Jennifer Culkin
ISBN 978-0-8070-7329-2
Published by Beacon in 2009
In Short: A glimpse into the life of a critical care and flight nurse. If you're looking for gory details of hairy trauma calls requiring air transport, look elsewhere. These are personal reflections from an EMS worker who has seen and felt a great deal and communicates it well. If you need a reminder that there remains a human side to this vocation, this is the book for you.
Culkin has woven an embracing tale that keeps the reader turning the pages quickly, but thoughtfully. This is personal writing, as if you have received a letter from the author. Whether the topic is a cardiac transport that ends poorly, the awkwardness of being a healthcare professional in the room with a loved one at the hospital, or the grief of losing co-workers in a less than notoriously dangerous field, she offers sound reflection and anecdote that is worthy of attention. Culkin strikes a balance that seems elusive in memoirs between detail (3" tape on her thigh for note taking, loose helicopter door handles and near misses, what music was left on in her deceased co-worker's car) and restrospective knowledge that comes from a career in an intense field.
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