Rozina Aziz A flight nurse is a registered nurse who provides emergency medical treatment to patients in transit via air ambulance or helicopter between emergency sites or hospitals. With their expertise, flight nurses prevent patients’ conditions from deteriorating while transferring them to permanent facilities.
Earning your nursing license and gaining expertise in trauma and critical care patients are prerequisites to working as a flight nurse. A career as a flight nurse may be the next logical step for someone who thrives in the high-pressure setting of an emergency room but is uncomfortable with close quarters.
What is a Flight Nurse?
Flight nurses, also called transport nurses, are RNs who are specially trained to treat patients during air transport in a rotorcraft (like a helicopter) or a fixed-wing aircraft (like a plane). Flight nurses collaborate with other medical experts like paramedics and doctors to guarantee that patients receive the best possible treatment while en route. Patients in critical condition are frequently transported to trauma centers with their assistance.
Providing top-notch medical care to those in need, these dynamic nurses offer on-site emergency services and inter-facility transport – their expertise can be the difference between life and death. They frequently have responsibility for a very diverse range of patients.
What does a flight nurse do?
Flight nurses may administer first aid, perform CPR, check vital signs, or place an IV while transporting a patient. The patients usually need round-the-clock care because of their urgent conditions or injuries. As a healthcare professional, not only do you deliver top-notch care to your patients, but you also make sure all medical essentials are aboard the plane and keep everyone comfortable!
Along with paramedics, doctors, and the flight crew, flight nurses provide critical care to patients during air transport. Flight nurses are responsible for more than just providing medical care; they must also assist patients with boarding, disembarking, and inspecting the plane and any medical equipment on board. In some cases, this may entail washing the plane, checking the expiration dates on medications, and cleaning the cabin.
What qualifications are required of a successful flight nurse?
Every flight nurse is a licensed RN with specialized nursing experience that allows them to care for patients with complex medical requirements in dangerous situations. Nursing-specific technical abilities and general workplace social and decision-making abilities are included here.
Technical skills:
- Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support
- Intubation and artificial breathing
- Essential medical care
- Translation of chest X-rays
- Infant CPR
- Emergency Cardiovascular Care for Children
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support
- Tips about Transportation
- Practice with Ventilators
Workplace skills:
- Reasoning critically
- Maintaining open lines of communication
- Resourcefulness
- Self-starter
- Maintaining composure in tense situations
- Managing One’s Time
How much does a Flight Nurse make?
The median salary for a life-flight nurse in the United States is $146.069 annually. San Francisco’s $220,475 annual salary for life-flight nurses is 51% higher than the national average.
What is the tax rate for Life Flight Nurses?
Get ready for the life of your dreams with a paycheck of $4,863 after just 24% taxes: fly high as a Life Flight Nurse and earn an impressive $116,723 annually.
How much is the hourly wage for a flight nurse?
On average, Flight Nurses are paid $42.07 per hour, which is higher than the average for Emergency Room Nurses ($36.17/hr) due to the specific training they undergo in trauma and emergency treatment (Zippa, February 2022).
What factors contribute to the salary of Flight Nurses?
Salary based on Years of Experience
A positive correlation exists between years of experience working as a flight nurse and income increases.
- The average hourly pay for those with less than a year’s experience is $27.76.
- The typical hourly compensation for a worker with 1 to 4 years of experience is $32.06.
- A median hourly income of $33.19 is attained after 5-9 years of experience.
- Hourly rates of $37.62 are typical for those with 10-19 years of experience.
- For those with twenty or more years of experience, the average hourly income is $38.
Salary based on Work Setting
It’s different from what you’d find a regular nurse in the hospital because flight nurses work on the plane or helicopter they’re transporting patients in. Instead of being chained to a single home unit like other nursing subfields, nurse practitioners create their own pathways.
In addition, flight nurses will have a base of operations to return to when they are not transferring a patient by air.
Where can a Flight Nurse Work?
- Hospitals
- Critical-care facilities
- Firehouses
- Rescue workers and other SAR personnel
- Response to Emergencies and Disasters
- ERT
- Authorities in the government
- Inpatient care facility
- Military
What are the ways to increase salary as a Flight Nurse?
There are numerous methods to maximize your salary as a flight nurse!
- Completing coursework and passing the exam to become a Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN)
- Work on the weekend or at night to earn more money each hour
- Improve your career prospects by completing a master of science in nursing (MSN) program or higher.
- Do per Diem work or become a traveling nurse.
- Preceptorship education includes:
- Advancing one’s clinical career inside the company
FAQ’s
Are there many opportunities for flight nurses?
The need for flight nurses is comparable to that of nurses in any other field. Patients are increasingly complex, meaning they must be transferred to hospitals quickly and safely, driving up demand for this role.
How difficult is it to train to be a flight nurse?
It takes between five and seven years to become a certified flight nurse. Critical care, resuscitation, trauma nursing, emergency nursing, etc., are all areas where advanced nursing abilities are required.
Do flight nurses travel?
Sometimes, Flight Nurses are required to go on temporary assignments out of town. A flight nurse in the emergency room or intensive care unit is typically stationed in these smaller hospitals in remote areas.
Is being a flight nurse worth it?
Because of the difficulty and high stakes, only some are cut out to be flight nurses. Although much time and effort are required to become a nurse, the rewards and knowledge gained are well worth the effort.
