burnrn85

So are you wanting to fly civilian or military? From your post, I gathered you are wanting to get experience to go AD military and ultimately transfer to a flight squadron. Which branch are you considering? It's possible that you could join now without having to do med-surg but that would all be information a health recruiter would have for you. It all depends on the needs of the military, so even if you have a year of experience with ICU/ER, they could still send you to med surg. As far as the flight quals, the requirements for flight nursing will again be information that the recruiter would have for you. For civilian, you usually need to have 3 years of nursing experience, certification as an EMT or paramedic, and all your alphabet certifications. I encourage you to get your paramedic and to obtain as many certifications as you can (CCRN, TNCC, ABLS, NRP, PHTLS, AMLS, etc). They won't all be required, but it will make you look outstanding and can mean the difference in being selected over another candidate. It sounds like you have a great head start and are on the right path. Good luck with everything!

You don't seem to understand the difference between dirty linens and flight safety. Leaving things behind at the scene, securing equipment, and decontamination are entirely different beasts from a dirty sheet that's in use on a patient because they are bloody. Changing the sheet in between patient transports and during a patient transport are two different things silly! If you want to be a bed changer, stick with ICU! Pre-hospital is a dirty job and some people just aren't cut out for it.

One more thing... Maintain your certs in ACLS, PALS, etc and get your CCRN. It will present you as a more impressive candidate.

Flight experience rarely counts. They generally prefer ADULT ICU experience. While your diverse background won't hurt you, they likely won't care about anything except the acuity of patients you care for in the ICU. I worked specialty in burn, worked in PICU/NICU, and flew dual role as an RN/medic for several years. I went back to the hospital prior to school to work in CVICU and that seemed to be the only thing they asked me about in my interview. Your best bet will be to check the requirements of specific schools of interest when that time comes. Like others have said, the RN mindset is very different from that of a medic. I greatly value my background as a medic, but you have to be able to switch hats. Just as RN is different from CRNA, I am adjusting to a new role. Medic school was a breeze compared to nursing school. Nursing school was fluff compared to NA school. It's intense due to the volume of information you have to learn. I'm in an integrated program so time management between class, studies, and clinicals is critical. Your medic skills will be only a slight advantage. Most RN's have never intubated, but its a skill quickly taught and widely used. You will just have more experience and familiarity with technique. Good luck! You sound very ambitious, have researched and planned realistically. I'm confident you will be successful if you stick to it!

Unbelievable huh?

How were her extremities warm and pink with such a low oxygenation?

When I worked EMS, we coded unless there was without a doubt proof of a DNR or unless there were signs of death where resuscitation would be futile (ie rigor). If the DNR listed a specific person as a medical POA, then that person's verbal instruction over ruled the DNR. In my experience, the family usually encouraged resuscitation.

I'd like to add that the reason I disliked the comparison is not because it's a poor comparison, but rather because complacency with aircraft safety is the reason we hear tragic news stories of death in the industry. I've never heard of a death related to lack of clean bed sheets.

@mass...trauma surfer made the comparison @trauma... You are trying to compare two entirely different environments. The OP referred to a spot of blood and linen changes with no mention of house keeping. Just the lack of priorities in a menial task vs pt care. In HEMS, there is no way that safety checks are ever considered menial and pre-hospital is far from a tidy environment. Sure, decon happens after each flight, but pt hygiene is not addressed during flight. They are often bloody and muddy...no bed baths or linen changes for these folks.

I was the same way. I loved the acuity but disliked how particular some could be regarding things that had minimal bearing in pt. care. I never had a problem bathing, changing sheets, etc. but I would not re-change the linens if a drop of blood got on them. However, if A large amount of blood or body fluids soiled them, I would. To keep the peace, I kept extra towels in my rooms to act as a barrier for procedures. So if I was drawing blood from an art line, I'd put the towel under the draw source and any blood drops would get on the towel, not the almighty sheets. I dislike the comparison to aircraft safety as a menial task. It's actually the top priority in HEMS. Linen changes are not. Stick with it, learn as much as possible, be adaptable, learn assertiveness, and gain confidence in yourself and your skills. You'll do fine if you truly desire to be a flight nurse.

I am not from FL but can speak from my experience. I did RN/BSN and then went back for my EMT-P while working as an RN in ICU. The flight programs in my state require 3 years experience as an RN in ICU or ER. For flight medics, 3 years of ALS. I knew I would make more working as an RN and could get the medic education while obtaining the RN experience. It made me more marketable for positions when I applied and I can fly as a medic, but get paid as an RN. Both skill sets are important but the mentality is different. For me, the medic education was easy since I already had nursing training. Applying it in the field is what takes time. But I imagine its probably a similar experience for medics who pursue nursing.

Burn counts if it is an ICU setting with adult patients. I've not heard of schools excluding specifics like burn, trauma, neuro, or cardiac. All they care about is that the candidate is familiar with high acuity (hemodynamics, vents, etc) in an adult patient. Few will accept PICU/NICU, ER, or flight experience, but most don't. Just research the schools of interest to see what they will accept.

Most CRNA schools require adult ICU experience. Check with the schools you are interested in to see what they require as they also may or may not require chemistry, physics, GRE, etc.

Duplication

I went to a private, Christian college and the uniform policy was pretty strict (i.e. only one pair of stud earrings) but it wasn't enforced. I did remove/cover my facial piercings though and made attempts to layer so that my tattoos weren't visible through those horrid white scrubs. When I worked in the hospital, they had no specific policy related to tattoos/piercings; however, they did ask that I remove or cover some of my facial piercings except for my nose ring and that I cover any visible tattoos when I interviewed. I work as a flight nurse now and they do not have a policy related to piercings or tattoos. Our flight suits generally cover all tattoos anyway except neck and hands but we wear gloves during patient care and neck tattoos could be covered with a turtleneck (that would suck in the summer months!). Tattoos and piercings are such a common thing now that it's become more acceptable. I generally hear snide remarks about my modifications, but I'm comfortable in my tattooed skin, so it doesn't bother me. I tell people the difference between people with tattoos and those without, is that those of us with them aren't judging those of you without them