A Flight Nurse is traditionally a specialty where highly trained Registered Nurses provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and critical care to all types of patients during aeromedical evacuation or rescue operations aboard helicopter and propeller aircraft or jet aircraft.
Flight Nurses are frequently paired with Flight Medics and Registered Respiratory Therapists as a comprehensive emergency and critical transport team. [1]
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The Flight Nurse performs as a member of an aeromedical evacuation crew on helicopters and airplanes—providing for in-flight management and nursing care for all types of patients. Other responsibilities include planning and preparing for aeromedical evacuation missions and preparing a patient care plan to facilitate patient care, comfort and safety.
Flight Nurses evaluate individual patient's in-flight needs and request appropriate medications, supplies and equipment, providing continuing nursing care from origination to the destination facility. They act as liaisons between medical and operational aircrews and support personnel in order to promote patient comfort and to expedite the mission, and also initiate emergency treatment in the absence of a physician during in-flight medical emergencies. Flight nurses have expertise in mechanical ventilation, hemodynamic support, vasoactive medications, and other intensive care skills. Flight nurses most commonly work collaboratively with Flight Paramedics.
Flight Nurses are Registered Nurses and have post-graduate training in Intensive Care and/or Emergency Nursing. They are also required to hold current Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support and Neonatal Resuscitation certification. Generally, Flight Nurses are required to have at least 5 years of experience in a critical care hospital setting (ER, ICU, etc) and often are also required to hold qualifications in Midwifery. [Respiratory Therapy|Respiratory Therapists]] have become a frequent pairing with a Flight Nurse beginning around 2005 in both urgent/critical transports as well as emergency helicopter transports.
Flight Nurses, Flight Therapists, and Flight Medics enjoy a great deal of autonomy with extensive allowances in protocols for various emergency situations due to the nature of the practice.
Flight nurses may obtain board certification in Emergency Nursing (CEN), Flight Nursing (CFRN), or Critical Care (CCRN). Flight Therapists may obtain Adult Critical Care Specialist (ACCS), Neonatal Transport Specialist (NPT) and Neonatal Pediatric Specialist (NPS).
Civilian Flight Nurses work for hospitals, Federal, State, and Local governments, private medical evacuation firms, fire departments, and other agencies.
The military flight Nurse performs as a member of the aeromedical evacuation crew, and functions as the senior medical member of the aeromedical evacuation team on Continental United States (CONUS), intra-theater and inter-theater flights - providing for in-flight management and nursing care for all types of patients. Other responsibilities include planning and preparing for aeromedical evacuation missions and preparing a patient positioning plan to facilitate patient care, comfort and safety.
Flight Nurses evaluate individual patient's in-flight needs and request appropriate medications, supplies and equipment, providing continuing nursing care from originating to destination facility. They act as liaison between medical and operational aircrews and support personnel in order to promote patient comfort and to expedite the mission, and also initiate emergency treatment in the absence of a physician for in-flight medical emergencies.[2]
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