The Responsibilities Of A Flight Nurse
A flight nurse is a medical professional that has specialized training in tackling intense trauma and rescue operations in a flight. The flight nurse is a certified and registered medical professional that is found on flights along with the flight crew. Flight nurses have the license of a registered nurse from their respective states. These nurses are professionals that have the skills and the experience in the CCU, the ICU and the ER. There are certain flight nursing programs that require nursing professionals to have an EMT. Flight nurses also need to appear for the Certified Flight Registered Nurse Exam to finally become a flight nurse.
Flight nurses require great deal of stamina and physical agility when it comes to catering to traumatic situations on flights. Therefor flights nurses must be in good physical condition. This career also has its share of risks and this may entail you wading through icy weather and other unfavorable conditions that can be challenging if the time and the need arise. The job is more extreme and challenging than that of a regular nurse and this is the reason why the professional is one that requires skills in decision making and effective patient assessment that should be at least at level 1 Trauma ER. The nurse is one that also should have the professional certifications that are current and up to date. This profession is not an easy one and this is the reason why the medical and the health-care professionals who are engaged in this profession are highly agile and physically strong in their related field.
Flight nurses income is up to $ 66271. This salary is much higher than many other nursing careers as it requires great deal of physical strength as well as quick analytical judgment. Again this field is dominated by female nurses rather than male nurses. Now many males are joining to become flight nurses as this is very stable career with guaranteed growth.
There are two types of flight nurses. Military flight nurses and Civilian Flight nurses.
Flight nurse qualifications
Military Flight Nursing
You must be Air Force reservist or on active status in order to become Military flight nurse. Air force nursing requirements are below:
1. Bachelor degree in nursing from an accredited college approved by the Surgeon General .
2. Age must be between 18 and 46 years.
3. Must be Class III Flight Physical qualified.
4. Must meet Air Force Commissioning requirements, Contact your local Air Force recruiter or Health Professions Recruiter for all the additional requirements.
5. Must pass Commissioned Officers Training (COT) also known as basic training. It is approximately 3 week training.
6. Must finish Air Force Flight Nurse Training program. It is approximately 6 weeks.
If you are a Air Force Flight Nurse reservist, You also can apply for Civilian Flight.
Civilian Flight Nursing
Civilian flight nurse requirements:
Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN),
Certified Critical Care Nurse (CCRN),
Paramedic (EMT-P)
Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS)
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
Air-Medical Crew National Standard Curriculum
Any altitude physiology course
Trauma Nurse Core Course (TNCC)
Pre-hospital Advanced Life Support (PHTLS)
Basic Trauma Life Support (BTLS)
Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
Neonatal Resuscitation Course (NRC)
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD)
Flight nurse salary
| Alabama $38,000 | Nebraska $40,000 |
| Alaska $50,000 | Nevada $41,000 |
| Arizona $41,000 | New Hampshire $42,000 |
| California $50,000 | New Jersey $50,000 |
| Colorado $47,000 | New Mexico $42,000 |
| Connecticut $52,000 | New York $50,000 |
| Delaware $47,000 | North Carolina $44,000 |
| Florida $40,000 | North Dakota $42,000 |
| Georgia $42,000 | Ohio $43,000 |
| Hawaii $44,000 | Oklahoma $40,000 |
| Idaho $39,000 | Oregon $42,000 |
| Illinois $46,000 | Pennsylvania $43,000 |
| Indiana $40,000 | Rhode Island $44,000 |
| Iowa $38,000 | South Carolina $35,000 |
| Kansas $40,000 | South Dakota $36,000 |
| Kentucky $38,000 | Tennessee $41,000 |
| Louisiana $37,000 | Texas $44,000 |
| Maine $40,000 | Utah $40,000 |
| Maryland $53,000 | Vermont $39,000 |
| Massachusetts $55,000 | Virginia $51,000 |
| Michigan $49,000 | Washington $48,000 |
| Minnesota $50,000 | Washington DC $49,000 |
| Mississippi $45,000 | West Virginia $49,000 |
| Missouri $41,000 | Wisconsin $42,000 |
| Montana $36,000 | Wyoming $41,000 |
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Virgin Islands flight nurse salary average $40,000 |
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Pay rate shown here may vary city by city. Pay range differs based on company, experience, demand.