Air ambulance nurses are trained professional nurses who assist patients, generally victims of severe trauma, while they are being transported to medical care via helicopter or aircraft. Air ambulance nurses are registered nurses (RN) with additional training in trauma care and flight physiology and care.
Types
Air ambulance or MedEvac (medical evacuation) nurses are employed by a variety of agencies and healthcare facilities to provide emergency care for patients who are being transported from remote locations to medical care. They work in both civilian and military contexts, and primarily deal with victims of trauma who live far from critical care facilities or were injured in a location that is difficult to reach via land. There are also many private agencies that provide flight nurses to serve as escorts for patients who are traveling via private or commercial airlines. Typically, these patients are not in critical condition but need a nurse to monitor medications, assist with ambulation or other needs throughout the flight.
Training
The majority of air ambulance nursing jobs have requirements far beyond those of a traditional RN certification. This is due to both the level and severity of the trauma that most air ambulances deal with, and the distance from additional medical assistance. Flights can be longer than typical ambulance rides, and an RN and paramedic may be the only medical professionals to get, and keep, the patient stabilized. Although each MedEvac service has its own set of requirements, in general air ambulance nurses are expected to have at a minimum a RN certification, experience of two or more years in a critical care or trauma center setting, pre-hospital advanced life support training, and basic and advanced cardiac life support. The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) also offers a Certified Flight Nurse (CFRN) certificate for completion of coursework stressing emergency and trauma care, legal and ethical considerations, disaster management, flight/altitude physiology and transport-specific skills.
Considerations
A nurse who is interested in working for a MedEvac or air ambulance service needs to have a specific set of skills and personality traits in addition to having mastered basic nursing. Air ambulance nurses work in a very hectic, fast-paced work environment with patients with severe, sometimes fatal, injuries. It is important for MedEvac nurses to be able to show compassion and offer emotional support to patients. It is equally vital that the nurse is able to remain calm and make decisions while under severe stress. MedEvac nurses must be able to work well with others on the flight team, be excellent communicators and self-motivated. Because emergencies do not occur on schedule, most air ambulance nurses will have to work odd hours and long days, possibly with rotating or on-call shifts.
Duties
MedEvac aircraft are fully equipped with lifesaving equipment to meet the needs of any critical care situation. Most air ambulances respond to all types of incidents and assist patients of all ages. An air ambulance nurse must be prepared to quickly assess a patient and perform any necessary resuscitative measures immediately. She must then decide what action to take to stabilize the patient for the duration of the trip and effectively relate information on the status of the patient to the medical facility. Throughout the ride, the nurse must continue to communicate the patient's needs and condition to waiting ground personnel to provide continuity of care.
Function
Air ambulances are aircraft (helicopters or airplanes) that are fully equipped to care for critically ill or injured patients. They are used in situations in which access with a land vehicle would be difficult or impossible. The first air ambulances were used by the military for transporting the wounded to base hospitals or camps for treatment. Air ambulance nurses work in both military and civilian capacities providing care in conjunction with other emergency personnel such as paramedics. While many air ambulances operate in remote locations that do not have trauma care, many urban hospitals also use air transport to get to patients who are trapped in areas that a ground ambulance cannot reach, such as victims of an auto accident where traffic is dense.
