Description
Book SynopsisIn Paramedics On and Off the Streets, Michael K. Corman embarks on an institutional ethnography of the complex, mundane, intricate, and exhilarating work of paramedics in Calgary, Alberta.
Trade Review"This is an important book that thoroughly updates and expands the limited sociological literature on emergency ambulance work." -- Leo McCann, University of York * Work, Employment, and Society, vol 33: 1 *
Table of ContentsCHAPTERS 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Opening vignette - Getting Hooked 1.2. Being a "Good" Academic 1.2.1. Historical Roots of EMS and Paramedics 1.2.2. Paramedics' training and organizational oversight 1.2.3. Paramedics' Work 1.3. Why Paramedics? Why Now? 1.4. Purpose of the Book 1.4.1. In and out of the field 1.4.2. Overview of book - Summary of Chapters Part 1 2. SETTING THE SCENE 2.1. The Station 2.2. The Ambulance 2.3. The Tones 2.4. Assessment Work - "We're trying to play a chess match, 3, 5 moves ahead" 2.5. "REPAC please" 2.6. The Hospital 2.7. The ePCR 2.8. "One, Two, Three" - Stretcher Work 3. "THE HOSPITAL'S GOING TO COMPLAIN" 3.1. At the Hall 3.2. Hospital Relief 3.3. Lack of Sympathy? 3.4. Downtime - Coffee 3.5. "I've been burned several times" 4. "THAT WAS A GOODER" 4.1. "Cold Cocked" 4.2. "That was a Gooder" 4.3. Code Room 4.4. "On our truck, everyone is 36.5" 4.5. Treating the Patient, not the Protocol, not the Machine 4.6. The "Social Stuff" 4.7. Self-Policing 4.8. Fortying - "You Call, We Haul" - and Convincing Work 5. Epilogue - Overview and Discussion of Chapters 2-4 5.1. Overview 5.2. A Reflection on the Diversity of Ride-Alongs 5.3. Orienting to the What Ifs 5.4. Taken-for-granted Work: What Counts and What is Being Counted 5.5. Other Players in Emergency Medical Services Part 2 6. THE "BRAINS" OF EMS 6.1. Introduction 6.2. EMD and ProQA - "911, for what City?" 6.3. Dispatchers - Alpha 1 6.4. Dispatchers - Alpha 2 6.5. On the Centre's Floor - Interfacing or Discretionary Work 6.6. Conclusion 7. TAMING AND CREATING KNOWLEDGE OF FRONT-LINE WORK 7.1. Introduction 7.2. Protocols and the Targeting of Clinical Practice 7.3. The Electronic Patient Care Record (ePCR) 7.4. Producing Compliance and Quality on the Front Lines 7.5. Business Intelligence - "Analyze and Effect Change" 7.6. Tracing Relations of Governance and Accountability 7.7. Conclusion Part 3 8. SO WHAT? WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? 8.1. Overview of Book 8.2. Cause for Concern? 8.2.1. Doing More With Less 8.2.2. Changing Professional Mandate 8.2.3. Reformation of Time 8.3. Broader Implications 8.4. Closing Remarks
