NICU time count towards flight

[young33]

Hello,

I am a first year BSN student, and like a lot of people I one day want to be a flight RN/medic. Now I am wondering if after school I was able get a job in the NICU if that time would count towards critical care time for flight. I have heard from some that it does and from others that it won't.

My plan is while I'm going through school to work as a basic or an ER tech. I will be working as a basic starting next semester on a private rig and after getting some experience transferring to a county near me to get primary care/trauma experience. Or, I could work as an ED tech. At any rate, I want make my chances good to get an ER or NICU job after graduation. But, if my goal is flight would I be wasting my time in the NICU? Would I be better off trying to an ED job?

Oh yeah, and is it worth mentioning that once I graduate I will get my medics license and around that time I will hopefully be getting on Toledo's fire department.

Thanks

[FlyingScot, RN]

NICU experience will really only count if your goal is a dedicated neonatal/pediatric team. There are a handful of these kind of teams that have their own aircraft, most contract with the local HEMS company but they all do a mix of ground and air transports.

If you want straight flight you will be better off looking for jobs in a high acuity/high volume CVICU or MICU. ED experience is good but generally not enough to get you a flight job. Please look at http://www.flightweb.com for a very thorough breakdown of what you will need.

[young33]

NICU experience will really only count if your goal is a dedicated neonatal/pediatric team. There are a handful of these kind of teams that have their own aircraft, most contract with the local HEMS company but they all do a mix of ground and air transports.

If you want straight flight you will be better off looking for jobs in a high acuity/high volume CVICU or MICU. ED experience is good but generally not enough to get you a flight job. Please look at www.flightweb.com for a very thorough breakdown of what you will need.

Thanks for the reply. Now the thing with at least in my area with the MICU, is the MICU is flight. The MICU units are ran when they can't fly, they're the same crews. Thats at least my understanding of it. Now in regards to MICU, would you think being a driver for a MICU would be of any significance? Cause I know here at the major company they only hire basics(at least thats the minimal qualifications) as their drivers.

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

Scene (trauma) flights are only a small part of their role, most are inter-hospital transfers. You need years of experience in ICU in order to get a position. There are dedicated neonatal transport teams (ground/flight) which require NICU experience.

[NICUmiiki, DNP, NP]

Thanks for the reply. Now the thing with at least in my area with the MICU, is the MICU is flight. The MICU units are ran when they can't fly, they're the same crews. Thats at least my understanding of it. Now in regards to MICU, would you think being a driver for a MICU would be of any significance? Cause I know here at the major company they only hire basics(at least thats the minimal qualifications) as their drivers.

I'm not sure what MICU means when you are talking about transport, but I think the previous poster meant medical intensive care unit. It's a type of ICU in a hospital. You will need hospital ICU experience in order to get a flight job.

[young33]

I'm not sure what MICU means when you are talking about transport, but I think the previous poster meant medical intensive care unit. It's a type of ICU in a hospital. You will need hospital ICU experience in order to get a flight job.

Oh, I guess you are right. That does provide some confusion. By MICU, I meant mobile icu. That is what the flight company near me calls their ground units

And for future reference, is the medical icu what is just commonly referred to as the icu?

[FlyingScot, RN]

And for future reference, is the medical icu what is just commonly referred to as the icu?

Not in large teaching hospitals with multiple ICUs. These are also the kind of facilities that have flight crews and transport teams.

[NICUmiiki, DNP, NP]

The hospital I do clinical at has MICU (medical), SICU (surgical), Neuro ICU, TNCU (trauma), CVICU (cardiovascular), and a PICU (pediatric) in the children's hospital. The children's hospital has it's own transport team.

The hospital I work at is smaller and has a general ICU that takes all different kinds of patients.

[Gazirmom]

I am a paramedic with 16 years experience and a NICU nurse with over 8 years experience. I have been told that NICU is too specific for most flight positions. It will depend on the air transport company. The only one that I want to work for is very strict. You must have 5 years experience in adult ICU, experience in Peds ICU, etc.

A challenge they are facing is finding nurses with that type of experience that can obtain their paramedic license as well or even want to now that going to Paramedic school is usually a 2 year process.

Good luck!