fltRNKen

As you can tell from others that have commented on your behalf reaching the level of flight nurse is a gradual road of milestones towards reaching one of the highest levels of nursing care in the profession. Focus on each milestone learning all you can during the journey. You just can't learn it all at once and expect to be at the level of competency that flight nursing demands. It can't be emphasized enough that if you have little to no patient care experience prior to obtaining your RN license you definitly need to work in a non-critical setting to build upon your basic nursing knowledge, skills, organizational and patient management skills. The real learning develops when you actually start working as a nurse. Unless you already have some EMT experience you should consider getting at least one focused year of nursing practice under your belt before adding a part time job with pre-hospital care. Set out your road map and stay the course always keep learning!!

Well sounds like Wisconsin was a great move on your part! We moved up from Redbluff, California to get away from the heat and high cost of living and have lived in Grants Pass now for 14 years. We love it here and plan to live here for our remaining life. Just built our dream home to retire in:-) Great sharing stories with you and I wish you all the best? Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year!

This is just one good example and reason you will need critical care experience and knowledge as a nurse with future ambitions to being a flight nurse...Managing an intubated patient via bagging and ETCO2/SvO2 monitoring is one thing. Flight nurses and critical care trained paramedics understand the physiology with manage and operating mechanical ventilation. They understand as it relates to flight physiology, blood gases, hemodynamic effects, pharmacological effects, etc.... It is a far cry from just bagging an intubated patient. This is where the ICU experience with critical care thinking comes into play. Since you are close to getting your BSN and looking to take a paramedic course, a good approach towards becoming a flight nurse is to get as much critical care experience and knowledge as an RN and perhaps do some part time shifts on and ALS ground unit as a paramedic. After at least 3 years critical care experience preferably in ICU, CCU and additional time with acute care in the ED along with your paramedic experience you will then be very marketable when applying for a flight nurse position. Best of luck in your future endeavors!!

Wow what a small world! We have lived in Grants Pass for 13 years and in Merlin. We just sold our home off Potts Way in Merlin and built a home in Grants Pass off Redwood highway; actually off South River Rd along the river. You probably guessed that I work for Mercy Flights in Medford. The Paramedics get paid quite well compared to the rest of the industry, about a 2/3rds of what the RN's make. Although there is a medical director for Mercy Flights as a whole, the flight team still has more liberty with use of universal guidelines outside the general set protocols and like the RN's flight paramedics are equally able to give any and all appropriate medications accordingly. What brought you to Wisconsin and what company do you work for?

I am a flight nurse and our company also runs ground ambulance and air (FW & RW) transports. The flight team consist of a nurse (CFRN) and EMT-P (FP-C). Paramedics in Oregon are licensed with an associate degree. EMT-P's must have at least 3 years ground experience before going to the flight team and then obtain their FP-C within 18 months. RN's must have at least 2 years experience in either ICU/CCU or ED. RN's (BSN referred) must be ACLS and PALS certified and obtain PHTLS, NRP, and STABLE after hire plus obtain CFRN within 18 month of hire. RN's go through a 6 week ground academy that includes ground calls followed by a 3 week flight academy upon starting on the flight team. I was hired with prior pre-hospital EMS (EMT-P and MICN), ICU-CCU, post surgical and ED experience. Flight Paramedics and Flight RN's alternate patient care with the RN providing addition support in critical care and the Paramedics providing additional support in emergency skills. Bottom line, after working as a team over time there becomes little difference if any between the two professions in the level and capability of patient care!