1RNEducator

Actually there are some opportunities to become a Flight RN in MD outside of the MSP. Two hospital flight programs are located in MD. The first is Johns Hopkins who has an extensive transport program that includes ground, rotor and fixed wing. The rotor wing program (one helicopter) primarily transports critically ill patients to Hopkins, although it does transport patients to other facilities. The primary mission is interhospital transport. The flight program is a partnership between Hopkins and STATMedevac, whose headquartered in Pittsburgh. I believe STATMedevac is the largest EMS Air Medevac program in the US. It has bases throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio and one in MD. The flight crew on the helicopter is RN/Medic. The other helicopter service in MD is through the Washington Hospital Center or MedSTAR. MedSTAR has 2 bases in MD. One in Easton and one in southern MD. It is my understanding the third base they once had in MD, which was located in Frederick MD has been moved to Leesburg, VA. Hope this helps.

I agree with Chas in that you should seek out information from Tim Porter-O'Grady on Shared Governance. I managed for several years in a facility wherein his model for SG was operationalized. My experience was a good one, particularly in that it was an expectation for staff involvement in decisions related to clinical practice. That aspect alone saved me a great deal of work as it pertained to developing standards of practice, etc. However, it didn't take away my responsibility to mentor, coach and guide staff as they made these decisions. Watching and aiding them in their growth was quite rewarding for me. There were times when I needed to help them differentiate between "shared" governance and "self" governance. These are two completely different concepts, which can be blurred without the proper guidance and boundary setting. Lastly, Shared Governance needs to be an organinzational commitment. Again, as Chas stated there are pro's and con's to the model. Certainly do your homework.

In a past life I managed an ED with about 100 staff from unit secretary, technician to RN. We instituted a dress code for all levels of staff, meaning all techs wore one color, RN's another and unit secretaries another. Each staff level chose the color scrub they would wear, a vendor was located and we went "live" in about 2 months after all the details were worked out. Additionally, the hospital logo was embroidered on the left upper chest, with "Emergency Services" underneath. Each level of staff wore their scrubs with pride. And, as a manager, having the various colors representing each group of staff, it made identifying staff easier, who may have had either positive or negative feedback from patients or families. They would almost never remember names, but surprisingly could say what the "nurse" (female employee),or "doctor" (male employee)was wearing. Having a dress code for our department worked for us and it was surprising to see other departments in the hospital follow our lead.