Straightjacket

By Richard E. Sall

Richard Sall's Straightjacket is an exciting and absorbing fictional story of a talented surgeon who puts the welfare of his patients first, and consequently rankles some of the medical establishment at the hospital where he is doing his residency. When his residency certificate and career is threatened by an impossible surgery schedule, he must decide to save one of them shot by a gang member.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1419630547
• ISBN13: 9781419630545
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.5" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

The story of 32-year-old medical student Joe Grady in his pursuit of certification as a surgeon in h

Straight Jacket by Richard E. Sall is the story of thirty-two-year-old medical student Joe Grady in his pursuit of certification as a surgeon in his hospital residency. Written with flair and in a satirical manner, Straight Jacket carries its readers through the an increasingly engaging plot in which Grady must complete ten major cases within thirty days or fail in his efforts to secure certification. This series of tasks is further complicated by the hospital nurses who are in the process being unionized. The hospital is beyond busy, and now somebody is going around killing patients! Then to convolute things even further, there is Grady's discovery of a new love in the form of Linda -- a nurse with a dangerously demented mother. Original, lively, and clearly documenting Richard Sall as a talented storyteller, Straight Jacket is very highly recommended reading and certain to be a popular addition to any personal reading list or community library fiction collection.

seriously funny, dangerously close to reality

Joe Grady is about to complete his surgical residency when his hospital's penny pinching administrator decides that Joe must complete ten major surgeries in the next thirty days or he will be dismissed without certification. All those years of medical school and on the job training going to waste? Not likely. Joe just may pull it off, but the hospital has bigger problems. Patients who were on their way to recovery, are dying seemingly without reason. Joe Grady is given a case to look into. What pathology finds could probably save lives if Dr. Grady wasn't in the position he is in, and if the administration actually cared why these patients passed away. Besides being on the look out for every major case he can work through, Dr. Grady is head over heels in love with a lovely nurse in ICU. The problem is, her nutcase mother doesn't take kindly to her daughter being attached to anyone...and starts making death threats. Other minor characters in the book undergo major events. Young Haley is in a coma but can see and hear everything going on around her, though her perspective is from the ceiling looking down. Dr. Sarafin, a highly qualified surgeon, is being sued for malpractice - this storyline seems to be a chance for the author to make commentary on the way things are today with the outrageous costs of malpractice insurance and the frequency of patients suing their doctors, but it works well with the story and he does have a point. The nurses in the hospital are seriously understaffed and are in need of a union. This point is brought home by the little things that go on, such as medications being distributed off schedule, under-qualified persons working directly with said medications, and 12 hour shifts working with eight patients at a time. Sound a little too real? Richard E. Sall, MD is an author with an inside perspective. He willingly shares the craziness of his profession through a work of fiction that is seriously funny, dangerously close to reality, and downright captivating. It is a lighthearted read that is easy to get into, relate to, and enjoy. Throw in the romance factor, the crazy mom, some wild patient stories that just have to be based on reality, and you've got this great book that readers of all types, doctor, nurse and patient alike, will adore. Review by Heather Froeschl

Well-developed read

Reviewed by Joanne Benham for Reader Views (5/06) When Dr. Joe Grady refused to write a prescription for painkilling drugs for Trick Edwards, Mr. Edwards called the hospital administrator and threatened to go to the media. Joe is called on the carpet to explain why he denied care to a patient, especially one who threatened to jeopardize funding on the fifty-million dollar expansion planned for Detroit General Hospital. Displeased with Joe's reasoning, the administrator decides to punish him by making him complete his residency in 30 days. In order to reach that goal, Joe must complete ten major cases during that time. So the race is on. As Joe struggles to find, and finish, his ten cases, he is also engaged in other struggles. One of them is to persuade Linda to marry him, even though her mother, a whacked-out loon with Mob connections, threatens to have him offed if he doesn't stay away from her daughter. Another is discovering the reason for a patient's mysterious death. Is it linked to another death in the hospital, which could mean they have a serial killer loose? His biggest struggle is with the hospital administration as they ruthlessly slash costs, firing nurses and technicians and replacing them with poorly trained and under-supervised drones, who will work for much less money. I truly enjoyed this book. The characters are well-developed, the dialog is crisp and not too crowded with doctor-speak. I can't even remember how many times I found myself laughing out loud, especially when reading about Linda's mother, truly the mother-in-law from hell. There is also an underlying message in this book, as it details just what happens when hospitals start worrying more about the financial bottom line than their patients. I highly recommend this book.

Riveting Read

Richard takes you into the world of medicine and the high costs that go with it. Follow Joe Grady as he has to complete ten major cases in thirty days or he won't earn his certification. Then enter his life of drama that keeps distracting him and in some ways he doesn't mind. Enticing and funny, you will get caught up in the characters and the story Richard Sall has written.

Straight Jacket is worth reading.

I'm a physician with 40 years experience and I could relate and enjoy this book. The book is well written and takes the reader behind the scenes of the medical world. The author's description of the main character's interactions with patients, doctors, nurses, and hospital administrators are woven into a tale of intrigue, action, and love. The story keeps one in suspense until the end. Anyone in a medical career will particularly enjoy this book.