A book review of Paramedic: One the Front Lines of Medicine by Peter Canning
Stars: ****
Fawcett Columbine (1997)
Emergency Medicine
368 pages
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Summary: In this unforgettable, dramatic account of one man’s experience as an EMT, Peter Canning relives the nerve-racking seconds that can mean the difference between a patient’s death and survival, as Canning struggles to make the right call, dispense the right medication, or keep a patient’s heart beating long enough to reach the hospital. As Canning tells his graphic, gripping war stories–of the lives he saved and lost; of the fear, the nightmares, and the constant adrenaline-pumping thrill of action–we come away with an unforgettable portrait of what it means to be a hero.
Paramedic
I enjoyed this book but I do have to put a warning out there. Maybe a few. First of all the book is from 1997 and so has some outdated ways of talking about people. There are many instances where the author or another person from their stories calls people or even children fat. That’s not something that would go well now a days. However if you realize the times and read past those spots, the story itself is intriguing.
I’m reading from the point of view of a person who has has EMS at their house a lot and unfortunately rode the ambulance many times too. It’s interesting to read from the other point of view.
Every story was interesting and I even saw myself in some of the patients who had the same or similar conditions to me. It had my captivated the whole book which was just story after story. I wish it was more up to date and Canadian because when it mentions regulations I have no idea if they are still like that or if Canada is like that. I want to find an EMS memoir that is Canadian and up to date.
However even though it’s dated the book was a good read.
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