And the night has yet to come

By: Yael Dreznik

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

It takes forever to get to the trauma unit. First the stairs, then a long corridor at the end of which is the ER, by which time I am almost out of breath. We keep running until we're finally there.
On the bed is a young woman, unconscious and breathing heavily, and I immediately observe a huge hematoma on her left abdomen and car-tire marks on her legs. In TV shows, trauma unit activity looks so efficient, the medical staff ready and waiting with a syringe and defibrillator in hand. But in reality, there is total chaos.

With raw candidness, Dr. Yael Dreznik takes off her gloves and walks us through her day, starting at the crack of dawn. At 05:00 am, her alarm clock sets off, and she heads out of her house, in complete darkness. She will walk out of the hospital gate and return the following morning, after a twenty-six-hour shift, completely drained.

And the night has yet to come gives us an insightful glimpse into the hectic and turbulent reality of hospitals, a place where one is always on the go, frantically chasing after the clock. The emergency room is always packed, and the crowded hallways and units are full of patients whose health could deteriorate at any second.
How many nerve-wracking events will be etched into the skin of this never-ending shift? How many moments of excitement and hope will this long day see? And how will it end?

The author describes the physical and mental hardships doctors, and in particular, the residents, go through, as they work under impossibly strenuous conditions. Nothing about their shift is certain – only that it will eventually end.

Yael Dreznik is a pediatric surgeon. She is married and has two daughters.
This book was written during her residency in the General Surgery Department.