Hi everyone, I am an ICU RN in a liver transplant unit at USC with 1.5 years of critical care experience and half a year on a neuro DOU floor. I reached out to an air force reserve recruiter asking about flight nursing opportunities and according to him there is a shortage of flight nurses in the Air Force.
I sent him my resume and I am waiting on him to let me know if the CNO at March Air Force Base in California would like to pick me up for commission.
Are there any current flight nurses in the air force reserves that can share their experiences? I'd like to know what to expect in terms of the timeline between contacting recruiter and commissioning. Also, how long is COT, flight school, survival training, and approximately how much time do you serve per month? Is it possible to keep a full time position at a hospital?
Old thread with lots of great useful information, but I'd love some insider knowledge on CCATT vs Flight Nurse in the AF Reserve if anyone is willing to share first hand experiences of either.
I know FN in a much bigger time commitment to keep up with flight qualifications, but as I get older (I'm in my 40s) I like the idea of duty limits. There's nightmare stories of 30+hr CCATT shifts. I love managing sick/complicated patients, but I also love the idea of learning a new side of things and embracing the logistical side of FN. Any insight would be appreciated.
What's job satisfaction like in each role? Deployment opportunities? The reality is that I want to serve and be useful, so I actually do want to deploy if I go through all of the training.
CCATT is definitely a better overall gig in my opinion. The flight/AE training requirements are way over the top and frequently lead to burnout. The actual job is far less fulfilling. I can't tell you the number of nurses we get transferring out of flight nursing units.
The flight nursing role is essentially being a flight attendant; there's very little clinical care going on. The med techs do what little patient care there even is. The patients are walkie talkies who take their own meds. They're often pysch holds these days. The flight burnout I mentioned leads to chronically short staffing that puts huge strain on the rest of your life.
CCATT is really the equivalent to civilian flight nursing/air evac. It is actually focused on patient care. There are so many CCATT teams that you really aren't utilized enough to get burned out that often.
jfratian, DNP, RN, CRNA
1,668 Posts
CCATT is definitely a better overall gig in my opinion. The flight/AE training requirements are way over the top and frequently lead to burnout. The actual job is far less fulfilling. I can't tell you the number of nurses we get transferring out of flight nursing units.
The flight nursing role is essentially being a flight attendant; there's very little clinical care going on. The med techs do what little patient care there even is. The patients are walkie talkies who take their own meds. They're often pysch holds these days. The flight burnout I mentioned leads to chronically short staffing that puts huge strain on the rest of your life.
CCATT is really the equivalent to civilian flight nursing/air evac. It is actually focused on patient care. There are so many CCATT teams that you really aren't utilized enough to get burned out that often.