Job pride vs. Hero complex?

[Richard B the EMT]

My worry would then be a "What If", especially if the patient who wants to drive themself to the ER is, in my estimation, possibly going to pass out while doing so. I have heard of that happening, but not on my watch!

[ateupmedic3033]

Having just finished the book and reading the last chapter, I take back some of my previous criticism.

The backstory is, the stories in the book were of my first ten years in EMS, and yes, I was an arrogant and egotistical little snot back then, although never intentionally. I did have the luxury of having a great deal of trust granted to me by my medical director and bosses back then. Some of that trust and freedom shaped me into the medic I could be one day...

... and some of that gave me enough rope to almost hang myself.

It simply took a few years for my skills to catch up to my ego.

The last story was told as a flashback, fifteen years into my EMS career, about a call around year five. Those of you who have read it can probably spot the change in perspective.

Also, keep in mind that I was a fledgling writer going through an unexpected separation, and writing the book late at night sitting in the right seat of an ambulance, literally trying to keep myself from losing my mind. When circumstances have knocked you to your knees and you're questioning everything you thought to be true in your life, your mind tends to gravitate to the memories where you thought you were in control and on top of your game, because in the present moment, you are anything but.

Both my writing and my attitude have matured a lot since.

[ERDoc]

Greetings Mr. Grayson. I never realized you were a member here. I definitely noticed the change in the writing, hence my mea culpa. My criticisms aside, I did enjoy the book and was looking for the sequel. Anyone who has spent time in EMS has been in the newbie, I-know-better-than-anyone-else stage, including myself. One thing that medical school made me realize is how little I really knew and how much I didn't know what I didn't know.

So when is the next book coming out?

[ateupmedic3033]

Greetings Mr. Grayson. I never realized you were a member here. I definitely noticed the change in the writing, hence my mea culpa. My criticisms aside, I did enjoy the book and was looking for the sequel. Anyone who has spent time in EMS has been in the newbie, I-know-better-than-anyone-else stage, including myself. One thing that medical school made me realize is how little I really knew and how much I didn't know what I didn't know.

So when is the next book coming out?

As soon as I get off my ass and compile it.

I've probably got enough stories from my blog for a book, and then some. What I'd like to do is cull the best ones from there, and include about twenty of new materials, and weave it into a narrative thread that doesn't look like a bunvh of short stories.

One of my biggest beefs with my original editor at Kaplan was that he deleted about a dozen chapters of what he called "fluff" from the original book. What he called fluff was what wove everything together, and what was left looks like a collection of short stories

After the book was published, I was vindicated in that the most common criticism from readers was that it felt disjointed and unfinished, with no narrative flow - which is exactly what I and his proofreaders told the jerk when he butchered my book.

I'm hoping that the sequel will far exceed the original.