Medical Escort

[NeuroNP]

Does anyone out there do medical escort services for travellers? I've heard that there are opportunities for RNs to fly to foregin countries on commercial flights to retrieve travellers who are ill or injured abroad and transport them home. This sounds like an interesting opportunity. I love to fly and would like to be a flight nurse on an air medical service. This sounds like an interesting opportunity as well. I've also heard that you can accumulate frequent flyer miles as a benefit. My wife and I love to travel and I thought this might be a fun job and a good way to get FF miles so that we can be able to travel more as well.

[Shamira Aizza]

I read your post on Flightweb...thought I'd only answer here.

Various airlines hire RN's to function as medical escorts for customers who request it, and there are companies who offer these services. I previously worked for a company that provided medical escort services, and it can be either brutal or a cakewalk...unfortunately the brutal events easily overshadow and challenge your desire to ever do another escort.

Sometimes the patient doesn't really want you there, and makes it very clear to you.

Sometimes the patient is really borderline (or blatantly) a stretcher patient and is being shuttled via wheelchair. Getting medical gear on board can be a challenge (needles for diabetics who need injections and accuchecks).

Sometimes Embassies are less-than-helpful to assist with problems that arise half-way through the trip (i.e. patient was an illegal with an expired visa being deported to a hospital back home and a layover country doesn't want the patient to deplane).

The airline schedules the patient on the wrong kind of aircraft, or takes an hour+ to find a wheelchair.

The airline refuses to give you access to facilities that you've paid for (i.e. first class privacy rooms for the patient during layovers).

LANGUAGE BARRIERS!!! Through almost every evolution of the mission!

Ad these things to the routine problems of modern airline travel, and you've got some real obstacles.

Benign as these patients may be, you need to be able to think quick on your feet, determine when you need to play Mr. Nice Guy, or be aggressive and play hard-ball with airlines, etc.

You also need to think outside the box in helping these patients tolerate these trips; pushing the referring facilities to provide perscription PO benzo's and narcs, anti-emetics, etc. Sometimes you may have to retrieve a patient outside the US, in which case you may be handed drugs that you have never heard of...take them anyways and toss them when out of sight...keeps from offending the referring staff (this can be a hard lesson to learn).

I've allowed things that might make people gasp...allowing a patient to consume alcohol (i.e. wine, low-octane stuff), during transit or eat to their hearts content because it may be the last decent food they may eat for a long while (depending on what third-world crap-hole you are taking them to). Use reasonable and critical thinking, and make sure it won't exacerbate a medical condition or function concomitantly with any medication. Be prepared to do some very real and basic nursing tasks (changing an incontinent patient), in less-than-desirable conditions outside the hospital while protecting your patient's dignity...this can be very challenging.

Be ready to go a couple days without a shower.

No matter how benign the patient, there is rarely anything benign about these transports. I would much rather tackle the bloodiest beer and beans trauma with one arm tied behind my back than deal with some of the challenges of another 1-3 day escort to SE Asia, Africa, or E. Europe.

[RoxanRN]

Various airlines hire RN's to function as medical escorts for customers who request it, and there are companies who offer these services. I previously worked for a company that provided medical escort services, and it can be either brutal or a cakewalk...unfortunately the brutal events easily overshadow and challenge your desire to ever do another escort.

Do you know the name and contact information of these companies? This is something I'm very interested in!! PM me if you need to.

[blueyesue]

below are a few companies that offer medical transport for patients:

http://www.firstassist.co.uk/travelsolutions/index.jsp

these 3 companies below have their own fleet of specialized aircraft:

http://www.americanairambulance.com/

http://www.aeromedexpress.com/index.htm

http://www.air-lifeline.com/index.html

the corporate angel network arranges free travel on corporate jets for cancer patients, bone marrow donors and bone marrow recipients.

http://www.corpangelnetwork.org/

air ambulance specialists is a domestic and international air ambulance company

http://www.airaasi.com/

below is a company called airmed international. as of october 19 they were hiring critical care nurses. here is their website:

http://www.airmed.com/ammain/main.asp

i found that listing from the astna job listings:

http://www.astna.org/job_listings.htm

[Rescue Nurse]

I have been doing these Commercial Medical Escorts for 5+ years. I have been around the world and back again. It is not the most medically challenging field of nursing, but your patients are extreamly greatful. You certainly have to be quick on your feet and an independent logistical guru. Traveling internationally or abroad always has it's challenges, but when you have a patient to care for at the same time, it really takes you up a notch. Is is a great "job" with lots of adventure.

Good Luck