How to Become a Flight Nurse in USA: A Step-By-Step Guide – Timing plays a pivotal role when it comes to preserving the lives of patients. In critical situations, where patients are severely ill or injured, swift air transportation to medical facilities becomes imperative. Accompanying them on this crucial journey are adept medical professionals who form an indispensable part of the team, among whom flight nurses hold a vital position.
Flight nurses specialize in providing prehospital patient care within the confines of an aircraft, embarking on careers filled with excitement, challenges, and the deeply satisfying reward of saving lives. Here’s a guide on how to pursue a career as a flight nurse.
What Is a Flight Nurse?
A flight nurse is a certified registered nurse (RN) with specialized training to provide patient care during emergency air transportation. Collaborating closely with a team of medical experts, including paramedics and physicians, flight nurses play a critical role in ensuring the safe transit of patients to their intended destinations.
Role and Responsibilities
Flight nurses assume a multifaceted role encompassing a range of responsibilities. Their primary duty revolves around delivering immediate medical care to patients undergoing air transport. This entails assessing, triaging, and providing treatment for various medical conditions and injuries. Their interventions encompass vital tasks such as resuscitation, administering IV drips and medications, vigilant monitoring of vital signs, and ensuring safe patient embarkation and disembarkation.
Beyond direct patient care, flight nurses may engage in auxiliary tasks, including aircraft maintenance, pharmaceutical organization, meticulous tracking of medication expiry dates, administrative documentation, and routine equipment checks.
To excel in this demanding role, flight nurses must exhibit composure and quick thinking, especially when dealing with critically ill patients. Exceptional communication skills and adaptability to confined spaces are essential attributes for success in this profession.
Work Environment
Flight nurses operate within the realm of medical transport, serving aboard helicopters and airplanes, and their services are applicable to both civilian and military environments.
In the civilian sector, the majority of flight nurses find employment with hospitals or private medical transport enterprises. Additionally, fire departments, government agencies, and search-and-rescue organizations enlist the expertise of flight nurses for their missions. Some flight nurses choose careers as educators within university-affiliated medical facilities or within aviation companies.
In a military context, numerous flight nurses are integral members of the Air Force’s Aeromedical Evacuation (AE) crews. Their primary mission involves deploying to transport injured and unwell military personnel to designated military hospitals.
How to Become a Flight Nurse
Earn an Education
Typically, the educational requirement for aspiring flight nurses is a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN). However, in certain instances, an associate degree in nursing (ADN) may suffice for securing a flight nurse position.
If your career aspirations involve serving in the Air Force as a flight nurse, you must hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing from an accredited institution and possess a valid U.S. or U.S. territory registered nurse (RN) license. Military flight nurse candidates are also required to undergo a thorough flying class medical examination and gain approval from the medical unit commander and Air Force Reserve Surgeon General. Following this, they must complete a comprehensive 5.5-week training program.
Obtain RN Licensure
Following successful completion of the NCLEX-RN examination, aspiring flight nurses must initiate the licensure application process in the state where they intend to practice. The specific procedure for becoming a registered nurse (RN) can differ from one state to another. Some states impose stringent background checks and verification procedures as prerequisites for license issuance. Conversely, states such as Arizona, Missouri, and South Carolina offer the convenience of same-day temporary licenses to eligible nurses who fulfill all stipulated requirements.
Gain Experience
Achieving the status of a flight nurse demands a substantial foundation of practical nursing experience. While prior in-flight nursing experience is not an absolute prerequisite, it is highly advisable to possess a minimum of three to five years of collective experience in intensive care units (ICU), emergency rooms (ER), or trauma centers to be well-prepared for this specialized role.
Consider Certification
While not mandatory, obtaining certification can significantly enhance your qualifications and career prospects as a flight nurse. Many flight nurses opt to pursue certification as Certified Flight Registered Nurses (CFRNs). To qualify for the CFRN exam, candidates must hold the designation of Registered Nurse (RN).
While it is recommended to gain approximately two years of nursing experience before attempting the CFRN exam, this is not obligatory. The CFRN certification remains valid for a period of four years.
In addition to the CFRN credential, you may also consider pursuing other certifications such as Basic Life Support, Transport Professional Advanced Trauma Course, and Certified Emergency Nurse credentials to further bolster your expertise.
It’s worth noting that certain states may have specific certification requirements for flight nurses. For instance, in Kentucky, flight nurses are mandated to obtain certification in a neonatal resuscitation program as part of their qualifications.
Flight Nurse Salary and Job Outlook
Registered nurses, encompassing all nursing roles and not exclusively flight nurses, earn a median annual salary of $77,600, which equates to approximately $37.31 per hour, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Projections from the BLS indicate a 6% growth in employment opportunities for registered nurses from 2021 to 2031. This growth rate aligns with the anticipated expansion in the job market across all occupations. On average, it is expected that 203,200 new registered nursing positions will become available each year during this period.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How long does it take to be a flight nurse?
The timeline for becoming a flight nurse hinges on the educational route chosen and whether one pursues a career in the military or within civilian organizations. Earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) typically requires a minimum of four years, whereas an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) can be completed in two years. In most cases, aspiring flight nurses should accumulate a minimum of three years of experience as a Registered Nurse (RN) before seeking flight nursing positions.
Is becoming a flight nurse competitive?
Careers in flight nursing are recognized for their competitive nature. A significant majority of candidates have dedicated several years to their nursing careers and have undertaken multiple certification exams in pursuit of advancement opportunities.
Is flight nursing a difficult career?
Flight nurses must thrive in adrenaline-charged, high-speed work settings. When transporting critically ill or injured patients, the stakes are undeniably elevated. Nevertheless, this dynamic environment also offers the potential for an exceptionally rewarding career.
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