Life flight nurses provide care to critically injured people who require a hospital airlift. Patients are flown out of areas as diverse as ski resorts, traffic or train accident scenes and natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and fires. Plane or helicopter teams consist of a pilot, a paramedic and a registered nurse. Since there is no doctor present to provide care instructions, life flight nurses must have excellent critical thinking and assessment skills, competence, physical endurance and, most of all, substantial experience in caring for critically ill patients.
The challenges of being part of a life flight team mean recent graduate RNs are not eligible. Registered nurses are required to have three to five years of experience working in a critical care or trauma treatment environment such as an intensive care unit or emergency department. Additional training or experience as an emergency medical technician or paramedic is highly desirable.
Additional life support certifications are required to care for patients of all ages. Required certifications may include basic cardiac life support, advanced cardiac life support, basic trauma life support, neonatal resuscitation and pediatric advanced life support. Training for these certifications is offered in most areas.
With the appropriate critical care experience under your belt, you may become eligible to sit for the critical care registered nursing examination (CCRN). The addition of the CCRN to your credentials increases your credibility as a trauma care provider. The exam is offered by the national organization, and offers computerized testing. You may also consider obtaining pre-hospital advanced life support certification and training.
The Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association offers opportunities for nurses preparing to enter the flight transport field to network with professionals already working in the field while gaining useful training through the association's transport nurse advanced trauma course. The course gives transport professionals system overviews and offers discussion of the ways transport affects several disease processes. Nurses interested in pursuing a career as flight professionals may find the case studies, lectures and other course features quite beneficial.