Confessions of a Trauma Junkie: My Life as a Nurse Paramedic (Reflections of America Series) [Paperback]

Sherry Jones Mayo (Author)

Book Description

Series: Reflections of America Series | Publication Date: June 1, 2009

Ride in the back of the ambulance with Sherry Jones Mayo

Share the innermost feelings of emergency services workers as they encounter trauma, tragedy, redemption, and even a little humor. Sherry Jones Mayo has been an Emergency Medical Technician, Emergerncy Room Nurse, and an on-scene critical incident debriefer for Hurricane Katrina. Most people who have observed or experienced physical, mental or emotional crisis have single perspectives. This book allows readers to stand on both sides of the gurney; it details a progression from innocence to enlightened caregiver to burnout, glimpsing into each stage personally and professionally.

Emergency Service Professionals Praise Confessions of a Trauma Junkie

"A must read for those who choose to subject themselves to life at its best and at its worst. Sherry offers insight in the Emergency Response business that most people cannot imagine."
--Maj Gen Richard L. Bowling, former Commanding General, USAF Auxiliary (CAP)

"Sherry Mayo shares experiences and unique personal insights of first responders. Told with poetry, sensitivity and a touch of humor at times, all are real, providing views into realities EMTs, Nurses, and other first responders encounter. Recommended reading for anyone working with trauma, crises, critical incidents in any profession."
-- George W. Doherty, MS, LPC, President Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Institute

"Sherry has captured the essence of working with people who have witnessed trauma. It made me cry, it made me laugh, it helped me to understand differently the work of our Emergency Services Personnel. I consider this a 'MUST READ' for all of us who wish to be helpful to those who work in these professions."
--Dennis Potter, LMSW, CAAC, FAAETS, ICISF Instructor

"Confessions of a Trauma Junkie is an honest, powerful, and moving account of the emotional realities of helping others! Sherry Mayo gives us a privileged look into the healing professions she knows firsthand. The importance of peer support is beautifully illustrated. This book will deepen the readers respect for those who serve."
--Victor Welzant, PsyD, Director of Education and Training The International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc

Learn more at www.SherryJonesMayo.com

From the Reflections of America Series
Modern History Press www.ModernHistoryPress.com

Medical : Allied Health Services - Emergency Medical Services
Biography & Autobiography : Medical - General
Psychology : Psychopathology - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Product Details

• Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: Modern History Press (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932690964
• ISBN-13: 978-1932690965
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,214,825 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sherry Jones Mayo is a native of Michigan, a registered nurse, and licensed paramedic. After spending a few years as an emergency room trauma nurse in Las Vegas, Nevada she has returned to her roots in Michigan. Combining experience in emergency medicine and critical incident stress management (CISM) with a love for writing, Sherry has published her work in several military, civilian, medical, collegiate, and internet forums. Her second solo book, "More Confessions of a Trauma Junkie" is scheduled for a January 2012 release.

Sherry's experience in both rural and urban emergency medicine stirred an interest in critical incident stress management. With more than 20 years of involvement with the United States Air Force Auxiliary, Civil Air Patrol, she has advanced to the grade of Lieutenant Colonel. During her tenure as the National Director, Critical Incident Stress Management at CAP, Sherry demonstrated an exceptional mastery of the subject, and was the key architect in the development of CAP's National CISM Program, taking it from concept to a full program supporting the emergency services and first responder work of the organizations 50,000+ volunteers.

Sherry is a member of, and Approved Instructor for the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) and Diplomate with the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. Sherry is attending graduate school for psychology, with a concentration in Crisis Management and Response, and expects to graduate in 2012.

See http://sherryjonesmayo.com or e-mail [e-mail]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Honest and engrossing., July 16, 2009

By 

Holly (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Confessions of a Trauma Junkie: My Life as a Nurse Paramedic (Reflections of America Series) (Paperback)

Honest and engrossing. I enjoyed this first responder perspective. Sherry Jones Mayo has been an EMT, Emergency Room Nurse and a Critical Incident counselor. She brings the reader into the ER and into the ambulance. So much of our medical experience is from television shows like ER and House, and Grey's Anatomy. But, unless you're a medical professional, you have no way of understanding the experience and pressure Emergency Service Personnel face on a daily basis. These people choose these professions; they choose to be on the front lines of emergency care and saving lives.

Sherry's book is a series of vignettes, some her own experiences, some from other EMS personnel. Many are hysterically funny and irreverent about those strange and obnoxious patients. Others are tender, recounting an EMTs first patient loss, or the aftermath of a traumatic experience and the importance of crisis counseling for care givers.

It's a rare look into the healing profession. As I read, I came away with a greater appreciation for those who save lives daily.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and honest journey through paramedic to ER to Katrina and crisis intervention, April 11, 2010

By 

Betty Gelean "nightreader" (Smithers, BC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Confessions of a Trauma Junkie: My Life as a Nurse Paramedic (Reflections of America Series) (Paperback)

You may never have the opportunity to read a book like this again. This true life documentation is an interesting look into the quality and care presented in the most traumatic incidents. Sometimes sad, sometimes humorous, the first part deals with Sherry Jones Mayo's time served as a paramedic. Vignettes of life, injury and death on the run. As with all traumatic jobs, there must be comic relief, and so there is, the "gallows humor" method of retaining one's sanity in an insane world. I do not use the word "insane" to mean anything degrading, simply as that is how the world appears in chaotic, traumatic incidents of life. You will find all of these in this honest non-fiction book.

The second part gives the reader insight into who Sherry is, what inspired her, what obstacles she had to overcome in her own life, and where/how the breaking point can suddenly appear. No holds barred, this is again a very honest approach to her life at several stages, her love of family, and how incidents in the ER can impact her concerns for her family. She has seen it all. It is extremely difficult not to interpret what is happening at work with what might be happening to her own family. Separating family and work is definitely not as easy as in other occupations.

The third part could well be called survival of the staff from the patients in the ER. It is, for the most part, lighter and a definite theme of how to survive the abuse of the patients. Told with tongue firmly planted in cheek, it is a day-to-day list of patience above and beyond when it comes to receiving patients who are not really sick or are just simply demanding. The people who are "too sick" to tend to themselves but can manage well enough to treat the caregivers like servants. And then there are the "regulars", people trying to get drugs by acting out pain and telling the doctors what they need. Here, too, "gallows humor" reigns from necessity.

The fourth section covers in part living with grief, accepting it, healing, and remembering the positive. I found a personal connection in both getting through grief and, further in this section, the result of delayed grief. Apparently I did the right thing in dealing with the loss of my grandmother by writing a story of her childhood, as the only grandchild who had heard all the stories. With delayed grief, it is an entirely different feeling and can hit at any time, even decades later. It lays buried and unnoticed until some trigger leaves a person reeling and not understanding why, it is buried so deeply. The content of this section of the book was very helpful to me personally, and I highly recommend the book on the merits of this segment especially. Referring to grief, Sherry is not only talking about the need for families of patients, but also for those attending to the patients and their families as well.

A separate story on Hurricane Katrina brings Crisis Intervention to the forefront and demonstrates just how important this is. So little could be done by the rescue teams and yet they felt the need to have done more. This puts a great burden on these people and consequently eventually on their families. This distinct section is a very important read, not only for that aspect but it does explain a lot of errors and delays that occurred at the time. This portion and the following deal mainly with the very real problems facing even seasoned ER personnel and the need for crisis intervention.

All told, this book will bring a greater understanding of just how much these very special people are capable of, how caring they are, and why some burn out so soon. I definitely recommend this book on many levels. Who has not had some connection to this field at some point in their lives. This is how it is, written faithfully and dealing more with outcomes and feelings than a gory tale.

The book is very well written with a nice balance to hold the lay person's attention. There is also a glossary at the end of the book, although most terms are either recognizable or explained along the way as well.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Take a ride to the E.R., July 27, 2011

By 

W. Corbett (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Confessions of a Trauma Junkie: My Life as a Nurse Paramedic (Reflections of America Series) (Paperback)

Sherry and I met while taking a class together at the University of Phoenix accelerated online program. She and I worked well together, helping to lead and motivate our class team to moving forward in completing our assignments on time and on target. Then I learned that Sherry published the book, "Confessions of a Trauma Junkie: My Life as a Nurse Paramedic," and read it cover to cover. I couldn't put it down as I relived a past life as a southern California rescue fireman, facing birth, death, and human despair. In her book, Sherry takes you on explosive ambulance rides and chaotic encounters in the hospital E.R., where human beings are at their most vulnerable state. From heart-wrenching incidents of death and horror, to moments of embarrassment and humor, Sherry Jones Mayo shares it with you all in her amazing book. What you'll learn after reading this book is that behind the badge and uniform of every emergency professional is a human spirit that longs for the healing of each and every call they respond to.