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

Joseph F. Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 27, 2009

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.

(200904)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Energized, gruesome.... Readers with the stomach for it will be drawn in by this high-speed, adrenaline-powered ride-along. (Publishers Weekly 20090518)

This is a darn good memoir, but the graphically gruesome, stomach-clenching tales might mean trouble for delicate readers. (Terri Schlichenmeyer The Spectrum (St. George UT) )

Clark carries the reader along his emergency ride of screaming sirens, gunshots and bloody messes... A very good read. (Garrett Bishoff Lethbridge Herald )

It [is] a nice read--fascinating, fast moving, and very well written. This is definitely recommended for medical drama fans. (BethsBookReviewblog.blogspot.com )

About the Author

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.

(20090621)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books; 1 edition (March 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1554074479
• ISBN-13: 978-1554074471
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Education: University;

Susquehanna University,
Selinsgrove PA 17870, USA.
B.A.: Chemistry, 1984. (Biology Minor)
ATC: Certified Athletic Trainer, 1984.

Graduate School:
Michigan State University, East Lansing MI 48823, USA. M.S.: Bioscience, 1986.
Michigan State University, East Lansing MI 48823, USA. Ph.D.: Physiology, 1990.

Current Post:
Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati
Adjunct Professor; Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology
Faculty Member; Neuroscience Program
Faculty Member/Executive Committee; Physician Scientist Training Program
Chief Scientific Officer of Xanthostat Diagnostics Limited
Co-Director, Point of Care Center for Emerging Neurotechnologies

Previous Posts:
Graduate Student and Teaching Assistant: Department of Physiology
1986-1990 Michigan State University, East Lansing MI.
1990-1991 Postdoctoral Fellow, Fogarty Fellowship: Centre University de Paris Sud, INSERM U-241, Bat. 443, Orsay France.
1992-1995 Junior Research Fellow, Linacre College, University of Oxford,
1991-1997 MRC Non-Clinical Research Scientist, Department of Biochemistry, Oxford University, England.
1995-1999. Lecturer in Medicine Worcester College, Oxford University.
1996 - 2000. Lecturer in Biochemistry St. Anne's College, Oxford University.
1997 - 2000 Group Leader, Vascular Smooth Muscle Research Group, MRC Collaborative Centre.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What the real world of EMTs and Paramedics is like!, March 9, 2009

By 

Lucian Lipinsky De Orlov (Westchester County, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Ambulance Education: Life and Death on the Streets of the City (Hardcover)

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!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read, July 22, 2009

By 

Robert Sharp D.V.M. (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Ambulance Education: Life and Death on the Streets of the City (Paperback)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intense and Poignant EMT Accounts, April 26, 2009

By 

Mary Milloway (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Ambulance Education: Life and Death on the Streets of the City (Hardcover)

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!