My Ambulance Education: Life and Death on the Streets of the City Paperback – March 27, 2009

For a background, I ran ambulance for a few years and was an EMT. I also ran fire calls and rescue calls for about 15 years. I was a volunteer in a small town.I have a lot of things I saw over my time but I was glad I did not have some of the experiences that he had. That being said, I think it is tough for a "former" volunteer to totally become disinterested in the things they volunteered to do.I thoroughly enjoyed the book and his experiences. Some of what I found interesting was the interaction between the ambulance people and the police - sometimes the lack of interaction when things were potentially dangerous. It was a quick read and I enjoyed it.

Short stories about an array of different emergency calls. Quick read. Author has a good sense of humor. However, it does'nt offer much detail if you are looking for gory descriptions of what happens to a body that has been shot, found in a car accident, etc. Does not go into many specific details on life saving procedures. I don't think it explains in much detail the emotional affects of what emergency personnel go through. You can imagine how hard it must be to see what they see but a detailed explanation is lacking. It is a good, short story, enjoyable read but if you are looking for deeper details I would check out "Trauma Junkie" you can't beat it!

I have to hand it to the author for being brutally honest with his experience. If you are reading the book for inspiration in being an ambulance volunteer (whether an EMT or Paramedic) please know that while the book is interesting and entertaining in some parts, it definitely is not very inspiring. The author's ambulance education led him to a life away from medicine and toward medical research. He went to be an EMT in order to pay for college. You will discover from the start that Mr. Clark's vocational choice (or part-time job choice) seemed a bit ill-fitting. I am unsure why he felt the need to write the book. His ambulance education is not very much of an education at all -- except in cynicism.Clearly the wrong choice of job preference for the author and not extremely inspiring for those in the field or those aspiring to be in the field of EMS. For something a bit more inspiring regarding the entire EMT experience check out Ambulance Girl: How I Saved Myself By Becoming an EMT. I found "My Ambulance Education" droll and cynical. Gallows humor helped the author get through his experiences which he claims he would never trade for any other -- but would never recommend to anyone?Mixed messages throughout. Perhaps there was another way that Mr. Clark could have earned his way through college.

At the beginning I was struck by the brutal and gross language, but I soon understood this is a brilliant way in which the author depicts the reality. I enjoyed this book very much, and it helped reinforce my "EMS" bug (I'm currently an EMT in training).

I really enjoyed this book, lots of cool stories and it is written in an easy to read but fun manner

Good collection of personal stories.

What a truly eye opening book. How the experiences Joseph Clark relates eventually shaped his life is impressive.Kudos on a well written book.

Amazing book received in perfect condition! ABsolutely met my standards being a young EMT! Do not hesitate if interested in this item!

Like you in the back of the ambulance with the paramedic running a code. Good book if you like pre hospital care