Flight Nursing transition to CRNA

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Specializes in Flight Nursing, CVICU, ICU.

After reading several posts I can truly appreciate the importance of ICU experience. Here is my question. Would flight nursing be considered critical care experience as well? I have been a Paramedic for 15 years and then I went to RN school 6 years ago. I have worked for just over a year in ICU then 6 months in CVICU before I started working as a Flight Nurse/Paramedic which I have been for 4.5 years. I will finish my BSN in a few months with 3.8 overall and 4.0 in last 60 hours, 4.0 in all science classes. I routinely RSI patients of all ages and place them on ventilators as well as transport ED and ICU patients that are on vents and have multiple drips of any medication under the sun. These meds include vasoactive meds which I am able to titrate as the pt dictates. I have the leeway to start several drips including vasoactive on my own secondary to protocols that are very liberal. I have taken the Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN) exam. I have not taken the CCRN yet, but I may do so before I apply.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Regards.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Call the school and ask. In the meantime, I would look for ICU jobs. My guess is they are going to say no for the same reason they don't accept ED experience. ICU nursing is a valuable experience that isn't just about drips, but your time management and understanding of the entire clinical picture over the course of days, as well as just being involved with a larger treatment team and all the communication and collaboration that comes with that.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, C-NPT, FP-C.

I honestly don't know, but I recommend maybe asking over on Flightweb as well. Will Wingfield is a medic turned rn turned CRNA and would be a great resource to ask

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Specializes in Flight Nursing, CVICU, ICU.

Thanks, but i do have ICU and CVICU experience. I will contact the schools I am looking into.

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Specializes in Intensive Care (SICU, NICU, CICU, VICU).

A lot of schools will require recent ICU experience. Like you said, your best bet would be to contact the school

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TCU accepted Flight Nurses years ago, as a matter of fact one of the administrators was a prior flight nurse.

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