive title appeared on the screen.
[Retrospective Analysis on the Utility of Serum Lactate Levels in Predicting Short-Term Mortality in Elderly ER Patients with Nonspecific Symptoms]
Oh.
I couldn't help but be impressed.
'This guy's got some real chops.'
I'd pegged him as just a loud, hyper maniac, but it was a solid research topic.
Elderly patients with nonspecific symptoms are the worst nightmare for ER docs.
Shows up saying "just feeling weak" or "no appetite," then drops dead the next day.
A genuinely important subject.
"In elderly patients, severe conditions like myocardial infarction or sepsis often present not with typical symptoms like chest pain or high fever, but simply with altered mental status or lethargy..."
Unexpectedly, Lee Min-jae proceeded logically, pointing through the data.
Had I underestimated him?
"In this study, among elderly patients aged 65+ who presented with nonspecific symptoms, we confirmed that initial serum lactate levels above 2.5 mmol/L were significantly associated with increased 72-hour short-term mortality..."
I watched his presentation in a daze.
"Therefore, emergency physicians must never overlook nonspecific symptoms in the elderly and should actively screen for hidden severe disease via initial lactate levels..."
...Damn, he's cool.
I unconsciously opened the gallery window.
HellJoseonSlave1: Our fellow's presentation is legit af ㅇㅇ. Predicting elderly mortality with lactate levels.
LatteIsJustWords: High lactate means cells are already dying on a cellular level, what else predicts mortality if not that.
ㄴ HeartMedGhost: Proving it with data is what makes a scholar.
I closed the gallery window and stared at Lee Min-jae's back in the front row.
He safely finished the Q&A and stepped down from the podium.
He spotted us and came over, wiping sweat.
"Saw that? I was badass, right?"
The intellectual fellow from moments ago vanished; back came the flighty maniac's tone and face.
"Yes, Teacher. Absolutely brilliant."
I clapped with genuine sincerity.
Our ER might not be half bad after all.