“Mr. Wood?” a nurse called out behind the desk. “Your preceptor’s in Exam Room 3 with the new patient.”
“On it,” Edan replied, heart pounding slightly. He nodded politely, pretending confidence, then headed to the room, every step rehearsed from years of textbooks, lectures, and sleepless nights.
This is it. First day of Internal Medicine rotation. Don’t screw it up.
He knocked twice before pushing open the door. Inside was Dr. Harper—grizzled, sharp-eyed, and notoriously no-nonsense—and a middle-aged man sitting on the gurney, clutching his side.
“Edan, right?” Dr. Harper said without looking up from the chart. “Take the history. Let’s see what med school’s taught you.”
Edan nodded. “Yes, sir.”
He turned to the patient, noting the pale skin, subtle sheen of sweat, and the way he leaned slightly to the left, guarding his abdomen.
“Hi, I’m Edan Wood, a medical student working with Dr. Harper today. What brings you in?”
The man gave a tight smile. “Name’s Frank. Been having this pain in my right side for the past day. Feels like someone’s twisting a knife in there.”
“Any fever? Nausea? Vomiting?”
Frank nodded. “Fever started last night. Threw up once this morning. Appetite’s gone.”
Edan jotted notes on the intake form, mentally checking off his differential.
Right lower quadrant pain, nausea, fever… Appendicitis? Possibly.
“Any changes in bowel movements?” Edan continued.
“Had some diarrhea yesterday. Figured it was something I ate.”
“Any past medical history?”
“Just high blood pressure. I take lisinopril for that.”
Edan moved to examine him. “Okay, Frank. I’m going to press on your abdomen now, let me know if anything feels especially painful.”
When he palpated the right lower quadrant, Frank winced and gasped.
“Right there?”
“Yeah. Damn.”
“Rebound tenderness?” Edan asked aloud, pressing again and then quickly releasing.
Frank grunted in pain.
“Positive,” Edan murmured.
Before he could say more, the room shifted.
Literally.
Edan blinked. The fluorescent lights flickered, and then everything froze—Dr. Harper, Frank, even the IV monitor screen. Time seemed suspended. A cold wave passed through Edan’s spine as a glowing blue interface shimmered into existence in front of his eyes.
[System Initialization Complete]
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Welcome, Edan Wood, to the Medical Prodigy System.
New User Detected. Syncing...
VitalSight Skill Unlocked: You can now visualize patients’ physical condition through HP Bars.
Mission Unlocked: First Impression Matters – Correctly identify the primary diagnosis and recommend next steps. Reward: 10 EXP, Clinical Awareness I.
“What the hell…” Edan whispered, staring wide-eyed at the floating text.
As if in response, Frank suddenly had a glowing green bar floating above his head—nearly half-drained, flickering orange near the edge.
Patient: Frank Bellamy
Status: Stable (HP: 53%)
Suspected Issue: Appendicitis (Pending Confirmation)
Time resumed.
“Something wrong?” Dr. Harper asked, finally looking up from the chart.
Edan shook his head. “Uh, no, sorry.”
The interface faded into the background, like an augmented reality overlay only he could see.
“Based on history and physical,” Edan said slowly, refocusing, “I suspect acute appendicitis. He has RLQ pain, rebound tenderness, nausea, and fever.”
Dr. Harper gave him a neutral look. “Go on.”
“Recommend labs—CBC, CMP, maybe CRP. And abdominal imaging—CT scan preferred.”
Harper nodded once. “Order them through the EMR. I’ll co-sign.”
As Edan stepped out to the nurses’ station, heart still racing, the system pinged again.
Diagnosis Confirmed: Acute Appendicitis
Mission Complete. +10 EXP
Skill Unlocked: Clinical Awareness I – Increases ability to detect early warning signs of deterioration.
Current EXP: 10/100 | Rank: Medical Student – Novice
Okay… what is happening?
Edan leaned against the wall, trying to look casual as he processed the madness. It wasn’t a hallucination—he still saw Frank’s HP bar through the open door, and a new icon hovered in the corner of his vision: a small blue medical bag labeled “System Menu.”
Don’t freak out. Think like a scientist. Hallucinations don’t deliver clinically accurate lab tests before you even get them back.
He tapped the icon in his mind.
[System Menu]
Skills
Missions
Status
Inventory (Empty)
Settings
Under Skills, “VitalSight” and “Clinical Awareness I” were listed, with basic tooltips:
VitalSight: Passively reveals patient health status via HP bar (visible during examination or proximity).
Clinical Awareness I: Small bonus to recognizing early complications or subtle signs of deterioration in real-world settings.
Edan’s gut twisted—not with fear, but something electric. This isn’t a dream. I have a system. A real one.
He exhaled slowly. Okay. Fine. We adapt.
—
The CT results came back an hour later: inflamed appendix, no perforation. Dr. Harper nodded in approval at Edan’s write-up.
“Good work. You’ll present him on rounds tomorrow. Go observe the surgical consult—he’s headed to the OR tonight.”
Edan managed a tight smile. “Yes, sir.”
As Harper left, Edan lingered by Frank’s bed.
“Hey,” Frank said, his voice steadier after IV fluids and pain meds. “Thanks for being thorough. I had a buddy who ignored this once—ended up with a ruptured appendix.”
“No problem,” Edan said, watching the HP bar flicker up slightly to 58%. “You’re in good hands.”
As he turned to leave, the system pinged again.
New Mission Available: Pre-Surgical Briefing
Objective: Assist in pre-op consent and prep. Ensure patient understanding and document correctly.
Reward: +15 EXP, Skill Upgrade Option
He took a deep breath, then smiled to himself. Alright then. If the game’s real, I’m playing to win.