Miracles and Mayhem in the ER: Unbelievable True Stories from an Emergency Room Doctor

by Brent Rock Russell

In Miracles and Mayhem in the ER , Dr. Brent Russell shares true-life stories of his early days as an Emergency Room doctor. Contemplative and oftentimes hilarious, Dr. Russell leads the reader through the glass doors and down the narrow halls of the ER where desperate patients, young and old, come to get well.

Occasionally heart wrenching and always fast-paced, Miracles and Mayhem in the ER will have readers holding their breath one second and celebrating the next. Through his night shifts at a renowned Portland, WA hospital, Russell discovers his role, and his confidence as he treats people from all walks of life including humanity's most bizarre in the ER. Each shift brings a new, bracing story to tell.

Genres: Medical, Nonfiction, Medicine, Audiobook, Amazon, Memoir, True Story

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 15, 2013

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real 5-star enjoyable book. It's a memoir that reads like fiction, so well can the author tell his story. The stories of the ER are not just disconnected scenes as is usual in this type of medical memoir, but based on a cast of interesting, recurring characters and ongoing stories.

There is one where the author's best friend, a young and very dedicated doctor gets sued for malpractice for more than he is insured for. One of his fellow doctors and "friends" acts as a witness against him. It is quite gripping, and the very end of the story is a real twist, and one of great moral value. And that alone makes the book worth 5 stars. I love it when a book gives a new way of seeing things, that ah-ha moment, and I am changed in a positive way.

Don't read the spoiler if you might read the book. The young doctor wins the case in great part due to his mentor, an older doctor, who makes mincemeat of the testimony of the "friend" whom he knew well. This mentor also plots the downfall of the snake in the grass. But in the end the young doctor decides that moving on and forgiveness are better than revenge and bitterness and says that his "friend's" character will be his downfall, he will never be happy. Brilliant. I am going to take that one to heart. For that the book is worth five stars.

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed

As a former ER nurse I was eager to read this book but I ended up returning it for a refund. It had the potential of being a great memoir, but there were quite a few stories without an ending, where the reader is left hanging. The narration and conversations just didn't feel right, either. Never in my nearly 30 years as a nurse have I ever heard one medical professional talking to another refer to a ventilator as a breathing machine. Never. To a lay person, perhaps, but even that is a stretch. And I've never heard of people in the field refer to clot busters as such; we call it either by the trade name or refer to it as a kinase.

And the first thing I found that made me think "Wait----what??" When the author was talking about his two old friends who joined the military, he shared that one was a graduate of the Air Force Academy and was a commander of SEAL team three. SEALs are in the Navy, not the Air Force.

[Frances Bonn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging, informative, passionate narrative of the harrowing, challenging and life-altering crises an ER doctor faces every day.

A page turner about the growth process of an emergency medical physician. Well-written stories that reveal the intensity of critical care crises in the ER. A very personal account that shows the emotions and thoughts of a physician dealing with life and death decisions and responses to every potential emergency scenario that comes through an ER door. Recommended to anyone who wants to learn about emergeny medicine through accounts or real cases, and who wants to learn life-lessons about integrity and coping with the unknown and succeeding through professionalism and emotional maturity.
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[Forrest Yorgason · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped I would. The narrative was rather boring and I felt that the title was not a good indication of what is actually contained in the book. Some of the ER stories were interesting at most, but the book as a whole did not flow. The transitions felt very choppy, and the back story was just not interesting. It felt that the book was more of a diary than anything else. I don't understand what so many people enjoyed about this book because I did not find those reasons.

[Pernette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brent Rock Russell's first person account of being a resident in the emergency department is a very interesting read. Dr. Russell's honest opinion of patients, supervisors, piers and stresses in life or death situations is eye opening. He does not come off as an egotistical demi-god as a lot of physicians have been know to present themselves. This is his humble account of how all of these encounters affected him and shaped him.

[Faye · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was thinking this book was going to be something different then what it was. More stories about patients in the ER and their outcomes and less personal story. Certainly did not expect stories about wives, friends, and friends wives. I always find it hard to get into a book with spelling mistakes and grammar errors and there seemed to be a lot of that too. I'm disappointed overall.

[Jessy Munch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Couldn’t put it down, I worked in an ER with the author and the ER was definitely portrayed right but also what it’s like to be a doctor in one, a title that takes a lot and they go through so much more than people think. But they are also normal, amazing people and ER doctors truly are some of my favorites in the medical field. I really liked learning much more about Dr. Russell that I never knew in the 6.5 years I worked with him. He was always one of my favorites, but after reading this now I know why. So many great real life experiences he had that shaped him into the great doctor he is. This book has really made me want to go back to my first job as a health unit coordinator in the ER! Some of the stories I read I remember being there for or hearing about them. The ER definitely does bring a certain type of person and it’s one of my favorite jobs I have ever had with the best doctors.

[Cadauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book so much

I like the interesting stories, life and death, justice and revenge, leading me to a deep thought: hatred is no good. Not good for our soul, not good for our health, and wasting time. But it is not easy to forgive. I learnt a lot from this book. Highly recommended.

[Nelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truth is often stranger than fiction, and this account of an emergency room doctor's experiences in a Portland, Oregon ER confirms this adage. ER staff often see the worst that humanity has to offer. Dr. Russell narrates with grace and humility and avoids the all-too-frequent use of profanity. The book is moving and thoroughly enjoyable.

[Lucienna Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Er

I can now appreciate waits in ER after reading true stories. It takes a special kind of trained person to work with specialized fast and ready professional care. I was eager to read about the next challenge the ER would face which was educational.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me. It was a very good read. If you watch any medical shows on TV you will probably get through the technical portions, but the rest was like talking to a friend about you day, some happy, some not.

[Ronna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good read. Interesting stories from ER patients. Written reasonably well. Good insight into the extreme pressures ER doctors are under, especially in the US where people sue for everything....

[Dkettmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Audiobook version reviewed) Excellent medical memoir, with lots of gripping tales, and wonderfully told experiences of working in a modern ER. Well written, concise stories, with the perfect amount of tension and pathos. I very much enjoyed this read.

[Patricia H Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better accounts of being an ER doctor. Starts with the WHY of wanting this as a career, and progresses through the process of learning medicine and treatments. Uplifting in many scenes, tragic in others. Brent Rock Russell will take you inside the ER and occasionally his head.

[Mariann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read. I think to appreciate this book you need to have some medical acknowledge, otherwise you might not find it too interesting.

[Lorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very

entertaining reading. The truth really is stranger than fiction. Lots of interesting encounters, medically and otherwise. Good read, highly recommend.

[J. Donahue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

This was an easy read with exhilarating stories from the ER. I found myself really liking the characters and the relationships they formed with eachother.

[Jamey Mast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

This book takes into the lives of his patients trip to the er and his life. It was eye opening to see our doctors have lives to.

[Selma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[joy howiler · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a very good,easy to read book.It keeps you interested from start to finish.

[Kaylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read to see the real side to the "glamorous" ER.

[Natassia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty fun and interesting look at life as a resident in the ER. The side stories of all his extreme sports were a little random, but the patient stories were interesting.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. It's entertaining, informative and easy to follow. So many crazy stories, just like the name of the book.

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. I am interested in what goes on in a.ER rooms. There was some suspense about a lawsuit which made it more interesting.

[Judith Sentyz · Rating 5 out of 5]

BRAVO

I loved this book. I have always seen ER doctors as arrogant, unfeeling. I did not like them at all. After reading this book, I have a whole different outlook. Outstanding read. You'll love it.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very disappointed in this book. It was very disjointed and just did not flow. There seemed to be more of his hiking/sling adventures than medical. If you are looking for a good medical story, find a different book.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting stories of life as an ER doctor. The author appears a bit inexperienced but strived to give the book a good structure. He seems like an interesting person. I do wish he'd had someone edit the manuscript a bit more, several grammatical errors and wrong word choices pulled me out of the narrative (for example you clamber out of bed in the morning, not clamor, etc.)

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like these sorts of stories....

...you'll likely enjoy this book. There are plenty of stories, both with positive and negative outcomes, that paint a realistic picture of an ER doctor's job. I enjoy these sorts of stories, and had a hard time putting this book down.

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a no-holds-barred, gut-wrenching look at emergency medicine. I picked up it as a Daily Deal, expecting it to be a light-weight collection of stories of strangeness in the ER.

God knows, ER personnel see more weird things and people in a shift than most of us see in a lifetime. And there ARE lots of hilarious and shocking tales.

But it's a much deeper and more thoughtful book than I expectged. Starting with his childhood growing up in a small southern college town and continuing on to his medical training and first years in practice, Dr. Russell examines the complexities of life in general and of devoting yourself to a field that demands so much. He tells how his up-bringing shaped him and determined his professional style and approach to life.

In particular, it's a fascinating look at the mentality of the men and women who choose a specialty that seems to require super-human powers. The job attracts adrenaline junkies. Even when sleep-deprived, an ER doctor must be constantly alert and focused. He deals with patients he's never seen before and will never see again.

He must have the confidence to make split-second, life-or-death decisions. And he frequently must do so without the luxury of a consult with specialists. For an ER doctor, lawsuits aren't a vague possibility, but an inevitability. Each one is potentially career destroying.

It's a book you start and keep reading until you finish. The only quibble I have is that the conversations between the young men seem too pat and avuncular. Perhaps the author is remembering what went through his head as he and his friends were talking.

Most men communicate in monosyllables, with much left unspoken. There's also no profanity, which doesn't seem very believable.

Still, it's a fine book and one that I'll be thinking about and digesting for some time. I have a young friend who's considering trauma medicine as a career and I can't wait for her to read this book. Dr. Russell has done a great service by sharing his experiences.

[Allyson Dyar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book appeared on one of the many lists I receive touting discounted Kindle e-books. I immediately went over to Amazon.com and noticed it had pretty decent reviews. Besides, if I didn’t like it, I was only out $3.00.

I think this is the first time I’ve ever reviewed a book immediately after finishing it, but then, Miracles and Mayhem in the ER is that kind of book.

It’s partly because I live in the Portland Oregon area where most of the book takes place (and became totally confused when he talked about working at “Brookwood” hospital, trying desperately to remember where this was; it wasn’t until I read the afterwards that I realized he’d made it up), I think it was more to the point that this was a really good read.

I found myself not only reading it during lunch but also, before I went to bed. I really enjoyed his stories, whether it was that one night he became a believer in the fact that the crazies do come out during the Full Moon (I noticed that too working inbound customer service for AT&T Mobility – nothing like working the late shift and having drunks try to pay their phone bills) or discussing the Portland area and its great outdoors.

What I really appreciate about Dr. Russell’s style of writing is that he managed to weave his background growing up in Mississippi in with his stories of his training and the ER. I’ve read other books (most notably Thomas Starzl’s The Puzzle People: Memoirs of a Transplant Surgeon where he continually apologizes for being a racist in his earlier days) where the doctor’s background story takes away from the main narrative. Not in this book. He expertly wove his personal story into the over-all medical narrative.

As you can guess, I highly recommend this book and I’m looking forward to reading it a second time because I know it will be as a fun a read as the first time.

Highly recommended and I give it a solid 5/5.