Confessions of a Trauma Junkie: My Life as a Nurse Paramedic

by Sherry Jones Mayo

Overview

Ride in the back of the ambulance with Sherry Jones Mayo

Share the innermost feelings of emergency services workers as they encounter trauma, tragedy, redemption, and even a little humor. Sherry Jones Mayo has been an Emergency Medical Technician, Emergency Room Nurse, and an on-scene critical incident debriefer for Hurricane Katrina. Most people who have observed or experienced physical, mental or emotional crisis have single perspectives. This
book allows readers to stand on both sides of the gurney; it details a progression from innocence to enlightened caregiver to burnout, glimpsing into each stage personally and professionally.

Emergency Service Professionals Praise Confessions of a Trauma Junkie

"A must read for those who choose to subject themselves to life at its best and at
its worst. Sherry offers insight in the Emergency Response business that most people cannot imagine."
--Maj Gen Richard L. Bowling, former Commanding General, USAF Auxiliary (CAP)

"Sherry Mayo shares experiences and unique personal insights of first responders.
Told with poetry, sensitivity and a touch of humor at times, all are real, providing views into realities EMTs, Nurses, and other first responders encounter. Recommended reading for anyone working with trauma, crises, critical incidents in any profession."
-- George W. Doherty, MS, LPC, President Rocky Mountain Region Disaster Mental Health Institute

"Sherry has captured the essence of working with people who have witnessed
trauma. It made me cry, it made me laugh, it helped me to understand differently
the work of our Emergency Services Personnel. I consider this a 'MUST READ' for
all of us who wish to be helpful to those who work in these professions."
--Dennis Potter, LMSW, CAAC, FAAETS, ICISF Instructor

"Confessions of a Trauma Junkie is an honest, powerful, and moving account of
the emotional realities of helping others! Sherry Mayo gives us a privileged look
into the healing professions she knows firsthand. The importance of peer support
is beautifully illustrated. This book will deepen the readers respect for those who
serve."
--Victor Welzant, PsyD, Director of Education and Training The International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc

Learn more at www.SherryJonesMayo.com
From the Reflections of America Series

Modern History Press www.ModernHistoryPress.com
Medical : Allied Health Services - Emergency Medical Services
Biography & Autobiography : Medical - General
Psychology : Psychopathology - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Product Details

BN ID:	2940012255983
Publisher:	Modern History Press
Publication date:	08/04/2011
Series:	Reflections of America , #3
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	200
Sales rank:	369,098
File size:	672 KB

About the Author

Why you are uniquely qualified to write this book?

I can tell these stories because I have lived them. Like many, I grew up watching EMS and ER shows on television, and they seemed to focus on the hero aspect with predictable outcomes. While the television and movie representations are more true
to life these days, there are still thousands of untold stories. My slant is in telling the side of the story you may never know about: how the emergency services worker feels about his experience, how it impacts him (sometimes for the rest of his life), what he is thinking as he is going through the calls, how he internalizes most of the bad thoughts and experiences lest his coworkers or family consider him weak, and what happens after the call is over.

Why did you write this book?

Whenever I tell people what I do, they are immediately interested in what I have seen, the gory side of life that draws people and prevents them from looking away. What they don’t realize, until it happens to them, is that those horrible
experiences happen to someone who is loved and cherished, especially the children. I want people to see the world, for a moment, through my eyes, to walk with me through the broken glass, to sit next to me and hold the hand of the injured
or dying, to fight against death. And then I want them to see the complete lunacy of it all and laugh.

What do you think readers will get out of it?

I’m hoping that readers will see emergency service workers in a new light and realize we are human, too. We have our own challenges, pains and sorrows; we have surgeries and broken bones, we have been in accidents, and our backs are
killing us from lifting. The misperception I get almost daily in the ER is that “you don’t understand what I’m going through.” Maybe not, but you might be surprised. And while we hold our tongues during work hours, maybe some readers
will appreciate knowing what we are really thinking about after the call is over when we leave our professionalism back at the station, strip off the uniform, and settle into an easy chair at home.

Editorial Reviews

I highly recommend "Confessions of a Trauma Junkie" by Sherry Jones Mayo to nursing and EMT students. I think it should be required reading for them. I also recommend this book to people who are already working in the field. They will enjoy the stories and I believe that it will be reassuring to them to know that they are not alone in both their feelings and their experiences on the job.

Lovitt - Paige Lovitt

All told, this book will bring a greater understanding of just how much these very special people are capable of, how caring they are, and why some burn out so soon. I definitely recommend this book on many levels. Who has not had some connection to this field at some point in their lives. This is how it is, written faithfully and dealing more with outcomes and feelings than a gory tale. The book is very well written with a nice balance to hold the lay person's attention.

Gelean - Betty Gelean

The stories within this book took me on such an emotional roller coaster but it gave me a sense of what they go through. Some stories made me laugh, some made me cry and others just broke my heart. The reader is allowed to know of the first death the author experienced on the job, the loss of children, family and coworkers but also lets you see the joy of camaraderie and the closeness that can only come from the experiences they have shared.

Koltes - Melissa Koltes