Paramedic

by Paul D. Shapiro, Mary B. Shapiro

A New York City paramedic takes readers to the front lines of emergency medicine for a gritty, fascinating look at the men and women who consider saving lives all in a day's work. From a jumper at Trump Tower to a drug overdose at a welfare hotel to gunshot wounds in Time Square, this book candidly recounts the bitterness, chaos, camaraderie, and victories that come with being a paramedic.

Genres: Nonfiction, Medical, Emergency Services

383 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1991

Reviews

[Chana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul Shapiro works on an ambulance in NYC and we get to ride along on the calls. It is fascinating and enjoyable reading. I'm surprised that this book was not more popular as this kind of show is very popular; everyone seems to want to be on the scene of whatever life or death thing is happening. This book is just like that, plus we get to see some of the underpinnings to the whole emergency services network; the politics of how police, fireman, hospitals and ambulance crews work together (or don't) to save lives. We also see how some of the "saves" leave people in a vegetable state which is, to me, worse than death and how some of the things they do to save people, or to meet their legal obligations to work on someone who can't be saved, are very brutal. An EMT is also going to have to have a high tolerance for a lot of icky substances and smells; and he is going to have to be able to let death roll off his back in order to maintain his own mental well-being. Tough job being a medic on an ambulance, thank God we have them and God bless them.

[J. Dallas · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting and fast pace look into the world of Paramedics. Though written from the perspective of a New York City Paramedic, the tragic and sometimes humerous stories and situations could be an account of any city in America. If you ever worked in the field of EMS you will know were Mr. Shapiro is coming from. Even if you haven't you will enjoy keeping company with him as he hits the streets of America's biggest city with lights flashing and siren screaming.

[Beth Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written decades ago, so much has changed in the EMT world, but generally enjoyable. I am curious what happened to the author, given his love of the work but general dissatisfaction with his career options.

[Rahadyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many things have changed in the 22 years since Paul D. Shapiro's Paramedic was published: medical technology, evolution of national, state and local protcols, and the emergence and prevalence of cell phones. And certainly Times Square is not what it was in the 80's.

While reading about the journey of one EMT is no substitute for experience, Paramedic is filled with vivid recountings and dark humor -- the latter necessary if one is to get through the horrific things that one encounters on the job.

I highly recommend this for anyone seeking a career in emergency medicine.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may have read this book before, but if so, it was probably at least 20 years ago, thus it was like reading it for the first time. Shapiro does an excellent job of chronicling his rise through various rescue organizations in New York City and surrounding areas, from volunteering with a small-town fire department as a teen to becoming one of the most senior paramedics on the job. I enjoyed how his patient stories were interwoven with personal details and background information on the way ambulances run in NYC. Having been to the city, I've always said I would not like to need an ambulance for a critical medical issue due to the traffic and pedestrian crowd, and Shapiro affirmed that belief. While the hospital where I work has its own ambulances and helicopters, 911 calls are often answered in our area by city/municipal ambulances, whereas New York City ambulances are almost all hospital-based, including the ones Shapiro worked for. The benefit is that the ambulances generally serve the area near their home hospitals, so response time is better than if there was a central ambulance depot serving the whole city. Shapiro worked in some of the seedier areas and wasn't shy about referring to the homeless and frequent fliers by slang terms, nor did he hold back any of the gruesome details of some of his most memorable calls. One of the most profound parts of the book was during his early days as a medic, which paralleled the period in his personal life when his girlfriend, who he met while working for a private ambulance that took cancer patients to treatment, was slowly succumbing to the disease. Shapiro found it difficult to accept that a great lady like JoAnn would die far too early while some of the 'skells' (or 'skellcicles' when the call was for an unsavory person who either passed out on the cold sidewalk or called the ambulance themselves in order to get to the warmth of the ER) seemed invincible.
Overall, a great book, well-written, and I'd love to read another book about his time as a paramedic, although I don't think one exists, as this book is a few decades old, and surely I would have come across any others by Shapiro by now, either physically or via online suggestion.