CCATT nurse question

research it with the "search" feature. i have respectfully declined the opportunity to fly ccatt on many occasions. it might look good on paper or if you get off telling people you "fly" (which by-the-way implies operating flight controls; anything else is called “riding”). i flew for 15 years before i joined the usaf and don't care what i look like on paper. the bottom line is that there is no benefit to ccatt. as in – well – none. no wings, no flight pay, no accrued flight time, no rating (that’d be none). good luck and be careful of what you ask for.

what is the best way to get on ccatt team?

I was CCATT many years ago, but back then you had to have recent critical care experience (it was additional duty for us.)

So take an assignment to an ICU or moonlight to get about 4,000 hours ICU experience.

Most of us were CCRN certified, the extra training helps.

You must be fluent with all the equipment, the medications and appropriate disease processes, be able adaptable, have adequate physical strength to carry your equipment (my extended bag was 65 lbs) and endurance to fly 24-48+ hour missions.

You must be fully prepared to fly with a physician and RT who have little experience.

You must be able to manage critical care patients from head to toe, tertiary care in the air manage. Meaning manage without all the bells and whistles of ICU, you make due with what you have.

When you have a 12 hour flight, you are the IT, there is no pulling over or calling anyone.

We received no flight pay, no wings, crew rest did not apply to us, we often started a mission at the end of a 12 hour night shift.

We had lots of work and long hours/days/weeks with no glory, but it was worth many times the effort.

You will get to do what others can only dream of.

Fly to exotic far off lands, meet and intubate strange new people.

Any Plane, Any Place. We Fly So They May Live.

Times they have changed. I have yet to meet a CCATT nurse with more than a few years experience and none have had their cert. Now a days its a task they let anyone do in the ICU - we had a nurse with less than 6months experience (AF ICU experience only) tasked for CCATT. Its pretty much whoever wants to do it. And the prior comment was correct that no wings, flight pay nada, it is just a duty. Yup you go with newbie Docs also, but I see the most important player to be the RT. These days the nurses are pretty much AE nurses with fewer patients.