The Casino Shift - by Brian Goldman (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

For fans of The Pitt, a look at life on the front line in one of Canada's busiest ERs

The Casino Shift is an hour-by-hour account of what a Canadian emergency room is like in these turbulent times when ER staff must be prepared to see, diagnose, and treat any condition, often under unrelenting pressure. In addition to the introduction of the "casino shift" (a shorter night shift), there have been incredible leaps in technology and the know-how of ER physicians since Dr. Brian Goldman wrote the bestselling The Night Shift fifteen years ago. But patients' problems can be exponentially more complex too.

But The Casino Shift is about much more than one shift at one hospital, though. It's also about what goes on in ERs big and small across Canada. From the incredible challenges of practising "waiting room medicine," to discovering untreated cancer in a twenty-something patient, to diagnosing an extremely rare case of auto-brewery syndrome, Dr. Goldman shares the stories of frustrated and burned-out colleagues as well as the passion they have for being there in your hour of greatest need. With inspiring stories about diagnoses made, puzzles solved, and lives saved, The Casino Shift is a raw, revealing, and compelling look at life on the front line.

Review Quotes

"The Casino Shift is a real-life take on The Pitt and a warning to all who care about Canada's fractured healthcare system. A must-read." - Linwood Barclay, bestselling author of Whistle

"Dr. Goldman lifts the facade of emergency medicine revealing the impossible weight behind every choice." - Dr. Alika Fontaine, author of The Outrage Cure

" In the last two decades healthcare has undergone striking changes in North America, with some of the most dramatic shifts playing out in the ER. In The Casino Shift, Dr. Goldman details how ERs have had to adapt to these new realities and what it means for our future." - Dr. Peter Hotez, Professor at Baylor College of Medicine

"Early in this gripping book, Dr. Goldman tells the reader to 'buckle up' because it's going to be a 'bumpy ride.' Good advice! This book is a fast-paced journey through the challenges of being a doctor--and a patient--in the current Canadian healthcare system. The Casino Shift is a unique mix of compelling and remarkable stories, and highly relevant research informed by Goldman's deep experience from the frontlines of our healthcare crisis." - Timothy Caulfield, Professor at the University of Alberta and Bestselling Author

"A real-life thriller about heroes who are working against the odds, The Casino Shift shows what a modern ER in Canada is really like." - Terry O'Reilly, Bestselling Author of Against the Grain

"Full of the wisdom [Goldman] learned and contains some of the inspiring stories of the most empathetic people he met on his journey." - Global Morning on The Power of Kindness

"A consummate storyteller with a smooth, accessible style." - Winnipeg Free Press on The Power of Kindness

"The Secret Language of Doctors takes us behind the curtain and, in doing so, reveals fascinating insight on the practice of medicine, warts and all." - André Picard, Health Columnist, The Globe and Mail, on The Secret Language of Doctors

"A veritable dictionary of verbal shorthand used by many physicians, nurses and other health professionals to discuss--and often diss--various types of patients and even their own colleagues." - National Post on The Secret Language of Doctors

"A wonderfully frank, highly informative and, most importantly, deeply humane exploration of one of medicine's most challenging disciplines--emergency medicine." - Dr. Vincent Lam, author of the Giller Prize-winning Bloodletting and Other Cures, on The Night Shift

"The Night Shift has many satisfactions. It offers a great deal to both the lay public and those inside the health professions who continue to benefit from Goldman's honesty and curiosity." - The Globe and Mail on The Night Shift