EMT: Beyond the Lights and Sirens

Pat Ivey takes you far and beyond the title of EMT or cardaic technician. She takes you "beyond the lights and sirens." She lets you experience not only the adernaline rush of working in EMS but also the emotional stand point of the system Working in the system myself I have found the book to be a great inspirational guide. To know that everybody looses patients and people just die sometimes. She also gives you the motivation to do as much as you can in EMS. Excellent author and an excellent plot. GREAT BOOK PAT.

I loved this book! Pat Ivey really expresses what being a female EMT is like in today's society. She tells about her feelings of inadequacy in a male dominated work environment. I could not stop reading it! I felt as though I was fighting, crying, and laughing right along with Pat Ivey.

I enjoyed reading every page of this book, it paints the picture of what EMS is about outside of the big city. After years of service in EMS in a rural area I can relate with the stories told in this book. Rich says this book is boring and doesn't have enough stories, but I disagree, I think it is pretty similar to my experiences in EMS. This book is not about the thrills, it is about the human stories, and that is what EMS is about.

I read Pat Ivey's book back when I first joined a volunteer EMS unit in 1993. Growing up in a big city, I was curious to find out more about a suburban volunteer "squad" and what I was getting in to. I loved the book. Sinc then, I give v the book to many of the EMTs I've precepted. I don't give it to them to describe the action or excitement. I give them book to show the compassion, caring and respect for human life and dignity that is a fundemental part of pre-hospital medicine. Pat Ivey captures that spirit of love and caring concern that I've found in EMS extremely well in this book.

Pat Ivey, a volunteer EMT in a rural area, takes us on an ambulance ride through several years of her career, showing us the humor, pathos and humanity of the patients she and her squad treat. Pat shows us some of the pressures of being a volunteer, and gives us a glimpse into how this affects her family life. Pat goes to a big-city ambulance crew as a "tick" or ride-along, and is accused by one of the EMTs there of being "a handholder," but it is Pat and her crew's warmth and caring toward their patients that stands out most clearly in this book. Pre-hospital treatment can begin with soothing and reassurance. A book that kept me turning pages, and even shedding a tear now and then. Well worth the read.