A Flight Nurse is a registered nurse who specialises in the field of providing comprehensive pre-hospital, emergency critical care and hospital care to a vast scope of patients. The care of these patients is generally during aeromedical evacuation or rescue operations aboard helicopters, propeller aircraft or jet aircraft. On-board a rescue aircraft you would find a flight nurse accompanied by flight medics and respiratory practitioners, as well as the option of a flight physician for comprehensive emergency and critical transport teams. The inclusion of a flight physician is more commonly seen in paediatric and neonatal transport teams.
Roles and Duties
A Flight Nurse is required to complete a copious amount of duties each and every call out. Listed below is a comprehensive list of these duties and responsibilities:
Flight Nurses perform as a member of an aeromedical evacuation team on helicopters and propeller or jet aircraft
Responsible for planning and preparing for aeromedical evacuation missions
Expedite mission and initiate emergency treatment in absence of Flight Physician
Provide in-flight management and nursing care for patients
Evaluate individual patient in-flight needs
Liaison between medical and operational aircrews and support personnel to promote patient comfort
Responsible for maintaining patient care, comfort and safety
Care for patients with both medical and traumatic issues
Request appropriate medications, supplies and equipment to provide care to patient
Must have training in mechanical ventilation, hemodynamic support, vasoactive medications and intensive care skills
Specialised clinical skills in union with knowledge, theory, education and expertise in hospital and pre-hospital environments are required
Perform advanced medical procedures without supervision of a doctor such as intubation, ventilator management, chest tube insertion, intra-osseous line placement, central line placement, intra-aortic balloon pump management, management of pacing devices, titration of vasoactive medications, pain management, administration of anaesthetic medications for intubation, and in some cases, emotional and family care
National Requirements for most Flight Nurse programs include:
License as a registered nurse- attainable through most Universities or Education Institutions
2–3 years of critical care experience and/or Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) experience.
Advanced Cardiac Life Support certificate (ACLS)
Pediatric Advanced Life Support Certificate (PALS)
Additional requirements may include:
Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP)
Nationally recognised trauma program such as Pre Hospital Trauma Life (PHTLS)
Support (PHTLS), Basic Trauma Life Support (BTLS), Trauma Nurse Core Course (TNCC), or Transport Nurse Advanced Trauma Course (TNATC)
Certifications such as Critical Care certification (CCRN), Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN), or Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN)
Helpful, but may not be required:
EMT or EMT-P (Paramedic) certification with field experience (some states require flight nurses to be certified as EMT’s or EMT-P’s)
Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN)
Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN)
Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN)
Civilian Flight Nurse
Works for hospitals, federal, state and local governments, private medical evacuation firms, fire departments and other agencies.
Military Flight Nurse
Army Air Force Evacuation Service
Member of aeromedical evacuation crew
Senior medical member of aeromedical evacuation team on Continental United States (CONUS)
Works in intra-theatre and inter-theatre flights to provide in-flight management and nursing care
Plan/Prepare aeromedical evacuation missions and prepare patient care facilitation plan
Australia has an estimated 20% of land recognised as desert with a rather small population density. Providing health care to these remote, rural towns can prove to be quite laborious. Australia provides a number of organisations that flight nurses are under employment of.
(Nursing and Health Sciences)
Several books and weblink have been published to give an insight into Flight Nursing, some of these include:
Operation Flight Nurse: Real-Life Medical Emergencies (Kaniecki, 2013)
Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse (Hudson, 2010)
RAF Medical Services
Air Medical Services
Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
