How Much Do You Make As a Flight Nurse?

Specialties Flight

Published

It's what I want to do anyway (eventually) but just curious if anyone knows of a good resource where I could find this information.

Specializes in Critical Care/Flights/Family Practice.

Yep, your math is about right. Yep, it works for me just fine.

Lets put it into perspective a bit. Over the past two years, I was able to have enough downtime at work to get my Masters in Nursing and then a post-grad FNP (company paid for). I've also been paid to watch the Super Bowl, various UFC fights, and play X-Box. My wife is free to come over to the airport and hang out with me any time she wants, as are the rest of the families. Additionally, the average person can drop about $200 for an hours helicopter flight through a beautiful mountainous area. I get to do that daily...and I get paid for it.

The hourly wage sucks, the yearly wage rocks. It's not a "hard job". My weekday job at the clinic involves a lot more running around (a lot less critical thinking, though). This is why, despite having my FNP, I STILL LOVE TO FLY.

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

I'm glad there's some honesty going on in here. My uncle thinks that he's going to become an RN and go be a flight nurse after he gets his RN and make like 150k a year. I keep telling him someone lied to him. That it's possible, but it's not easy nor average. He lives in the bay area, and I am aware they pay more but c'mon!

I admire you guys, we recently lost a couple of flight nurses in a helicopter that crashed. Sad, you guys are brave!

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Specializes in icu/er.

A guy I take ACLs courses with over the yrs is a flight nurse for north ms. he flat out told me he makes anywhere between $75-85K/yr. now I don't know how many extra shifts he works or if he does any extra. the typical ICU/er RN with the same time exp. that he has will prob earn around $60 something grand/yr in the hospital setting. now this is Mississippi historically one of the lower paying states.

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BigIsleBound said:
I'm so glad to see a thread in which someone asks about the rate of pay without being chided, scolded or reamed. The whole "nursing is something you do to be the next Mother Theresa, how can you even THINK about money" line is so tired. Kudos to those of you who jusy answered the question the best you could.

I agree, to the nurses who say that crap... I say "sign over your paycheque to me" and we will soon see who else is in it for the money. Many Nurses are **** people anyways.

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Specializes in ICU/ER/TRANSPORT.

Well sign your check over to me and we will all listen to how loud you whine. I smell a troll.

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Specializes in Paramedic;ER;ICU;Flight Nurse.

I took a big hourly pay cut to become a flight nurse, but I only work 7 24hr shifts a month. My annual salary with built-in overtime is the mid 70s. I read some of the posts that people took a pay cut after leaving the hospital. I have worked ICU and ER, and there is no way I can work 7 shifts a month in the hospital and make what I make now. Hope that helps.

1 Votes
Specializes in SICU, TICU, CVICU, Flight RN.

The perks are what makes it fun.

Able to travel all over the Central, South, and North of the Americas, including all over the Caribbean.

To be on call, and able to study, go to the movies, watch TV, etc... while getting paid. Of course, you may get a call at 5 am or at 1 am...: zzzzz

1 Votes

I have been a flight nurse now for 15 years. I have worked for big university-based programs and small operations privately held. I have flown in just about every aircraft we use fixed wing and rotor. And when it comes to flight nurse pay why don't we get rid of our ego and just come out and say it the pay sucks horrible, you have to do more to maintain your flight status than anything else in nursing, yes it is the best job in nursing, and most of us become very lazy in it because we do chill out allot and watch tv and spend at the most a day doing maybe 3 HRS of real pt care if any at all, this is why it is so hard for flight nurses to come back to the real world and actually work hard for a living back in the hospital. All that said I get off track on the pay question. With flight nursing becoming more and more dominated by privately held companies like the big 3 PHI, Air methods and ,Omni the money we make has all but just about been price fixed and it is horrible there is not a person out there making more money flying than they would in a hospital unless it is a hospital-based program and you work for the hospital. That is for = time spent. We normally at the best programs work 2 x24hr shifts per week for six shifts a month this is the best programs then it goes downhill from there the hourly rate broken down comes nowhere close to what you make in a hospital to make up the difference you work tons of extra without over time you won't make more than 65000.00 a year. I made 25.00 per hour for the big three and I'm in California making 59.00 per HR base pay in an ER working 36hrs per week. You can do the math. Most flight nurses per year make a range of 75000.00 to the top of 110,000.00 per year depending on the countless hours you put in at the station. The flight nurses here in Northern California I don't know the one that doesn't require a second job to afford to live and Hawaii was worse. I believe we should all be honest about our pay so we can unite and like the stockholders be compensated for the risk of putting are life on the line. Not to mention it requires having the most credentials of any nurse just to work and we should join forces to bring flight nursing pay to the level of the elite status they try to sell us on being because we are flight nurses. But who really has our backs the stockholders the company just have a crash and see. Yes, I know we do it because we love it, I have done it for many years for that very reason but in the end, don't you think that is pretty stupid. If you bring it up at your next flight review see how long it takes before they tell you if you don't like it leave to go back to the hospital we have new people just dying to fly (literally). It really just comes down to a personal choice with many factors, but we do get screwed in pay flight nursing. Note and the big three make millions.

1 Votes
Specializes in Emergency.

The hourly pay rate for FN is no different than a regular staff nurse where I work.

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Have worked for a non-profit and large corporate air medical transport doing both FW and RW for more than 12 years. Management and line nurse. Been a nurse for 15 years with much experience in ED, ICU, PICU, Cardiology. No raise in over 5 years and a nurse 2 years after graduation with no EMS experience, after 6 months would be making the same as I 25.00 per hour. The pay SUCKS. (part of this is the company I worked for)I never did it for the pay. But I did have to keep another job just to make ends meet and support my lavish lifestyle I became accustomed to. lol, I have recently left air medical and now back at the large university hospital I started with doing PICU transport mainly ground but some air. I love it and don't really miss flying. Bottom line you don't take a flight job for the pay.

Good luck and do your research on the safety of the program, don't just jump on the first job you come along if their safety isn't number one!

1 Votes
Specializes in All Icus x Nicu/ Shock Trauma/flight nur.

In 1993 when I began flying for a 24-hour shift (just to show up basically) $200.00/day plus extra "flight pay" for each flight. I learned never to accept what I was offered. When my contract came up for review I asked for $300.00/24hr plus flight pay and milage, since I worked in very remote areas. You need to understand what you are offering a flight company. Also, reimbursement for your ACLs, pals, etc. etc. Don't be shy because you want this job so badly, that's when you usually take what they offer, and then you might regret. Bargain from a position of strength. If you're going to do ground, tell them you expect the same rate of pay. As of this minute, I'm sure flight nurses make more today.

You need to understand how dangerous and challenging this job is, and you have to be on the money at 3 am as if it were at 3 pm. As the RN you're going to call the shots because you have no way of communicating with a doc. When you take your advanced course for flight nurses you will learn to intubate, place a subclavian line, put in a chest tube, etc. It's a great job, fun, exciting and as I said dangerous. Good Luck! fltnrse2

0 Votes
Specializes in All Icus x Nicu/ Shock Trauma/flight nur.

In 1993 when I began flying for a 24 hour shift (just to show up basically) $200.00/day plus extra "flight pay" for each flight. I learned never to accept what I was offered. When my contract came up for reveiw I asked for $300.00/24hr plus flight pay and milage, since I worked in very remote areas. You need to understand what you are offering a flight company. Also, reimbursement for your acls, pals,etc. etc. Don't be shy because you want this job so badly, that's when you usually take what they offer, and then you might regret. Bargin from a position of strength. If your going to do ground, tell them you expect the same rate of pay. As of this minute I'm sure flight nurses make more today.

You need to understand how dangerous and challenging this job is, and you have to be on the money at 3am as if it were 3pm. As the RN your going to call the shots, because you have no way of communicating with a doc. When you take your advanced course for flight nurses you will learn to intubate, place a subclavian line, put in a chest tube etc. It's a great job, fun, exciting and as I said dangerous. Good Luck! fltnrse2

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