My Ambulance Education: Life and Death on the Streets of the City

This was a trade paperback printed on the most lovely, silky paper (think elementary school workbooks), and so had the smell. You know that smell. It pulls you into a sense of peace and immediately makes you like the book. Due to the nature of the lovely paper it was quite a heavyweight book, so no single handed reading on this one. Some of the stories were rather disturbing, and it seems that some patients would have been better off if they had died at the scene. No one deserves what some of these people had to suffer. There was a nice section of photographs which helped to give faces to the people you were reading about. This was a nice read - fascinating, fast moving, and very well written. It had the feel of House's Wilson in an ambulance. The book was immediately engrossing and tastefully dealt with potentially icky experiences while still being refreshingly honest. The author is also the Dean Koontz of memoir writers - successfully blending the horror of the job with humor. This is definitely recommended for medical drama fans.

Whenever an ambulance goes by, everyone stops what they're doing and watches. We all wonder what's happened and what will be done. Well stop wondering! Joe Clark tells all. As a college student with a need to make money, Joe drove an ambulance in the big city and lets us in on the inner workings of an all-night ambulance crew. Sometimes chilling, occasionally gruesome, always captivating the well-written tales of Dr. Clark had me hooked from the first page. Fiction isn't this good. As a caring and well-trained EMT Joe makes you realize what a difficult job a New York ambulance driver faces. Get this book. You'll love it.

Dr. Clark takes the reader on a true and real journey of the little known or seen life of an EMT. The recollections are reality based, sometimes brutally so, but always with the dignity of the players kept in mind. This book will help people better understand and appreciate the work the EMT's do on a daily basis. The work we really don't think or worry about until we need their help. While the heroes of 9/11 will always be in the forefront of our minds, let us not forget the other EMT's who have and continue to keep our world safe. This should be required reading for all prospective nurses and doctors!

The pager goes off. The adrenalin kicks in. You listen to hear what the call is. The ambulance speeds to scene to help the sick or injured. The only common factor in every ambulance call is the race into the unknown and that every run has a unique story to it. It's those stories Dr. Joseph Clark tells in his book, "My Ambulance Education: Life and Death on the Streets of the City." The book starts with a punch just like when EMTs and Paramedics are awoken from a deep sleep. The raw and honest stories tell a real-life view of what both volunteers and paid providers face as part of the ambulance crews who take care of all of us. Dr. Clark writes of his emergency medical responses, his personal growth and his private tales. After my personal three decades of EMS work, I can assure anyone who wants to read about the excitement and unusual roadside and residence tales faced by EMS every day must read this book. For the seasoned volunteer and professional there will be a lot of nodding in agreement with Dr. Clark's treatments and emergency department interactions. For those considering joining "the ranks" this book will provide a down-to-earth expectation of what lies ahead. This is one of the few books that portray EMS as it really is. I found each story better than the previous one and the book impossible to put down. Read "My Ambulance Education: Life and Death on the Streets of the City" by Dr. Joseph Clark and appreciate EMS responders - BEFORE you need them!

With chapter titles like; Vomit on the Ceiling, Sleep Depraved and Introducing Death, what is not to like? It is funny and terrifying. A must read. Parts of this book will stick with you. If you've worked EMS you'll nod knowingly at the stories and emotions. It is refreshing to see in print how EMTs deal with these emotions. If you have not worked on an ambulance some things may be quite shocking, but judge not until you walked in those shoes. As the title implies, EDUCATION is in there too. This is a real good read that brings out feelings. Sometimes those feelings are good feelings, and sometimes sadness. These emotions are broken up with humor that will be well recognized by medical and paramedical people.