Dedicated and ambitious, Emma Swann is about to start a gruelling year as a surgical registrar at the prestigious Mount teaching hospital. She’s excited to join her adored older brother Andy in pursuing the same career as their father, an eminent surgeon who made his name at The Mount.
But the pressure of living up to his distinguished reputation is nothing compared to the escalating stress Emma experiences as a registrar. Amidst a background culture of humiliation and bullying, being a woman just makes things worse: misogyny is rife, and Emma is subjected to other, more insidious, kinds of male attention.
As Emma battles overwork, exhaustion and increasing disillusion, she has less and less ability and time to care for her patients’ welfare, and that of herself and those she loves. Is it possible for her to be the doctor, wife, sister and friend she aspires to be in such a broken hospital system? Can she salvage her own life while she’s trying to save others? And how can she and her colleagues endure such impossible conditions without making fatal mistakes?
If the name Dr Neela Janakiramanan is familiar to you, chances are you’ve read her articles in national newspapers or seen her on TV programs such as The Drum. She regularly discusses her work as a reconstructive plastic surgeon alongside the challenges and failings of our health and hospital systems. Drawing on her years of experience as a registrar and surgeon, Janakiramanan has crafted a gripping story, told with the frenetic pace of a psychological thriller. Shortlisted for the 2021 Victorian Premier’s Award for an Unpublished Manuscript, The Registrar offers a rare insight into the world of a surgeon-in-the-making from one who has survived it.
Told with compassion, skill and emotional heart, The Registrar goes behind the headlines to reveal the human experience of being both doctor and patient in the medical system. The protagonist, Emma, is a compelling character who reveals the extreme pressures that are put on medical professionals in training – both from their peers and patients – in a system close to breaking point.
The Registrar is a unique novel that asks important questions that go far beyond this book. It reveals the immense stress that so many medical professionals, especially women, endure day in and day out. A triumphant debut from Janakiramanan, perfect for readers of Going Under and Emotional Female.
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