Woman gives child candy bar, becomes EMT

[TTLWHKR]

Ambulance Girl (2005) With Kathy Bates

I collect books about anything in EMS. Including this one called Ambulance Girl. To be completely honest, the book sucks. This woman may be great at her profession, a food critic, but she is no writer. The only series of books I ever truely enjoyed was EMT:Beyond the Lights & Sirens and EMT:Rescue by Pat Ivey. Anyhoo, Ambulance Girl. This lady is on an airplane and gives a candy bar to a boy who looks pale, he recovers. She is in awe, and is suddenly inspired that she was meant to save lives. Even though she is squeemish, can't stand sick people, doesn't like blood, and a whole other list of *****y complaints. So she becomes an EMT. Eventually, she decides that since her articles as a food critic inspire people to get fat, that she can inspire people with tales of her depression, weight problems, and jumping from an ambulance and breaking both feet b/c she's so heavy. She writes this horrible book. It's in stores for a few years, and she decides the book isn't enough, she needs the whole world to know that she gave a kid a candy bar, so she casts Kathy Bates to tell her story in a TV Movie, Ambulance Girl. She portrays herself as a Paramedic (B/c nobody on TV plays an EMT, that would be boring) even though she is a volunteer EMT.

Synopsis:
This movie is about a real-life husband and wife team who are famous food critics in which Kathy Bates plays the wife who has a phobia of everything. After coming across a notice in a store window looking for people to take an emergency training course to become volunteers -and wanting to overcome her phobia - she decides to join.

Set to premier on LifeTime - Television for Women
Monday, September 12 at 9:00/8:00c.

 

[MMiz]

I've read:

-Rescue 471 : A Paramedic's Stories
-Paramedic : On the Front Lines of Medicine
-Ambulance Girl

I couldn't put the first two down, and thought Ambulance Girl was actually pretty good. I don't remember much about it, but I remember it being good.

I read all these prior to becoming an EMT. I tried reading, Population: 485 : Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time, after I was an EMT and put it down after a few minutes.

The funny part is those were probably four of the six books I read for personal enjoyment over the past four years.

 

[rescuejew]

yeah the PA medic wrote some good books...have em both at home but cant remember his name to save my life...theres a great book called EMERGENCY thats about "true tales of mayhem from the modern ER" Its great...

 

[Summit]

Originally posted by TTLWHKR@Aug 12 2005, 02:41 AM
Set to premier on LifeTime

That's all I needed to hear to know this movie will absolutely blow dramatic chunks.

 

[rescuejew]

can I get a AMEN!!! lifetime....blech. LOL

 

[Ridryder911]

Lifetime t.v... that's enough said.. I had seen the book, but reading the insert was nuaea enough for me... god, they will produce any t.v. show..

Be sfe,
Ridryder 911

 

[TTLWHKR]

Originally posted by MMiz@Aug 12 2005, 02:57 AM
I've read:

-Rescue 471 : A Paramedic's Stories
-Paramedic : On the Front Lines of Medicine
-Ambulance Girl

I couldn't put the first two down, and thought Ambulance Girl was actually pretty good. I don't remember much about it, but I remember it being good.

I read all these prior to becoming an EMT. I tried reading, Population: 485 : Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time, after I was an EMT and put it down after a few minutes.

The funny part is those were probably four of the six books I read for personal enjoyment over the past four years.

I tried to read Pop:485, but I don't like his writing style, I couldn't follow along. Keeps going from past to present.

 

[emt/fr]

I absolutely loved pop 485, have even met the author he is from my neck of the woods. I've never heard of the other ones you mentioned i will have to check them out.

 

[TTLWHKR]

My Favorites list:

1.)
EMT: Beyond the Lights and Sirens by Pat Ivey

About a woman who became a Cardiac EMT in Lake of The Woods, Virginia.

I met some of the crew from LOW at the PA Fire Expo, nice people. One of them was in the book. I'll be honest, I read this while in College, and it was the first book I ever read from cover to cover and actually enjoyed. I didn't even read my EMT book, or ALS books from cover to cover.

2.)
EMT: Rescue by Pat Ivey

Written a few years later, also a great book. Again, I read it from cover to cover. Twice. I sat on the front porch and relaxed in the summer heat, she is the absolute best author I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. They are he career biographies. I wish she would write another!

3.)
The Magic of 3 A.M. by James O. Page

Great book.

4.)
Trauma Junkie, Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse by Janice Hudson

Great book, my wifes personal favorite.

And for the firefighter in my blood..
5.)
Report from Engine Co. 82 by Dennis Smith

Very, very good book; true to the heart of every fireman, and one the first great books about firefighting. I first read it was I was 12, didn't read all of it, found it when I moved out of my parents home, read it agian. Plan to read it again this winter.

Tells the tales of FDNY Engine Co. 82

6.)
Report from Engine Co. 82 - The Final Fire by Dennis Smith

It was a b*tch getting ahold of this book, I mean it was very rare until they came out with an anniversary edition. But I managed to find it at a yard sale. I didn't like it as well as the first, but it was equally as action packed.

7.)
The Volunteer Fire Company by Ernest Earnest

The life and tales of a former Gladwynn, PA firefighter, as a volunteer firefighter myself, I thought it was a great book. Told the tales of what firefighting was like in Suburban Pennsylvania in the 50's, 60's & 70's.

 

[TTLWHKR]

According to SHP's website, which I still refuse to post on, he has been reading my review of "Ambulance Girl" and had this to say.

THis was some good reading, it is nice to see somebody be honest and say something sucks that sucks, rather than pretending to like it because it is politically correct

 

[Wingnut]

Looks like someone's watching you whcker :lol:

 

[Jon]

Originally posted by Summit+Aug 12 2005, 12:59 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Summit @ Aug 12 2005, 12:59 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-TTLWHKR@Aug 12 2005, 02:41 AM
Set to premier on LifeTime

That's all I needed to hear to know this movie will absolutely blow dramatic chunks. [/b][/quote]
my thoughts exactly...

as for the date... 9/12...... Are there not going to be enough firefighter specials that weekend???


As for books... I read "Population 485"... didn't seem too bad... but that was a long time ago... "Quick, what's the number for 911" had me ROFLMAO.... and I also thought "Ambulance Girl" wasn't too bad....

"Paramedic" by Peter Canning was probably one of the best memiors I've read.

At some point I read "Into the breach : a year of life and death with the EMS" can't have been that bad, or that good.... I don't really remember.


Haven't read "Magic of 3am" yet... got to find it...

Also just finished "Omaha Orange" - Great book... very good on the History of EMS.


Jon

Jon

 

[emtI]

I read the Ambulance Girl too. It blows. Was not a good read at all, and I love to read anything EMS related. This was awful.

 

[MedicPrincess]

Originally posted by TTLWHKR@Aug 12 2005, 08:25 PM
4.)
Trauma Junkie, Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse by Janice Hudson

Great book, my wifes personal favorite.

I don't read a lot..but i LOVED this one..even brought a tear or two to my eyes...

I checked out ambulance girl, didn't get to far into it. Maybe I will watch the movie...we'll see..

 

[Cap'nPanic]

Has anyone read the EMS Job of Your Life books?? I wonder if they are actually any good. I have been told they are funny. Does anyone have any comments regarding these books?

-Cap'nPanic

 

[Jon]

Originally posted by Cap'nPanic@Aug 13 2005, 12:15 PM
Has anyone read the EMS Job of Your Life books?? I wonder if they are actually any good. I have been told they are funny. Does anyone have any comments regarding these books?

-Cap'nPanic

Who writes them... who publishes them..... where can I find them????

I'm willing to request almost anything through my libarary's Inter-Libary Loan program... and it is usually free

Jon

 

[emtI]

EMS: The Job of Your Life (Paperback)
by Devin Kerins

can be found on Amazon.com

Haven't read them yet but my best friend has and she said they are great. I plan on reading them as soon as I get time, but who has time to READ????

 

[TTLWHKR]

The Movie... Sucks.

She does portray an EMT, but there's just something about it that seems fake. The character is a complete whacker... Star of Life on rear door, side doors, hood, blue light, three medical bags, AED... Her own AED. She carried an AED to a hip fracture. :blink:

Wait a tic, that sounds like me, except the AED.


and they do Ambu Taps.

 

[HotNoldEMTchick]

I love anything to do with EMS...

Ambulance girl to me was good, because it involved a mid-life changing event... For me... I can relate. For something I wish I had done 10-15 years ago, and am scared to do it now that I am older...it kinda gave me hope that I can overcome my so-called-fear of jumping in and just do it....

Since then... I am waiting on my test results...and I couldnt be more excited.

 

[CaptainPanic]

Yes Kathy Bates was Whacker-esque, but the overall feel of the movie was good.

And dont forget, her vehicle was actually a QRV, but she had a vanity plate on the front that read Katydoll - Im assuming KBs nickname?????

The things that were incorrectly portrayed:

The instructor was portrayed wrong, if he really was that hard core I doubt he would ever teach a class.

Also if KBs character really did do that bad in the class then I doubt she would have passed given the BP cuff incident, the dummy incident, and finally stair chair incident. After the stair chair Im sure she would have been asked to leave the class.

And as far as the 3 man ambulance crews and then inviting a FR/EMTB to ride along, I doubt it, too many EMTs for one pt.

And during her first call with the hip Fx, she would have been removed from the scene altogether after being unprepared, and had moved the pt without thinking of the main injury. (grandma said 10 on the pain scale)

If the story were true there are alot of things in the movie that make me skeptical about it.

Again, the overall feel of "hey change your life, save someone elses" was there and somewhat made me mushy but didnt buy completely into it.

I think what the producers are getting across here is if you feel that you need to make a change then do it, the downside is there are going to be alot of middle aged ladies getting into EMS during the next year or so then the fad will fade away.

-Capn