I have not had much luck finding many details specific to the air national guard, more information focused on the reserves side, but I am not sure how comparable that is to the requirements of the ANG. I am just wondering realistically how one manages a full time civilian job while also ensuring they complete all the military requirements in addition to extra hours that have to be put in to get your flying time. I am worried if I will be able to maintain both.

If anyone has any insight, I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you so much 

I have prior flight experience as a medic, passed my FP-C on the first try.  Im currently an ED nurse and also passed my CEN on the first try.

I'm going to start stacking my resume to get back to the helicopter and plan on taking my CFRN prior to applying.  I'm just wondering how difficult the CFRN is compared to the CEN and FP-C?

Especially interested to hear from anyone who had one of those prior certs before taking the CFRN.

Thanks!

Paramedic
I was a 911 paramedic for several years before doing a bridge program to nursing. This is not necessary, but I have been told many times that flight programs love this because you are used to operating in a pre-hospital environment. If you're already an RN consider maybe finding a program to bridge RN to paramedic, although they're rare. You can also add an EMT certification. Honestly though, if you hadn't already been a paramedic and got the experience, I would just focus on ICU experience. They're looking for the experience more so than just an RN who got a paramedic license but never used it. 

ICU RN
Flight programs prefer ICU experience. Try to go to a major university. Don't specialize in something like neuro ICU. Maybe CSICU, but nothing too specialized.

Collect certifications 
I started doing this while I was in the ICU. A lot of classes were paid for by the hospital, even though they weren't related to my job. PALS NRP STABLE TNCC/PHTLS CCRN CFRN

Ground Critical Care Transport
Not necessary to get a flight position per se, but you will stand out above other people who have only ICU experience. At a major university hospital, ground transport will have patients just as sick, maybe sicker, than flight, and they know this. You'll more or less have the clinical experience, and just need to learn the helicopter part. Again not needed, so I encourage you to apply for flight if you have ICU experience, but if you can't get it, ground CCT will really boost your resume. I ended up staying for many years just because I enjoyed it so much I didn't see a need to fly. However, smaller companies will NOT be as sick as a major university hospital program. This will also provide you a means to network. I have networked with so many people by doing ground, that I had connections at almost every major flight program after a few years. Honestly, I would be a mediocre flight provider had it not been for my ground CCT experience. I learned a ton. 

Study
Okay so I mentioned certifications earlier, but if you haven't already study and take CFRN. Not only mag you stand out more, but you will know a lot of the knowledge necessary to be successful in flight. Most interviews as well as real life will require you to think like a paramedic/provider. You will have to decide what to do on your own.

Most of the flight interviews weren't that hard to be honest. One of the major companies, which I work for, was actually the easiest. Beware that sometimes flight isn't actually that serious. A lot of the companies in the remote areas of the desert fly BLS patients fairly frequently. 
 

feel free to ask any questions and good luck 

what resource do you recommend to study for the CFRN exam? 

• Boots
• Stethoscope
• EMT Shears
• under clothes
• lights
• additional items?

1. Would getting my paramedic and working part-time as a medic while working part-time as an ER or ICU nurse be beneficial while I get field experience?

2. What extra certifications (aside from the CFRN) would be beneficial?

3. Is an NP degree valuable as a flight nurse and is there a way to specialize in flight in that degree?

4. Are there any other ways to be a better candidate while applying to flight nurse jobs?

5. I have looked at entering the Air Force, but I am still unsure about it so anyone has any personal experiences I would love to hear!

Thank you for your time!

Second, I have a one year old who I'd prefer to homeschool and certainly don't want to send to preschool or anything sooner than I have to. My husband is very supportive but works all day and my mom lives out of town so I don't have alot of childcare options. Has anyone managed to go to school in a situation like this? I know it may be more possible now with online schooling but I'd like to do in person as much as possible. Do nursing schools do evening classes or accommodate home situations at all? Has anyone managed to go to school while also being an involved parent? How is it done?...

thanks!

I am currently a nursing student, and I am looking into joining the military after I graduate. My goal is to end up as a flight or trauma nurse (I know you don't get to start there straight out of school, but I'm hoping to end up there someday). I have a couple of questions:

1. What is flight/trauma nursing like in the military vs the civilian world?

2. Which branch is better suited for each of these careers?

3. How much extra time do you have to spend working if you pursue higher education (masters, extra certifications, etc.)?

Thank you!

1) Is it possible to get a job in a rural area instead of a city? I really want to move to a more rural area one day.

2) How do you find companies that do a decent amount of scene calls? I miss my days of being a paramedic and even a few scene calls here and there would be nice.

3) How common are the totally unnecessary transports? I know it's part of the business, but some of you here, as well as someone I know that worked for a large hospital based company, made it sound like it was complete bull crap all the time. I know everyone has different experiences, so I'm curious what you all think about this part.

4) Is experience at a tertiary care center good enough, or is Level I trauma center experience really necessary?

Thanks!

Can you share you me interview experience? If they ask scenario questions,  Do they just want to see if you have a firm grasp on ACLS, PALS, and trauma stuff? Or do they expect more?

Have never been involved with RSI/dosing other than assisting a physician in the hospital. But I know they RSI meds and have studied the dosages. 
 

I have a pretty good grasp of the different vent settings, how to get IBW for tidal volumes; but have never set up a vent or been allowed to make changes or anything to the vents in the hospital. 
 

my other big concern is, do they expect you to know the various critical care drips and their concentrations and how to mix them? For example levophed 16mg/250ml? The two hospitals I have worked at used various concentrations, some weight based and others weren’t; so I feel that aspect would be difficult to get if they expected that. 
 

does anyone have a good reference on pediatric dosing for drugs?

Thanks!

I am an ER nurse in southern Ohio and am trying to build up my resume and certifications to hopefully apply for a flight nurse job. I have been trying to find PHTLS/ITLS and NRP.  The problem is, no matter how hard I look or search on the internet, I cannot fond any of these courses being offered near me. The only things I have found have been on 100% online certification, which I don’t trust. My current employer does not offer either of these courses because we do not have units that deal with neonates and they don’t offer anything pre-hospital based. I even looked for offerings for NRP through our large children’s hospital and they don’t have any offerings for NRP either.  How do you all go about trying to find education like this?

a flight base (Air Evac) just posted a flight nurse position that is pretty close to where I live; within 30 minute drive. I’m just not sure how my resume is going to stack up to other applicants. Here is a summary:

- First RN job when I graduated in 2016
-Currently work in the ER of a community hospital.
- 4 years RN experience; 2 of the years was in a CVICU at a level one trauma center, and 3 years at my current job.
-currently have my MSN in nursing education and am a part time nursing/clinical instructor.
-BLS, ACLS, PALS
-CCRN, CEN
-am charge nurse the majority of the time during my ER shifts.
-ultrasound IV certified (I know that doesn’t really matter for flying)
-5’9” 125lbs

I think this resume is fairly good for someone with only 4 years of RN experience, but am sure most other applicants would have much more than just 4 years of nursing under their belt. A few other downsides to my resume is that I do not have any trauma certifications or NRP.

any tips or suggestions would be appreciated!

also, how does the orientation process work when hired?

I was wondering if there was any flight nurses on allnurses.com that fly in Wyoming or in the panhandle of Nebraska? Young nurse here wondering what flight nursing is like and possibly thinking about it for the future! What were your stats when applying to become a flight nurse such as years, department, certifications? How long does the average flight nurse stay in flight nursing? Also, anything else you would think as useful information. Please no rude comments. Thank you!

I'm not looking to copy a cover letter - I can write one myself. But I am STUCK on what to write????

Please help me nurse friends!

I am graduating this May with my ADN and intend on pursuing my BSN shortly after graduation. I am very interested in flight nursing in the military and becoming a part of an aeromedical evacuation team in the Air Force is most appealing to me. I know the process can be along one, so I want to start my research and process early. I'd love to hear anyone's advice or experience with this route, whether it be personal or from someone you know. How likely is it to be accepted as a flight nurse and trained for aeromedical evacuation? I am prior Navy enlisted, but I know I will need civilian experience in critical or emergency care first. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

I also have some additional questions.

flight nurses out there are you happy with your job? Do you find fulfillment in it?

are you still able to maintain a work life balance?

If you could go back and choose your career again would you choose flight nursing?

I know it's not all about the money but would you say you are or were able to live comfortably on your salary as a flight nurse?

http://www.emsa.ca.gov/paramedic/default.asp

I know the effects will be felt in both Flight and ground CCT. It will also extend into Maternal/OB and Neonatal Specialty transports. Some counties have already been watching this and are ready to make the transition from RNs to Paramedics on flight and CCT. This has already been heavily discussed in Orange county. It has both pros and cons. I am still a firm believer in education and that one should actually have worked in a critical care environment for at least a couple of years before transporting an ICU patient. But, that also may now become a reality for the Paramedic as the CCP is moving into the hospitals in Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado. A few hospitals are using Paramedics to replace Respiratory Therapists for nightshifts and in the ERs. Some smaller hospitals in California are considering this also since the Paramedics will now have point of care devices and mechanical ventilators as part of their scope of practice. This could serve many purposes.

I'm looking to apply to LifeFlight Network in the next six months and was wondering if anyone here works/has worked for them? Are they as good as advertised?

Bit of background history, I am a nurse with 5.5 years of ICU experience in a busy trauma ICU followed by 1.5 years of experience in the Cardiac Cath Lab. I switched to CCT ground in 2017 and October of this year will make it a full 2 years in CCT. I've been an EMT since 2008 and I am currently in year two of five for my AG-ACNP/CNS program. I have somewhat of a break in my classes (I had to stretch from a 4 year program to 5 to keep a roof over my head) and here is where I sit.

I feel like I am going through a bit of what feels like a "midlife crisis" as far as my nursing is concerned (yes I know by many standards I am still a young nurse but I don't know how else to describe it...haha). When I started my DNP program I sort of resigned myself to the fact that I would not fly as a nurse which was okay for me at the time. Now that I've taken a Flight Bridge review course up in Ohio I know that there are such things as flight NPs (which seems pretty awesome and a potentially growing field) and I'm trying to figure out which exam to take.

With three years left in my program I imagine there is a possibility for me to fly if the right position were to come up. As such, should I take the CFRN and have it under my belt as a cert? Or should I go with the CTRN with the understanding I might have to take the CFRN if I should happen to find myself with an opportunity to fly?

Thanks in advance!

Blue