What makes a flight nurse different?

Krissy · Mar 20, 2000

Darien, I've been trying to find out what the heck a flight nurse IS?!?! I tried to go to that specific post, but for some reason, I couldn't load it, thus couldn't read it. I'm a BScN student as well (in my last month WHOO HOO!!!!) and am currently looking at my options. Write back when you get a chance! Thanks!

CHUBBY · Mar 26, 2000

Your crew usually is made up of the pilot, flight medic, flight nurse and possibly respiratory or a resident/intern (depending on what you're doing) Usually, prehospital its the basic 3 man crew. The flight Nurse watches drips, gives meds, balloon pump, swans, aline etc. The medic can intubate along with the usual ACLS stuff. Along of crews do interhospital transports along with the field transport (so its not all red lights and sirens) It requires (usually) ICU/CTICU experience, prehospital experience is a big plus (if you're a medic or nationally registered, great). You cant get from out of nursing school into flight nursing...they want experienced people. Also, there are crashes...some with no survivors...that needs to be a big consideration.

OHFlightRN · Apr 3, 2000

What makes a flight nurse different isn't so much the tasks accomplished...working with invasive lines or monitoring systems can be done by anyone...it's the orientation the nurse takes to their practice. Flight nurses are adept at rapid assessment and intervention and are frequently operating with worst case scenerios in mind; always weighing their options. You could say that they practice with a heightened sense of vigilence. Their scope of practice is very wide and overlaps with that of medics, resp. therapists, and physicians.

iodine · Apr 28, 2000

To Cleveland: well said. As a former USAF flight nurse during Nam, I agree with you. Emergency room experience , along with ICU experience are about the best preperations I know of for flt. nsg.