Ambulance Girl: How I Saved Myself By Becoming an EMT

This isn't a book about being an EMT, it's about the journey to be an EMT and how it changed one woman's life. It's an easy non-fiction read, very witty at times, and soothing. Jane Stern was a nationally-known food writer, but she was crippled by her phobias and lingering depression. When her local fire station advertised that they needed more EMTs, Jane surprised herself and everyone else by signing up for the course - and by succeeding. She began by being afraid of tight spaces, of blood and gore, of other people, but by becoming part of the emergency crew/firefighter family, she gains a better sense of herself and fights through her fears.

Some of the passages are absolutely hilarious. Among the no-nos of being an EMT:
- don't replace show more organs hanging from bodies
- don't give CPR to a severed head
- don't attempt to revive someone in a "state of advanced decomposition"
- if "you have a patient whose leg or arm is partially amputated, do not pull it off to make things `neat.' "

I read this for my continuing novel research, and I gained some valuable information. But really, it's a very good book. I have a lot in common with Jane Stern and her Monk-like list of phobias, so to me this was really a story about hope. It's not about curing or getting rid of your fears, but you can succeed nevertheless - and you can help other people at the same time. show less

At 52 years old, Jane Stern had hit a rough patch in her life, suffering from too many phobias to name. One day she sees a sign for volunteer EMT's wanted at her local firehouse. On a whim, she signs up for the class. Despite all of her phobias, she passes all of the tests with flying colors and becomes a Volunteer EMT for the Georgetown CT Fire Department.

Her stories are funny and heart-breaking. From hanging out in the firehouse with "the guys" to going on a call to the AIDS Hospice facility and meeting a patient who touches her life for a very short amount of time.

I found myself laughing out loud many times, as Jane has a dry sense of humor, very similar to mine. We also share the same phobias....I didn't think anyone could be as show more phobic as I am of vomiting, but she proved me wrong!

I loved her story....and admire her greatly for pursuing her career as an EMT, despite her being afraid. She found out that she gained so much in her life by helping others. It helped her find her niche...helping others helped her find herself.

Highly Recommended! show less

between 2.5 and 3. i might like this book more than the average reader, as i spent over 10 years as an emt, part of that at a fire department, so might have found her stories more fun and relatable than most. she writes decently, and honestly about her anxiety and depression. (although the first chapter, which should have been a preface, was very poorly written and probably would have caused me to put the book down right there if i did that sort of thing.) it's not a completely cohesive story, but that's ok. it certainly brought me back to my time in emt class, the feeling of being one of the only women in the firehouse, and to the hours i spent in the back of that rig or driving it.

I have read this book at least 4 times in the last few years. I completely related to the author and loved that she took her life in her own hands. This book is about a woman who has a ton of anxieties and phobias that basically make it impossible for her to live her life, but while flying she actually saves a life of a fellow passenger and that inspires her to become an EMT and how that gives her purpose. And that isn't to say that even once she becomes an EMT that everything is smooth sailing, she absolutely has set backs and regressions, but she pulls herself together in the end. Also she isn't a young woman, she's at best middle aged. Exceptional read.

Jane Stern, a middle-aged woman with all kinds of issues ranging from phobias and depression to anxiety and being overweight, tells the tale of how she did the unexpected (even to herself) and became a volunteer EMT for the small town of Georgetown, Connecticut. A writer by profession, Jane infuses her experiences responding to calls, riding in ambulances with victims and on-scene traumas with just the right amount of poignancy and humor. Readers may very well be inspired to become EMTs themselves.

From a bookbox, A gourmet magazine writer, who goes into panic attacks on planes decides in her 50s to become an EMT. Quite funny, I suppose because I too trained as an EMT and worked as a nurse. I totally get the macabre humor, as she describes her training and her "firsts" on the runs. Now off to another reader as a wishlist tag.

I'm not a big memoir fan, but I always like listening to the Sterns on The Splendid Table and a friend recommended this book.

It was a quick read and kind of a good story, of the kind that makes you go "I'm glad I'm not THAT person."