Air Transport

I am currently a student about to graduate and would like some advice from some high accuity nurses. My end goal right now is to become a flight nurse. To do this (as you all well know) I need quite a few years of ED and/or ICU experience. My plan is to start in one and get cross traind in the other. I would really like to job share and work both of them, or at the very least work one PRN.

So my question is: What are the pros and cons of starting in the ICU and then going ED, and vice versa, ED to ICU? Which would be more of a natural step and why?
ED to ICU would probably be my personal preference, based on my own experience.IMHO, most people never completely step out of the mindset ingrained in them as new nurses, whatever environment that might be. Again, this is just my own personal experience, but I have seen a large number of ED nurses successfully transition to the ICU, but ICU nurses tend to hate the ED chaos/lack of control with a burning passion and never fully integrate into the ED.Ideally, you'll look for a Level I trauma ED which has oriented new grads before, and is willing to provide you with an orientation of 16 weeks or longer, including substantial class time in EKG interpretation, trauma care, critical care concepts and other topics.Good luck to you.

Fixed-Wing or Rotary Aircraft? Both?Most companies that hire require you to have RN and Paramedic licenses to work.There is also a flight physical so you have to meet certain health requirements.BCEN/CEN, CFRN, TNCC, ENPC, ATLS, often not required right away are just icing on the cake.http://nursingschool.org/nursing-car...alties/flight/Here's another reference to give some guidance:http://www.astna.org/ (They have a bunch of neat acronyms to put by your name as well.)Just stay away from the tail-rotor rookie!

Quote from EmergencyNrseFixed-Wing or Rotary Aircraft? Both?Most companies that hire require you to have RN and Paramedic licenses to work.There is also a flight physical so you have to meet certain health requirements.BCEN/CEN, CFRN, TNCC, ENPC, ATLS, often not required right away are just icing on the cake.http://nursingschool.org/nursing-car...alties/flight/Here's another reference to give some guidance:http://www.astna.org/ (They have a bunch of neat acronyms to put by your name as well.)Just stay away from the tail-rotor rookie!

EmergencyNrse -- I would prefer to end on rotary wing, but I would be just dandy on fixed wing. The agencies around here start you out on fixed wing and you have to earn your way up to rotary. We have a lot of mountains around us so I would eventually like to be on the hoist rescue team... but that would be a long way off. Thank you for the web sites, I'll check them out on one of my many needed breaks from studying. Altra -- Good point about going from organization to organized chaos. I can see habits of the first few years after school being so engrained that they may never be overcome. In my area the flight team on rotary wing is a pilot, flight medic, and a flight nurse. That being said... I'm sure all the fancy letters after your name might look good on a resume. The fixed wing has a little more support with it but I think it depends on the case. I know they have physicians that are on the team too, but I'm not sure if they go on every flight or if they are just on call for the sketchy ones. (ha... as if they aren't already skectchy to begin with.)

Solid ICU experience would be your best bet. Many of the paramedic/RN teams assume that the nurse is well versed in "critical care." While ER experience is good, you do not typically receive comprehensive experience in the ER such as comprehensive ventilator management, managing invasive lines such as intracranial and pulmonary artery modalities, and managing critical post-surgical patients who may have balloon pumps and other complex modalities in place.As an ER nurse who transitioned to flying, I was at a significant disadvantage even though I had a fair amount of basic ventilator and basic haemodynamic experience. Solid critical care experience would have made my transition much easier.

Quote from GilaRNAs an ER nurse who transitioned to flying, I was at a significant disadvantage even though I had a fair amount of basic ventilator and basic haemodynamic experience. Solid critical care experience would have made my transition much easier.

Quote from EmergencyNrseYou play with more toys in the "Unit" that's about it.For critical decision making and prioritization skills give me anexperienced nurse in taking care of "emergencies" or someonethat's been "on the bus". Especially if your bird responds to 911 calls!Critical Care Transport work is okay for those that receive patients thathave reasonably been stabilized to make the trip. For these assignmentsthe ICU people are okay.It has been my experience that ICU nurses are ones that I see refuse totransport certain cases for one excuse or another. Can't handle the possibilityof "controlled chaos" during the trip. 1st time I heard of someone refusing totransport I was like "whaaat???'' Happens all the time. Amazing.

I've done ED, critical care and flight for 20 years. I went from critical care to flight, then ED later. I effing despise the ED, UNLESS it is a level 5. Most of the crap that rolls through ED doors these days is level 2-3 nonsense and I can't stand it. I want to hit them over the head with something so they really WILL have something to complain about! That said, I think you could go either way. In my part of the country now, flight nurses also have to be EMT-P, check your area. If that is the case where you are, critical care and paramedic exp ought to do the trick. If not, I'd start in ED and move on to CC. Going the other way is very frustrating! Make sure your ED exp is at a trauma center or it isn't going to be very helpful when push comes to shove. Life flight doesn't pick up many people with back pain.

I'm just teasing you a little. "Lighten up Francis"...I figured if you've tasted what regurgitated charcoal tastes likeand clean blood & puke off your shoes as much as I have you cantake a little joking here and there. If we are nothing we share the sameType-A personality that allows us to do what it is we do.

Thank you all for your thoughts.