A competent doctor can cure everything

“Professor, I have something to discuss.”

After the morning rounds,

Professor Yeon Jae-wook turned around at the sound of the voice calling him.

The voice belonged to the intern he had been paying attention to lately, Lee Seon-Joon.

He usually didn’t have the brightest expression, but today his face looked particularly haggard.

However, his eyes were sharp.

Doctor Shim Ji-seop, who was next to him, also appeared startled by the intern’s sudden behavior.

“Really? What’s going on?”

“It’s about Kim Jin-ah.”

Professor Yeon noticed Doctor Shim’s eyes widening at those words.

Moreover, upon closer inspection, he saw that the intern was holding a thick stack of papers in his hand.

What on earth was going on?

Professor Yeon raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

“Then let’s move to my office, Seon-Joon. Doctor Shim, you’re free to go.”

Doctor Shim hesitated for a moment before politely bowing and leaving.

A short while later, what the intern revealed in the office was unexpected.

“I would like to change the treatment direction for Kim Jin-ah.”

“Change it?”

“Yes, Jin-ah is a patient with strong rehabilitation will. However, her current Modified Barthel Index (MBI) is only 0.”

The Barthel Index is a measure of a chronic patient’s independence in daily living activities, scoring aspects like bathing, eating, controlling bowel and bladder, and walking.

It is scored out of 100 points, and a minimum of 70 points is needed to manage most daily activities independently.

“The first year of treatment is crucial for spinal cord injuries, and this patient is already seven months post-accident. How about being more proactive with the treatment?”

“What specifically do you mean?”

“I’ve looked into research papers related to limb paralysis after spinal cord injury and the symptoms associated with wei syndrome, which refers to weakened limb strength in traditional medicine.”

The intern placed the stack of papers on the desk.

It was an enormous amount of printed research papers, all crumpled with various notes and underlines.

“……! Did you find all of this on your own?”

“I only selected the ones that seemed useful among the papers I found.”

Only then did Professor Yeon realize why Seon-Joon looked so haggard. This intern must have stayed up all night.

The professor opened his mouth and stared at the intern, but he remained oblivious as he flipped through the papers, engrossed in his explanations.

“In this paper, the MSAT acupuncture method was applied to the knees of patients with limb paralysis. The knee was bent to about 120 degrees, and needles were inserted around the knee; after that, the doctor repeatedly bent and straightened the patient’s knee to gradually increase the range of motion.”

MSAT (Motion Style Acupuncture Treatment).

This treatment method combines “dongqijinyeob”, a special acupuncture technique that involves exercising the affected area after needling, and “jigeongoron”, a traditional Chinese medicine mental counseling technique that encourages the patient.

“If you look here, for the ‘neurogenic bladder’ after spinal cord injury, bee venom acupuncture was injected into the sacral acupuncture points, and electrical acupuncture was performed. As a result, the patient began to feel the urge to urinate and started self-urination.”

‘Neurogenic bladder’ refers to urination difficulties caused by abnormalities in the nervous system.

It’s a common complication that occurs in 60–90% of spinal cord injury patients; Kim Jin-ah had also been using a Foley catheter since the accident.

Just removing the urinary catheter could significantly improve the patient’s quality of life (QOL), bringing them closer to normal daily activities.

“This paper was published in China. They performed over 100 scattered needlings on spinal cord injury patients to help restore sensation, and I think we could try that as well. Additionally, electrical acupuncture improved the motor abilities of paralyzed patients. Since low frequency increases the activation of the brain’s motor areas more than high frequency does, we’ll do it at 2Hz.”

‘Scattered needling refers to needling over a wide area, almost like scattering needles.’

There seemed to be no end to Seon-Joon’s explanations.

“In this study, the use of “jahaego”, (placenta) acupuncture showed effects on improving motor function and muscle strength. It would be good to perform this daily around the acupoints on either side of the spine, as well as around the shoulder and knee joints.”

“What if we change the herbal medicine to “Mankum-tang”? It defends against nerve damage and increases the survival rate of nerve cells, having a pharmacological effect on limb paralysis and numbness. To enhance antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects, let’s add Dansam, ginkgo, sanqi, and astragalus.”

“……”

Finally, Seon-Joon finished presenting his “Treatment Plan Modification for Kim Jin-ah.”

The intern stared at Professor Yeon, as if waiting for a response.

Feeling flustered, Professor Yeon cleared his throat.

“Ahem. To summarize… we’ll use MSAT on the knees, inject bee venom acupuncture and apply electrical acupuncture at the sacral acupuncture points. For the back, shoulders, and knees, we’ll use jahaego acupuncture. Plus, we’ll perform over 100 scattered needlings across the body and electrical acupuncture at 2Hz. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Treating Kim Jin-ah alone will take more than an hour, you know?”

The intern quickly replied, without a hitch in his preparation.

“I’ll complete the treatments for the other patients to avoid any disruption to the workflow. If I can’t finish within working hours, I can stay after work to get it done, of course, with your permission, Professor.”

“It’s not about permission…”

Seon-Joon faced Professor Yeon as if to ask what the issue was.

“You’re pushing yourself too hard. Once you start, you’ll have to do this all throughout July, right? The current treatment is already a standard method. Why do you want to go this far?”

The intern seemed unprepared for a response, biting his lip.

However, after a moment, his thinly pressed lips parted.

“The patient wants it, there’s a method to treat her, and I can do it… why wouldn’t I?”

“Why wouldn’t you, indeed.”

This time, Professor Yeon was at a loss for words in response to the intern’s answer.

“Well, that’s true.”

Professor Yeon scratched the side of his head for a moment.

“To be honest, I’ve never met a resident like you before. No… well, anyway.”

Among the residents, Shim Ji-seob was the only one who had given such expectations before that incident.

Professor Yeon was about to say this but quickly closed his mouth.

Then he awkwardly changed the subject.

“Is Shim Ji-seob treating you well? There’s a lot to learn from him.”

“Actually, I do want to learn about research and papers.”

“Really? Are you curious about research?”

“Yes, I heard that Shim Ji-seob has a lot of experience. I was told he participated in the development of a new drug before.”

“Oh, you mean ‘Osartjeong’? Tsk, what a pity.”

At that moment, Seon-Joon frowned and adjusted his glasses, but Professor Yeon did not notice.

“So, I heard you went on your first field visit yesterday?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I received a message from Coach Han thanking me for sending such a great practitioner. She’s not usually the type to say such things.”

Despite the professor’s praise, the intern kept his eyes downcast without much reaction, then asked a question instead.

“Professor, I’m curious about how this treatment started.”

“Oh, right. It does sound a bit ridiculous now. The story is a bit complicated…”

Assuming that the intern might have some dissatisfaction about going for free service, Professor Yeon began to explain.

“You know that I’m the president of the Korean Sports Medicine Society, right? My experience as a team doctor when I was younger laid the groundwork for this.”

The intern nodded quietly.

“Coach Han Mi-young was the ace of the volleyball team I was in charge of back then, and that’s when we became close. She was a player with a lot of passion for volleyball and great ambition.”

“I see.”

“After retiring as a player, Han Mi-young became a coach last year and made many attempts. She insisted that having a team doctor is essential for enhancing the team’s capabilities, and she requested that I be sent as the team doctor. But then suddenly, the organization said there was no money to pay the team doctor.”

Professor Yeon sighed as he recalled the troublesome situation at that time.

“It was hard to refuse a desperate request from Coach Han, but it was also a sensitive issue for a specialist to provide free treatment. If I wasn’t careful, it could establish a bad practice in the industry. That’s how things ended up like this.”

Moreover, team doctors in Korea receive much less than one might imagine.

Professor Yeon was cautious that his decision might exacerbate this situation.

As a compromise, he ended up rotating the hospital’s lowest-level staff, the interns.

The interns were willing to accept this since they were only required to stay for a month.

After hearing the explanation, Seon-Joon remained silent.

Professor Yeon felt anxious about what thoughts might be swirling beneath that expressionless face.

Just when it seemed like that assertive intern was about to argue that “the current free treatment is unfair,” he opened his mouth.

“Professor, this method is inappropriate.”

As expected, astonishing words followed.

“Because the number of sessions is so low, the meaning of the treatment is diminished. I believe we need to have sessions three times a week.”

Professor Yeon stared at the intern in shock for a moment before stammering out a response.

“B-but we can’t continue free treatments like that.”

“Isn’t it possible to receive fair compensation?”

“That would be nice! But the organization is trying to save money wherever it can on aspects that don’t directly relate to performance.”

“Shouldn’t we demonstrate that having a team doctor is directly connected to performance?”

At the intern’s bold retort, Professor Yeon fiddled with his throat.

“…Well, if that’s the case, the discussion changes.”

“For the month of July, while I’m in rehabilitation and interning, I will make sure to provide treatment three times a week. Instead, if satisfactory results come from the KOVO Cup tournament, how about officially hiring me as the team doctor starting in August? If that’s too difficult, then I’ll stop the field visits altogether.”

“So, you’re voluntarily saying that you’ll do more field visits in July?”

“Yes. This type of treatment is meaningless. Someone has to break this cycle.”

After Seon-Joon’s bombshell statement, Professor Yeon blinked for a while, then spoke in a contemplative tone.

“With a primary doctor for a paralyzed patient and field visits… there should be some compensation for the hard work. I hear you’ve completed the team doctor program.”

“Yes.”

“If you tell me which sports team you want, I can recommend you. That would help you gain experience for future international competitions.”

Most sports teams find their team doctors through connections or recommendations.

So even if you complete the team doctor program, getting your foot in the door is challenging.

Everyone wants a proven doctor.

Especially if you want to handle international events like the Olympics, you need to build experience domestically first.

“And the knowledge necessary for caring for paralyzed patients or being a team doctor… I’ll share everything I know.”

“Really?”

As a look of surprise crossed Seon-Joon’s typically stoic face, Professor Yeon smiled broadly.

“With a student being this proactive, how could the teacher just stand by? Since you’re already putting in the effort, you might as well learn as much as you can.”

Professor Yeon resolved to share all the know-how with the intern that he hadn’t even shared with the residents.

Considering that this intern’s placement in rehabilitation wasn’t even confirmed yet, this was quite a generous offer.

(Biinbujeon and Bigijabujeon
This phrase means that skills are not passed on to those who lack character and capability.)

Right now, Professor Yeon Jae-wook was confident that he had found someone to whom he could pass on his skills.

There was not a shred of doubt about it.