Pay Scale for Flight Nurses? - page 4

I make $4/hour less flying than I do in the ER. It's worth it!! I get great benefits at the ER also.

I have the pay scale for Flight Nursing and I am sure it is the one used by all flight company's.
Cut your current hospital hourly wage in half and double your hours worked in some cases triple hours worked = your flight nurse pay.

I have been a Full time flight nurse for 5 years for the USA's biggest Helicopter EMS provider and get paid approx $10 less an hour than what I make in the Level 1 Trauma Unit at the University hospital here in California. If we worked more shifts on the helicopter (ie more than 8-9 per month) it would be financially viable to stay Full time in that line of work as it is what I love, however doing only 7 x24hr shifts a month does not pay enough. So I decided to go part time on the heli and work FT at the hospital. This works out great for me as I fly for the love of it and for the challenge that it presents and earn my good salary at the hospital . Flight programs generally will pay considerably less money (hourly) but then you are not on your feet for 12 hours and are paid to sleep if you work 24hr shifts. Also there are literally hundreds of applicants who want these very sought after positions so the Flight programs can afford to pay lower wages. There will always be RN's and paramedics willing to do the job. Most Full time flight nurses that I know, have secondary part time/ per diem positions at hospitals in ICU's or ERs.

Hello Sunnysideup09,

I apologize for answering to a post that was so long ago, but I found this after googling
information regarding flight nursing. I read the post and it sounds like you do flight nursing
along with being a NICU nurse? I'm starting some prerequisites for a master's in nursing and find NICU work interesting and also flight work, which I gather takes experience before considering of course.

Kind Regards,
Patty
Chicago

Hi Patty. I was very fortunate that I was given the opportunity to start a nurse based flight team for our NICU in Illinois. I graduated with an ASN and was working towards my BSN when I made the decision to join the team. I finished my BSN during that time, but I didn't have any more knowledge at a master's degree level. I only had 2 years of NICU experience, but received great training from the NPs and MDs to perform the skills necessary like intubaiton, umbilical catheter placements, chest tube placement. On our flights it was a NICU nurse and a paramedic/ critical care adult flight RN. It was not a prerequisite to have a master's degree. Just experience working in the NICU.

Feel free to PM me!