Download or read book Talking Trauma written by and published by Univ. Press of Mississippi. This book was released on with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Man, I've seen, believe it or not, a head-on accident in the parking lot of a Macy's sale. What do they have, those white sales, is that what they have? The parking lot was completely barren except these two cars that hit each other head on. This little old lady and some other idiot. How do you do that?! A barren parking lot! Completely empty, morning, nobody there, and somehow they managed to hit each other head on. Well, it was just enough trauma to kill her, you know? Barely any damage but, you know, a little old lady driving a big car, a big old gnarly steering wheel and that's enough to kill an elderly person and stuff ." As they race to and from emergency calls, as they wait and watch, and as they administer aid to the traumatized, paramedics tell stories. Their tales disclose much about how they view their own profession. Their duties are much more complex than the dramatic portrayals that reach the living room via the television screen. This book reports what really goes on behind the scenes. The reader of Talking Trauma has a virtual front seat in the ambulance. Here the focus is not on the mechanics of the job but rather on paramedics' work culture and their well-established storytelling tradition. The stories they tell are cynical, flip, and profane--the very antithesis of "heroic" in the romantic sense. Their narratives evince an "anti-epic" quality that intentionally trivializes the conventional immensities of pain and horror. Paramedics present the gothic as "business as usual," and mainly their stories are intended only for the ears of other paramedics. Their stories afford a shocking glimpse into a chaotic urban underworld where prostitution, drug abuse, assault, and murder are daily fare. Outsiders may expect their tales to be only about horrific mutilation and death. However compelling such topics may be to the layperson, the actual repertory is most often commentary on personal experience and revelation of the "why" behind the stories paramedics tell. Talking Trauma provides an intimate look into a work culture deliberately kept hidden from public view. It is not centered on individuals the public may stereotype as streetwise, hardened caregivers but upon the stories of self-presentation by which paramedics structure past events to fit into their identity. This fascinating book reveals how storytelling equips these professionals to exert control over chaos and to withstand encounters with suffering, death, and mayhem on a daily basis. At the University of California, Los Angeles, Timothy R. Tangherlini is an assistant professor in the Scandinavian Section and affiliated with the Folklore and Mythology Program.
Download or read book Sound of Mercy A Paramedic s Story written by and published by Dorrance Publishing. This book was released on with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book It s Not the Trauma It s the Drama written by Marjorie Leigh Bomben and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2015-10-13 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For more than thirty years, Marjorie Leigh Bomben has been a member of the Chicago Fire Department, starting her career as a candidate paramedic working on an ambulance in some of the city's toughest neighborhoods. Now a paramedic field chief, Bomben looks back on thirty years of service in It's Not the Trauma, It's the Drama. The twenty true stories Bomben relates are unique-all told from the point of view of a woman rising through traditionally male ranks. Bomben's tales range from funny to gory, from the dangers paramedics face to the history of a venerable old firehouse. Some, of course, are about saving lives. Others are about simply staying alive. From Bomben's first trauma call-the result of a drag race along city streets gone horribly wrong-to her eventual rise through the ranks, her tales shift seamlessly from humorous encounters to descriptions of injuries human beings shouldn't be able to endure. Through it all, It's Not the Trauma, It's the Drama offers a glimpse of the strain and risk experienced by Chicago Fire Department paramedics every day. ***Don't miss Ms. Bomben's exciting second book, "It's Not the Trauma, It's the Drama: MORE Stories by a Chicago Fire Department Paramedic."
Download or read book Journey Into Grace written by Sarah Grace and published by Dryleaf Press. This book was released on 2016-03-08 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Often times, psychic 'gifts' don't feel like a gift at all. In this thrilling memoir, Sarah K. Grace describes in vivid detail what it's like to be in the trenches of some of California's busiest 911 systems as both a paramedic and highly sensitive clairvoyant/empath. For well over a decade, Sarah utilized her psychic abilities on critical scenes while transitioning countless souls into death. As if that wasn't intense enough, she secretly struggled to understand and accept the daily barrage of extra-sensory perceptions surrounding her patients, relatives, and self. This book is a true account of how she transitioned her own despair and darkness into the vibrance of empowered light. This is the book for you if: You've ever felt alone or alienated because of your psychic abilities. You worry that you are too 'broken' by your past to ever be whole. You need motivation and guidance towards achieving your highest purpose. 'In her courageous and compelling memoir, "Journey Into Grace," Sarah shares experiences from over a decade of working as a paramedic, interwoven with the story of her own evolution with her psychic gifts. Sarah takes us on a riveting ride as she shows us how transformation and rebirth can only be a result of honoring one's own inner truth... This book is a high-intensity, fascinating, powerful must-read!' --Nancy Levin, bestselling author of Jump ... And Your Life Will Appear '"Journey Into Grace" is an enthralling and dramatic story about one person's battle with the light and the dark of life. Sarah has discovered and described her path in the way that many authors write of, yet fail to truly communicate. This is where the author succeeds, because as she describes her story, you are actually transported into the moment. Sarah is truly a beacon of light for lost or wondering souls.' --Derek Mills, bestselling author of The 10-Second Philosophy 'Sarah has written a heartfelt story that shows a deep level of resilience that inspires us all. Through her own healing, she is now able to bring all of her diverse abilities to bear to help others walk their own path to wholeness.' --Kate MacKinnon, author of From My Hands and Heart
Download or read book American Sirens written by Kevin Hazzard and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2022-09-20 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The extraordinary story of an unjustly forgotten group of Black men in Pittsburgh who became the first paramedics in America, saving lives and changing the course of emergency medicine around the world Until the 1970s, if you suffered a medical crisis, your chances of survival were minimal. A 9-1-1 call might bring police or even the local funeral home. But that all changed with Freedom House EMS in Pittsburgh, a group of Black men who became America’s first paramedics and set the gold standard for emergency medicine around the world, only to have their story and their legacy erased—until now. In American Sirens, acclaimed journalist and paramedic Kevin Hazzard tells the dramatic story of how a group of young, undereducated Black men forged a new frontier of healthcare. He follows a rich cast of characters that includes John Moon, an orphan who found his calling as a paramedic; Peter Safar, the Nobel Prize-nominated physician who invented CPR and realized his vision for a trained ambulance service; and Nancy Caroline, the idealistic young doctor who turned a scrappy team into an international leader. At every turn, Freedom House battled racism—from the community, the police, and the government. Their job was grueling, the rules made up as they went along, their mandate nearly impossible—and yet despite the long odds and fierce opposition, they succeeded spectacularly. Never-before revealed in full, this is a rich and troubling hidden history of the Black origins of America’s paramedics, a special band of dedicated essential workers, who stand ready to serve day and night on the line between life and death for every one of us.
Download or read book En Route written by Steven Kelly Grayson and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-12-02 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Steven "Kelly" Grayson has seen the best of us at our worst. When hearts stop working, when blood alcohol levels exceed limits we shouldn't contemplate, when bodies are extricated from car wrecks, he's been there to pick up the pieces, save our lives, and watch us slip away. En Route is an unflinching look at the heart of a paramedic and the profession that shaped him. Grayson's touching stories of life and death and the hilarious ones of times in between are here to give us an insight of what happens after we call 911, the ambulance doors close, or even what happens inside the ER when the nurse shows the family to the waiting room.
Download or read book Riding the Lightning written by Anthony Almojera and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2022-06-07 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An intense look at the high-stakes world of a NYC paramedic in the months before and after COVID-19 altered our landscape.”—Damon Tweedy, MD, author of Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor's Reflections on Race and Medicine The education of a New York City paramedic, whose tales of tragedy and transcendence over a single year culminate in the greatest challenge the city’s emergency medical system has ever faced: COVID-19. As a seasoned paramedic and union leader, Anthony Almojera thought he could handle anything his job threw at him. Like many medical first responders, he came from a troubled background and carried the traumas of the city as well as its triumphs. He had grown up in the rough-and-tumble Park Slope of the 1980s, been homeless for a time, and had watched murder, addiction, and hopelessness consume those closest to him. But he had dedicated his life to helping people in need, and while every day was filled with tragedy—stabbings, shootings, accidents, suicides—it also brought moments of uplift: births, resuscitations, and rescues that reminded Anthony and his coworkers why EMS was the most thrilling job on earth, even if the pay was lousy and the hours were long. So when a strange new virus began spreading in New York, Anthony and his fellow medics were ready. They had done the biohazard drills; they knew the procedures, and how to handle the sick and the bereaved. They believed that their lives and training had prepared them for this new challenge. But the months ahead would prove them wrong, and would push New York’s EMS workers, and Anthony himself, to the breaking point—and beyond. Following one paramedic into hell and back, Riding the Lightning tells the story of New York City’s darkest days through the eyes of its frontline medical workers and the community they serve: ordinary people who will continue to make New York an extraordinary place long after it has been reborn from the ashes of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Download or read book Ambulance Girl written by Jane Stern and published by Crown. This book was released on 2004-04-27 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The basis for the movie starring Kathy Bates, Ambulance Girl is an inspiring story by a woman who found, somewhat late in life, that “in helping others I learned to help myself.” Jane Stern was a walking encyclopedia of panic attacks, depression, and hypochondria. Her marriage of more than thirty years was suffering, and she was virtually immobilized by fear and anxiety. As the daughter of parents who both died before she was thirty, Stern was terrified of illness and death, and despite the fact that her acclaimed career as a food and travel writer required her to spend a great deal of time on airplanes, she suffered from a persistent fear of flying and severe claustrophobia. Yet, this fifty-two-year-old writer decided to become an emergency medical technician. Stern tells her story with great humor and poignancy, creating a wonderful portrait of a middle-aged, Woody Allen–ish woman who was “deeply and neurotically terrified of sick and dead people,” but who went out into the world to save other people’s lives as a way of saving her own. Her story begins with the boot camp of EMT training: 140 hours at the hands of a dour ex-marine who took delight in presenting a veritable parade of amputations, hideous deformities, and gross disasters. Jane—overweight and badly out of shape—had to surmount physical challenges like carrying a 250-pound man seated in a chair down a dark flight of stairs. After class she did rounds in the emergency room of a local hospital. Each call Stern describes is a vignette of human nature, often with a life in the balance. From an AIDS hospice to town drunks, yuppie wife beaters to psychopaths, Jane comes to see the true nature and underlying mysteries of a town she had called home for twenty years. Throughout the book we follow her as she gets her sea legs, bonds with the firefighters who become her colleagues, and eventually, comes to be known as Ambulance Girl.
Download or read book Hard Roll written by Jon McCarthy and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2017-04-13 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Experience the rush as an emergency medic details some of the most formative calls of his career in the Big Easy in this action-packed memoir. Known as one of America’s most dangerous cities, New Orleans plays host to incidents ranging from the tragic and disturbing to the completely bizarre—and during his career as an emergency medic, Jon McCarthy saw it all. He chronicles some of the most formative calls of his career in this autobiography that reads like crime fiction. McCarthy demonstrates with detail and clarity that the difficult choice is often the right choice. While not for the faint of heart, each entry in this collection provides poignant insight into the bonds between medics and the people and city they serve. Praise for Hard Roll “One of the things Jon McCarthy does so well in this book is capture that combination of adrenaline, dark humor, and old-fashioned heroism that makes up the daily life of a first responder.” —Susan Larson, NPR’s The Reading Life “Masterfully describes the exhilaration of touching a patient at their most vulnerable moment and the emotional toll it takes when the outcome is not favorable and the sheer joy when medical experience meets the opportunity to make a difference . . . A must-read as one tries to grasp the social inequities, fragility of the war on crime, and paucity of basic healthcare that plagues our urban communities.” —Juliette M. Saussy, FACEP, former director and medical director of the New Orleans EMS, former paramedic, City of New Orleans
Download or read book Here Hold My Drink and Watch This written by Sunny Whitfield and published by Tablo Pty Limited. This book was released on 2021-07-19 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With a medley of experiences from the earliest days as a student paramedic, qualified officer, humanitarian health assistant, and high altitude medical officer, this book has underpinned the story of an everyday paramedic. Whilst thousands of ambulance officers, emergency medical technicians and paramedics criss-cross their way through communities around the world to provide support to people, 'Here Hold My Drink and Watch This' has captured a rare insight into the real people of paramedicine. Written from a down-to-earth perspective, Sunny brings to life the challenging and confronting work paramedics are faced with on a daily basis yet also finds some humour and consolation amongst the confusion and chaos.
Download or read book A Paramedic s Tales written by Graeme Taylor and published by Harbour Publishing. This book was released on 2020-03-14 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In most people’s minds, ambulances are best avoided—we pull over to let them pass, perhaps briefly thanking the universe that the day’s events have not necessitated our own swift passage to the ER, and then we go on with business as usual. But have you ever wondered, as that siren screeches by, what it would be like to work as a paramedic, when the most dire emergency is just another day at the office? In A Paramedic’s Tales, Graeme Taylor reveals all—from the humorous to the horrific. Not knowing what’s around the bend makes for a fast-paced adventure every time a paramedic goes on duty. Taylor, who worked as a paramedic for twenty-one years in Vancouver’s Lower Mainland, the BC Interior and Victoria, shares true stories that are both gritty and uncensored, yet the compassion and courage of co-workers, patients, strangers—and people who had previously threatened to kill our narrator—shine through the gore. The author writes that as a paramedic, to stop from crying you have to keep laughing, and readers will find themselves doing the same. From the near-daily task of deciding whether to send someone to the ER or the drunk tank, to the occasional miracle, to the just plain ridiculous, readers will gain insight into everyday life in emergency medicine. With stories set across the province, from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to down the side of a cliff, these rollicking tales explain the perils of life before GPS, what to do if a drunk mob surrounds your ambulance, and how to drive like a paramedic.
Download or read book An Ambulance Is on the Way written by Jonathan Wilson and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sharp, bittersweet tales of middle-aged American men, in hot water with their women, with their sweet or streetwise kids, with their own consciences.
Download or read book Paramedic written by K. C. Kelley and published by Mason Crest Publishers. This book was released on 2015-09 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sirens blare as paramedics race to the scene of another emergency. With lives hanging in the balance, they use their training, skill, and ingenuity to come through in the clutch. Whether it's a heart attack, a car accident, a shooting, or just someone having trouble, these real-life heroes come through. Inside, find out how they do their jobs, whenever they get the call. Adventure, courage, talent . . . and service--they can all be found in the stories of brave men and women who go . . . ON A MISSION. Each title in this series contains color photos, close ups of key tools and technology used on each mission, and back matter including: an index, further reading lists for books and internet resources, and a series glossary. Mason Crest's editorial team has placed Key Icons to Look for throughout the books in this series in an effort to encourage library readers to build knowledge, gain awareness, explore possibilities and expand their viewpoints through our content rich non-fiction books. Key Icons are as follows: Words to Understand are shown at the front of each chapter with definitions. These words are then used in the prose throughout that chapter, and are emboldened, so that the reader is able to reference back to the definitions- building their vocabulary and enhancing their reading comprehension. Sidebars are highlighted graphics with content rich material within that allows readers to build knowledge and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Text Dependent Questions are placed at the end of each chapter. They challenge the reader's comprehension of the chapter they have just read, while sending the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects are provided at the end of each chapter as well and provide readers with suggestions for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. A Series Glossary of Key Terms is included in the back matter contains terminology used throughout the series. Words found here broaden the reader's knowledge and understanding of terms used in this field.
Download or read book Paramedic to the Prince written by Patrick (Tom) Notestine and published by Booksurge Publishing. This book was released on 2009-12 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Californian paramedic answers an advertisement for contract work at a military hospital in Saudi Arabia. So his adventure begins. This is a riveting, factual account of his ten years inside a country seldom seen by the outside world. Working on the private medical staff of King Abdullah, no western writer has ever been this close to the "House of Saud". The author takes you on a journey from the desert camps of the Bedouin to the highest echelons of the Saudi royal family. From meetings between King Abdullah and Yasser Arafat to the death of Edi Amin the author documents it all. Themes explored include the contrast of cultures and the rise of terrorism in a post 9/11 world. The author's unique and often humorous perspective provides a view of Saudi society that has never before been documented by any other book in this genre. The author gives an important insight to events that continue to affect the world today.
Download or read book My Ambulance Education written by Joseph F. Clark and published by Firefly Books. This book was released on 2011-12-23 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Life Changing Paramedic Stories written by Dion Siluch and published by Dion Siluch. This book was released on 2017-04-01 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Have you ever wondered what it’s like to save a life? The most interesting part about being a paramedic is the audience you attract. The stories that I typically share will make people cry, laugh, get inspired, get angry, feel sick, feel loved and educate. Sometimes all at the same time! There’s a rule with emergency responders that is universal. We are seriously messed up! We’ve seen it all… From paranoid schizophrenic psychopaths driving 140km/hr into a rock wall to a life changing incident that will make a grown man cry, our range of stories are endless. I’ve always heard the quote ‘hell is paved with good intentions’ but I didn’t really understand it until working with the ambulance. The more I experienced, the more I learned, and the more I learned, the more I understood how insane our world is. I’m happy to say this book has inspired people to take a deeper look into what really matters. How life can so quickly be taken away and the appreciation for the simple things in life can bring long lasting joy. So please enjoy as I share the 12 most amazing stories that will change your life.
Download or read book A Paramedic s Tales written by Graeme Taylor and published by Harbour Publishing. This book was released on 2020-03-14 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In most people's minds, ambulances are best avoided--we pull over to let them pass, perhaps briefly thanking the universe that the day's events have not necessitated our own swift passage to the ER, and then we go on with business as usual. But have you ever wondered, as that siren screeches by, what it would be like to work as a paramedic, when the most dire emergency is just another day at the office? In A Paramedic's Tales, Graeme Taylor reveals all--from the humorous to the horrific. Not knowing what's around the bend makes for a fast-paced adventure every time a paramedic goes on duty. Taylor, who worked as a paramedic for twenty-one years in Vancouver's Lower Mainland, the BC Interior and Victoria, shares true stories that are both gritty and uncensored, yet the compassion and courage of co-workers, patients, strangers--and people who had previously threatened to kill our narrator--shine through the gore. The author writes that as a paramedic, to stop from crying you have to keep laughing, and readers will find themselves doing the same. From the near-daily task of deciding whether to send someone to the ER or the drunk tank, to the occasional miracle, to the just plain ridiculous, readers will gain insight into everyday life in emergency medicine. With stories set across the province, from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to down the side of a cliff, these rollicking tales explain the perils of life before GPS, what to do if a drunk mob surrounds your ambulance, and how to drive like a paramedic.
