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Flight Nurse - Career Profile |
Career OverviewFlight nurses work aboard helicopters and airplanes. They provide care to patients in-flight, transporting patients from one medical facility to another, or from the scene of an accident to the nearest appropriate medical facility.
For several reasons, flight nurses are highly trained to provide specialist medical care. They are trained in emergency medicine and general medicine in an effort to ensure the safety of patients who are obliged to travel between locations whilst suffering from acute or chronic illnesses or injuries.
Many flight nurses work with air ambulance brokers and operators and play a prominent role in organizing the medical teams that must be on-call 24-hours a day. They are also responsible for maintaining and keeping current equipment and manuals to ensure the best possible service and up-to-date patient care in-flight.
Flight nurses learn to operate as part of a team, to think critically in high-risk, high-pressure situations, and to act quickly and efficiently to provide the best possible patient care.
Many flight nurses enter the profession indirectly, training first with the armed forces and then choosing to purse nursing as a background to a military career.
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Career RequirementsTo become a flight nurse, registered nurses typically studies for at least a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing and receive advanced training in providing general and critical care to patients in-flight.
Many flight nurses also have training as pilots or have some background in the military, which is particularly suited to the nature of a flight nurse's work.
The American Nurses Credentialing Center awards licenses to qualified flight nurses and is the official source for more information about finding an accredited training course. Contact information features below.
American Nurses Credentialing Center
600 Maryland Ave., SW, Suite 100 West
Washington, D.C. 20024-2571
(800) 284-2378
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Job OutlookIn the next decade, nursing will be one of the top 10 fastest growing professions in the United States according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Health care facilities will be looking to cut back on general costs so clinical nurse specialists may become the preferred alternative to more specialized medical professionals.
The future looks bright in the nursing field, with the number of jobs for registered nurses expected to increase at a rate far greater than that of most other jobs in the next couple of years.
Flight nurses are specialists in a particular area of practice. Their skills at caring for and treating patients as they are transported via airplanes or helicopters to treatment centers are essential the health care community, if perhaps, overlooked.
In certain professions, flight nurses are, however, in particular demand. The armed forces, coast guards, national guards, mountain rangers, and other specialist rescue teams require the assistance of flight nurses to facilitate the care of patients in-flight, whether their conditions are critical or not. The outlook for flight nurses, particularly those with backgrounds in the armed forces, for example, is positive.
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Career TrackFlight nurses have credentials that allow them to take on a number of responsibilities in the context of their profession. Many flight nurses operate in the armed forces and they have advanced training in rescue and sometimes from the military.
They can practice as flight nurses, dealing exclusively with the treatment of patients in-flight. However, there are several opportunities for advancement, for practicing flight nurses to become administrators, consultants, educators, and policy-makers to improve the quality of patient care in-flight.
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CompensationAlthough compensation for flight nurses varies considerably, depending on who they work for and where, the annual pay is generally above that of a nursing practitioner. Senior flight nurses receive annual salaries of approximately $70,000 per year.
- Flight nurses: $50,000 to $75,000
- Emergency room nurse: $45,000 to $70,000
- Licensed practical nurse: $35,000 to $45,000
- Nurse practitioner: $60,000 to $125,000
- Nurse supervisor: $55,000 to $85,000
- Registered nurse: $40,000 to $65,000
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