You Went to Emergency for What?: Bizarre, bloody and baffling true stories from the hospital ED

by Tim Booth

Bizarre, bloody and baffling true stories from the hospital ED, told by bestselling author and paramedic Tim Booth.

When paramedic Tim Booth finds himself rushing a patient's dead cat to a (human) hospital's Emergency Department for resuscitation, he finds himself wondering where it all went wrong.

From bedroom mishaps and hypochondriacs to suspicious rashes and freak cattle incidents, the doctors, nurses and paramedics of our hospital EDs have seen everything. Every day, Tim and his colleagues battle burnout, an overburdened healthcare system and compassion fatigue, powered only by caffeine, dark humour and a heartfelt drive to save lives. But the moments of Hollywood heroism are few, as they struggle to navigate the chaotic, absurd and sometimes downright ridiculous side of emergency medicine.

Written like a night shift in Emergency - dark, unpredictable, and likely to make you question humanity's collective IQ - You Went to Emergency for What? reveals the weirdest, funniest and most heart-wrenching true stories of what really goes on in our hospitals.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Medical, Humor, Adult, Biography Memoir, Ebooks

Audible Audio

First published July 29, 2025

Reviews

[Sheree | Keeping Up With The Penguins · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love dark humour, I’ve been known to crack jokes at funerals, but I think Booth fundamentally misunderstands the import that words take when written down. You Went To Emergency For What? crosses the line of dark humour into outright cruelty. Many times, Booth relates a horrific story of systemic failure and community neglect with an eyeroll and a “can you BELIEVE what this idiot called 000 for?”. It’s not funny. It’s fucked up.

My full review of You Went To Emergency For What? is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is exactly what the title of this book is about. This was an eye opener to what our paramedics have to deal with. I have the utmost respect for anyone who works in our healthcare system. I'm grateful for all they do for us.

They would need to have a sense of humor to cope with what they deal with day in and day out. Thats the way this book is written. With a sense of humor

Thank you, Tim, for sharing these stories. Some will have you shaking your head! I would love to see a mobile doctor ambulance for people who can't get to see the doctor. Often, they are left with no choice.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some parts were funny, some made me sympathetic to medical staff, and some made me downright angry towards medical staff and increased my lack of trust for them. The fact he blames patients for getting old and needing help, blames patients for being upset when they are misdiagnosed and has zero understanding, or worse makes no attempt to understand, what it is like to be ill, old or to have mental health issues is disgusting. Considering I've been told my lump was nothing and didn't need a mammogram (it was invasive breast cancer) and that I have NAFLD (it was DILI from the breast cancer surgery) this year already and pretty much the only suggestion from the doctor has been drink less (4 beers total this year) and lose weight (my BMI is 18.1 so medically I'm underweight already) I have very little trust in the medical profession now. People like the author are the reason we don't trust medical staff and now get all our own lab results to read. To make it worse he is throwing other medical professionals under the bus at various points and being totally unprofessional. Sadly, I've seen this too during my cancer journey. How can we trust a team when they badmouth and contradict each other?

I probably should not have read this right now, but I was hoping for some light entertainment of human stupidity not disparaging remarks about colleagues and people for getting old or ill. Hopefully, one of his bosses reads it and insists on some re-education before he is allowed near patients again.

[Teagan Cook · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author of this book was just mean. Towards patients, towards medical professionals and to those making decisions. 20% entertaining stories, 80% putting down the healthcare system and patients. Not saying he’s wrong (I’m not a healthcare worker) but blaming everyone for him not enjoying his job and writing about it isn’t going to get him anywhere

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a painful read and not for the reasons you may think - it's 20% interesting perspective and 80% bloviating and "jokes" that mostly punch down.

I don't know Tim and I don't want to, he may be a great paramedic but he's a shitty writer and unfortunately a byproduct of our world. Underpaid, overworked and jaded from it all...his biggest flaw is the world view he projects through the book. He spends a small amount of time blaming "administrators" and most of it blaming the individuals which indicates to me he hasn't got a shred of dialectical analysis in him.

The problem is liberalism and capitalism, Tim. You talk about funding like it's this magical thing and it's really not that complicated - politicians and rich people want to pay as little as possible to care for the masses and people like you feel the brunt. Direct your rage at the right people and then write a book again, perhaps you'll change some minds then.

Horrible analysis aside, you aren't funny. Sucks to suck but you make fun of the fat, the elderly, the mentally ill and people that are scared. You are a fragile man who seems to lead a sad existence if this is funny to you. You aren't funny, you are just an asshole.

[Tash Em · Rating 1 out of 5]

my dad is a paramedic and I know how dark their humour is but this is downright cruel.

[EmG ReadsDaily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories of the absurd, unpredictable and bizarre side of emergency medicine.

I enjoyed this as an audiobook, which is narrated well by the author.

[Matilda (booksinwildplaces) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rating: 1 star.
Genre(s): medical memoir, non-fiction.

Overall impression: Tim does himself no favours in this memoir. Not only does he insult every other health profession (incl. doctors, social work, nurses) at some point in the book but he treats patients like shit. His 'dark humour' is really just him being judgemental and rude towards vulnerable people, who he has grouped together as 'time wasters'. His medical advice is terrible and harmful, so I am shocked that this has even been published. Telling a female patient to not go to ED when she has chest pain in the future because it's probably reflux is the most dangerous thing he could have said. He should know that heart attacks can present differently in women - including subtle symptoms like jaw pain/shoulder pain - so if they are concerned, they should go to emergency to get it checked out. On top of all of that, the book is just written badly. He changes character POV with no warning and you can't work out who he is trying to represent.

Tropes:
➵ Australian medical memoir (paramedic, nurse, doctor)
➵ Career burnout
➵ Dark humour
➵ Narrated by the author

Statistics:
➵ Date read: 11/12/2025-16/12/2025 (6 days).
➵ Page count: 6 hrs 37 mins.
➵ Type: audiobook.
➵ Volume: standalone.

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[Kel’s Books]

I listened to this as an audiobook and appreciated the insights into the reality of working in emergency medicine in Australia

The dark humour punctuated the darkness of the medical cases but sometimes the jokes and cynicism felt very … harsh

I’m not going to rate the book because I don’t like rating memoirs or autobiographical work. Your life and experience of the world is yours to share and I don’t need to “rate” your life

[Vienna Bradley]

Very good

[Tash · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid look into what busy emergency rooms can look like, attitudes, stupid presentations and the internal thoughts of the health care workers.

[Ron Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read Tim Booth’s previous book “You Called an Ambulance for What?” I remember being troubled by his apparent attitude to the people of south west Sydney, but as with this text Booth moves into a more reflective mode where he discusses the philosophy of ‘free medicine’ and the, at times, unobservable limitations of our medical system. His comments about how our society has such idealised demands of doctors, hospitals and the whole medical system and how when things go wrong the wrath that the media and the general public bring down on the hospital and staff.

In many ways medicine is an inaccurate science and symptoms are at times difficult to interpret. I developed spinal stenosis, yet it took a multitude of tests before I, using Dr Google and Facebook, diagnosed my problem. It was then that medical knowledge and expertise kicked in that I had a laminectomy and problem was solved.

Booth doesn’t really touch on it, but I am a great believer in being informed and aware of your own body and how it operates. Be cautious of the medical quackery that floods social media but do read as widely as possible and look for studies, research and evidence that either challenges or qualifies your own beliefs. Finally, seek medical advice from qualified practitioners who treat you with respect and care.

In the early chapters Booth writes in a Joseph Heller (Catch 22) style of sarcasm, irony, wit, dark humour, with a dash of invective descriptions. I was disturbed by his account of a visit to an aged care facility and his account of a dementia patient, a man who would have been once a fine son, brother, father.

He visits a family where a “ADHD” child rules the house. This family sadly reappears in the book.

Booth is highly critical of people who use emergency departments when self care or a visit to the chemist or doctor would have been more appropriate. Where I can accept this, there are situations where some people operate on a different plane of intelligence. I am sure all of us who have worked in positions where there is regular contact with the general public have stories to tell of blatant stupidity.

Booth complains about the problem of ‘free medicine’ where because there is no cost these people happily demand limitless resources to be used on them. I once tough in a school that serviced a very disadvantaged community. Students expected to be supplied with pencils whenever they requested one. I was going through a huge number so I introduced a policy where at the beginning of the year each student was issued with a pencil. If the pupil brought me a ‘dead pencil’ one that had been worn down I would supply a new pencil if they just asked for a replacement I would charge them $0.50. It was amazing the rise in the level of care each student had for their pencils. Getting the balance of supplying medical care in a cost efficient manner is a challenge.

In the closing pages Booth gives a stream of consciousness about his writing, his life as a paramedic and our medical system. Here we see Booth’s true colours. He is a dedicated professional who often uses cynicism and dark humour to deal the problems and contradictions of his profession and the industry he works in. I found that the book made me reflect on, what is possibly the most important government service that we will probably need at some point. If and when I need its services I will be conscious of the issues Booth raised in his book.

[Jessica Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars - a good read and a solid audiobook, I enjoyed both formats. I don’t think this was necessarily too dark nor do I think it was rude or intentionally scathing. I fear a lot of comments truly don’t understand the sheer force of will it takes our healthcare workers and providers to remain vigilant and humoured through all that occurs on a daily basis. I think stories like these, as hilarious and dark as they are, are incredibly important to tell to hopefully make a positive impact on our systems moving forward. We need funding, we need better care and support and these stories are a pivotal voice

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drawing on his experience as a paramedic, and that of the Emergency department doctors and nurses he interacts with every day, Tim Booth provides some insight into the workings of the Australian emergency healthcare system in You Went to Emergency For What?

The humour is dark and the cynicism confronting but I think Booth means well as he relates the stories of the patients he attends to and their subsequent treatment in the ED. His aim is to expose the fraught realities of frontline emergency medicine, which he certainly achieves.

As the subtitle suggests, the tales range from the bizarre to the bloody to the baffling; some may evoke a smile but most, a grimace. True emergencies for both the paramedics and ED doctors however, are outnumbered by situations that don’t meet the remit of emergency services.

Booth’s frustration with the failures of the system are evident, and not unjustified. He is keen to make the point that the increased scarcity and cost of GP and specialist appointments, and a decrease in the provision of community services, both contribute to the pressure on ambulance and ED services. I think he is perhaps unfair in focusing on entitlement as such a major factor, but he’s not the only source that suggests that misuse is on the rise.

Bleakly funny, You Went to Emergency For What? is an eye opening view of modern emergency services written with the sincerity of someone who loves what they, do but believes it could be better.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

While many of the stories were captivating with funny jokes, some of them just went too far and were too bitter. It is a shame that the few ruin it for the many.

[Maddi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as gripping as his first book but still interesting

[GaiB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and infuriating. An excellent collection of tales about the lives of those who save ours, and their levels of dedication and frustration in the face of heartbreak, exhaustion, and idiocy.

[Rebecca L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Tim Booth Books . Always makes me laugh the sarcasm.

Feel sorry for nurses and paramedics and the reasons people call. So glad I choose a different career when I was younger.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shows the highs and lows of emergency medicine it also shows you the toll it takes on the medical profession.

There are some hilarious stories, from Women and custard, To a man who would be Fox. If you want to know more buy the book.

The saying about Hoofbeats and Zebras is very valid in my life this happen while trying to diagnose my daughter, nobody could find anything. Until one day we came across a Doctor from England who had seen cases of Ehlers Danlos. There weren't many 12 years ago.

Typically my daughter was diagnosed with the most serious type 4. Ehlers Danlos support groups use the Zebra as our symbol. We lost Dani 12 years ago at the age of 22. She will always be my Zebra

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and accurate of emergency services. All the good, the bad and the ugly.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt more like fiction than fact. I found it hard to believe that GPs or doctors would genuinely shower paramedics with praise for what we deal with. I get the sense the author aimed to make paramedics feel validated for the chaos we face daily—almost like fan fiction for our profession, where our superiors are constantly admiring us.

The first book resonated with me, making me feel less alone in my darker, burnt-out thoughts. But this one fell flat. It read more like a dramatized retelling of routine patient treatments - nothing overly complex - which left me unsure who the target audience was meant to be: actual paramedics, or the general public?

[Corinne Johnston · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF I quite enjoyed 'You called an ambulance for what?' but this stopped me at page 13. 'the patient's vital signs are as scrambled as Michael J Fox in an egg and spoon race.' I could not believe this was written, this sentence got past an editor, shame on Pan Macmillan.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. .. good quick read and great follow up to his first book “You called an ambulance for what?”

[Marles Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a sucker for a good medical reality show, either watching nurses and doctors in action, or paramedics driving across Australian cities and tending to the injured. And I have always wondered the extent to which these vital services are taken for granted and used for the wrong reasons. John Booth paints a very funny yet worrying view on how absurd some of the non-urgent requests are handled, while trying to balance how to be available for the lives that need immediate attention. These stories are a mixture of intenseness, emotion, and sometimes humour. Some of these accounts also include the recounting of traumatic injuries, medical emergencies, and the unexpected challenges of everyday life.
It was very clear that there is a lot of maudlin humour used to coping with annoyance, fatigue, abuse, and burnout – paramedic buddies are not only work colleagues but saviours for each other. Booth emphasises the emotional toll of the job, and the cumulative effect of trauma, death and suffering. Paramedics also face a wide array of callouts that are not life-threatening, including bizarre incidents and situations that require more common sense than medical expertise, in their “glorified taxi service with a lights-and-sirens bonus feature”. It was hard to comprehend and understand why some calls were being made to emergency numbers, and whether people did not realise how this could rob a true emergency of assistance, or whether they just didn’t care. The example of the wealthy woman calling an ambulance for a haemorrhoid because it’s what she paid private health insurance for left me aghast. The fact there are so many people living alone and are lonely and without human connection is just as harrowing, and calling an ambulance is often their only interaction with another person.
These stories range from the dramatic and heroic to the surprisingly mundane and stupid, showcasing the unpredictable nature of a paramedic's work: “It's not about being the smartest person in the room. Is that being the one who listens, who thinks sideways when the straight path doesn't work.” It also showcased the profound connections paramedics form with patients and their families, highlighting the empathy, patience and compassion required for the job.

[Smitchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few years have passed and Tim Booth is no longer the optimistic young paramedic he started out as in his first book "You called an Ambulance for What?" After years of being a paramedic in the western suburbs of Sydney there is not too much he has not seen and the frustrations he experienced from day one are adding up to burnout. But in this book he doesn't just want to highlight the resource wastage happening to emergency responders but also he gives ordinary Australians an insight into the chaos, frustrations and burdens placed on our hospitals and emergency departments. This time Tim doesn't just show us what happens in the ambulance he follows his patients through their time in the ED and gives us a look at what doctors and nurses face in their vital roles in the Australian health system.

With signature dark humour and compassion (for those who deserve it) Tim takes us behind walls most of us hope to never enter. This book will make you question the 'average' human's intelligence. It might make you think twice before dialling 000 and ask yourself "Is this actually an emergency?". It might make you wonder what our medical system might look like if the people on the front lines got a say in the policies that keep the system ticking over.
Insightful, absurd and chaotic this is a book for those on the less squeamish side.

[Nikki Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another raw and unfiltered glimpse into the life of a paramedic, but this time, also as an emergency doctor and triage nurse.

Tim gives us the high and lows in the world of emergency medicine and plenty of wtf moments - everything from a cup of noodles facial, a broken penis, a decaying cat and to people calling an ambulance for hayfever, a broken toenail and even a carton of milk.

It highlights a broken system and how ambulances are called for more non-emergencies, than actual emergencies - which just adds to the stress of the job and the increase in burnout in paramedics, doctors and nurses. These stories are told with humour and sarcasm, which helps them cope with what they see and deal with on the daily.

The story of the kid who downed 9 energy drinks had my heart in my throat and the story if of that of a patient having found to have a retractor left in them following surgery was nothing short of shocking.

While it is bizarre, baffling and definitely showcases the idiots of the world, it also showcases the loneliness and mental health issues that many face and it left me with more compassion, acceptance and understanding.

[Graeme Dunlop · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading Tim Booth's first book, I thought I'd read the second. Honestly, I didn't enjoy it as much. Not because of the incidents described, but because of the narrative construction. Booth chooses to use three voices: his own, a fictional ED doctor, and a fictional ED nurse. And while the incidents described are drawn from real life, the choice of narrative structure makes it feel lees personal and more contrived.

Don't get me wrong, it's by no means a bad book. I just didn't enjoy it as much as the first one. It's still a great read, and a window into how Australia's health care system has become over-stressed and over-used.

[Er · Rating 1 out of 5]

I shouldn’t have finished this book. I haven’t read the author’s previous book, but I’m assuming this one was written to capitalise on the success of that previous one. It seemed to me that it was ‘thrown together’. Rather than being hilarious, I didn’t find any of the anecdotes amusing.
The author was often callous and condescending about the people he was writing about. In a word, I’d describe it as ‘rubbish’.

[Olwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just love Booth's writing style. This book is structured a little differently, and it works well. You get the perspectives of paramedics and emergency department doctors and nurses, and as a bonus, a little extra understanding perhaps about what really happens in emergency health care: Everyone is trying their best despite the system.

[Erin Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much like his previous book, Tim Booth leans heavily on dark humour that doesn’t always hit the mark. However, I found this one less cringeworthy—perhaps because I listened to the audiobook, which left less room for misinterpretation.