Interview with Dr. Jay Baruch, The Tornado of Life

Ed and Ron are honored to host Dr. Jay Baruch, author of Tornado of Life: A Doctor’s Journey through Constraints and Creativity in the ER. When a patient comes into the hospital with cardiac arrest or a compound fracture, doctors know what to do. The problem is evident, and the solution is practically algorithmic. Dr. Baruch contends that the biggest challenge and the biggest part of an ER doctor’s work is often caring for people who come in with not just problems with their body, but also social issues, emotional issues, and substance use issues—and oftentimes all of them at once. In Tornado of Life, we come to see that the toughest part of an emergency physician’s work isn’t the high-wattage drama, the mayhem and the blood, that is portrayed on television, but rather the actual getting to the heart of the patient’s story—and figuring out how to address it. Because they’re real, these stories often end without closure or solutions. Sometimes underlying causes aren’t found. Sometimes serious problems are missed. Some patients leave against doctor’s orders. Some are simply discharged into the night. A profoundly human book, Tornado of Life is poised to change the way we view doctors, illness, and the “emotional and moral contact sport” that is emergency medicine. Join us for what will be a profoundly human discussion.