CCAT

Don't confuse CCAT with flight nursing. CCAT doesn't have "Squadrons" stationed anywhere. If you are CCAT qualified - you do your job wherever you are stationed and when the deployment tasking comes out, you go deploy with a team. Flight nurses actually PCS and get assigned to a squadron in one of a few places. That's a completely different animal as it is a full time job that takes you out of a regular job for a couple of years. Flight nurses get flight pay and wings - CCAT gets nothing.

Flight nurses have aircrew endurance limits by reg (sleep, days off, etc) - CCAT isn't part of the flight crew - just a medical team - so they can work like the rest of us with no breaks mandated by reg. My longest shift in Iraq was >36 hours continuously treating wounded- so it stands to reason that CCAT team with no rest should be able to work like that as well. Tired isn't an option when folks depend on you.

Good luck in whatever you choose.

Thanks for the response. Please, tell me if this is realistic. I'm going to do the AF Reserves. Is it possible to be an AES flight nurse that is also CCAT ? Or, is that too demanding ? Also, it doesn't matter where you drill, CCAT is something that any reserve nurse can do in addition to their job ? Please help me understand. I'd like to be able to make the right decision. What kindof reserve jobs do other CCAT nurses do ? Thanks for your input

Did you ever get a reponse? PM me if you want more info.

I am a civilian flight nurse...CCRN, ICU, CCU and trauma ED experience. I am a flight nurse in the AF reserves as well. It is a nice change from my civilian job...but it is not critical care at all. The patients are all stable(ish) and you frequently have heavy patient loads, but the work is very, very rewarding. The above post about CCATT is accurate, they work their tails off. One of the guys I used to fly with civilan side is a CCATT nurse, and they really do run on fumes often times. I elected flight nursing because it's different...they both have very rewarding and demanding aspects to them. If you're looking for something different, they'll both fit the bill. I will often be asked by some of the CCATT teams for a little help when on flights with us because I let them know my background and they know I can be of assistance. Many of the folks in flight nursing are educators, managers, floor nurses in their civilian jobs, so it is a different knowlege base. I don't think you can go wrong with either one. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

rghbsn:

Thank you for the info! I am a new grad RN in a mixed (neuro, cardiac, medical..no trauma) Critical Care Unit. I am interested in joining the AF reserves and was told that they are offering to repay my student loans if I become a flight nurse. From what I've read, it sounds like it would be hard to hold my current job because of the demands of flight nursing. It sounds like flight nurses are gone quite frequently. Is it difficult to keep your full time job while being a flight nurse?

I am also worried that I might be doing this too early. The recruiter told me that I am eligible after 6 months of experience to join, but I am just nervous that I won't have enough experience under my belt to be successful, especially because I feel that learning to be a flight nurse is like learning an entire new specialty. Would it be smarter for me to just stay with my critical care background and join as a critical care nurse? Thank you for your help!!

I'm just spinning up on the AE side and I love it. And BTW The CCAT class has been moved to Wright-Pat in Dayton Ohio.

rghbsn:

Thank you for the info! I am a new grad RN in a mixed (neuro, cardiac, medical..no trauma) Critical Care Unit. I am interested in joining the AF reserves and was told that they are offering to repay my student loans if I become a flight nurse. From what I've read, it sounds like it would be hard to hold my current job because of the demands of flight nursing. It sounds like flight nurses are gone quite frequently. Is it difficult to keep your full time job while being a flight nurse?

I am also worried that I might be doing this too early. The recruiter told me that I am eligible after 6 months of experience to join, but I am just nervous that I won't have enough experience under my belt to be successful, especially because I feel that learning to be a flight nurse is like learning an entire new specialty. Would it be smarter for me to just stay with my critical care background and join as a critical care nurse? Thank you for your help!!

It depends on your employer. Legally, they have to just take it, research the USERRA law. By law they can't fire you, hold you back for promotion, punish you, make you use vacation time, or make ou cover your own shifts. And they have to do that every time you leave, not matter how often or how long. That said, I do read from time to time of people fired, but it gives you a good lawsuit. As for time gone I'm in the middle of schools right now. Once you get started you need COT, SERE, water survival, and Flight Nursing schools, each about 3-4 weeks (water surv 2 days). The new deployment schedule is six months every two years, so its not too bad although it seems endless sometimes. That's not including your required weekends.

As for your experience, it took them 14 months to get me in, and some others in my squadron 2 years. So if you start the process now, you are likely to have more than two years experience when you commission. Good luck.

nurse2033,

I'm a new grad nurse starting on a tele floor and have always wanted to be a flight nurse. I've chosen to go the air force reserve route and the recruiter made the whole process sound so easy to do so a lil hesitant about what i'm really getting into. Do you mind pm me so i can ask you some q's? (can't message you cuz i'm a new member here on allnurses)

nurse2033,

I'm a new grad nurse starting on a tele floor and have always wanted to be a flight nurse. I've chosen to go the air force reserve route and the recruiter made the whole process sound so easy to do so a lil hesitant about what i'm really getting into. Do you mind pm me so i can ask you some q's? (can't message you cuz i'm a new member here on allnurses)

Sure, I don't want to post my email for fear of spamming hell but if you can think of a way I'm happy to chat. BTW the job is lot of fun, just finished a DC-Spokane-San Diego-Phoenix- DC mission. But it is a lot of work...