Book description
The brutally honest story of an emergency medical technician.
At 18, Joseph Clark started working as an ambulance attendant to pay
his way through college. For the next seven years he worked New York
City's most dangerous neighborhoods as an emergency medical technician
(EMT), dealing with the medical emergencies from drug overdoses, gang
fights, car crashes and worse, all while juggling schoolwork and a
personal life.
His stories are a graphic portrayal of the life of an ambulance EMT.
From dealing with a body that is frozen solid and trapped under a
front porch to climbing into the burned-out wreck of a car to treat
the seriously injured driver, Clark's stories are horrifying,
poignant, touching and often filled with the dark humor that is so
characteristic of the people who work under extreme stress.
My Ambulance Education is a testament to the medical first
responders who scramble to provide the on-the-spot care so vital to
the survival of victims. EMTs struggle daily (and nightly) with
emotional strain, sleep deprivation and, inevitably, burnout.
[Review of print edition] Clark carries the reader along his
emergency ride of screaming sirens, gunshots and bloody messes... The
stories are not a list of Clark's experiences but a continuous, flowing
story. This is what makes the book so good... [It] gives us an
appreciation for the efforts of the emergency medical services and is an
eye-opener to the everyday things we don't think about that help or
hamper [them]... A very good read in itself and a must-read for anyone
with at least a small interest in the medical profession.
Joseph F. Clark, PhD, is a scientist, researcher and faculty
member in the University of Cincinnati's Department of Neurology,
specializing in the causes and treatments of stroke. The author or
coauthor of numerous articles in scientific journals and three
scientific textbooks, he lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.
