The Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing has a National Flight Nurse Academy program. The Academy focuses on preparing student nurses to learn in a real-time environment, so that students graduate with the knowledge and situational awareness needed to work in the aeromedical field. Students attend an intense one-week summer camp during the graduate program. The camp is designed to give students the ultimate in hands-on experience. It also allows students the opportunity to explore different specialty fields within Flight Nursing. The school also allows practicing nurses, graduate students and flight nurses the opportunity to partake in the summer camp as a continuing education course.
Registered Nurses looking to become a military flight nurse must have a Bachelor's degree in Nursing and must first be sworn into the military as a Nursing Officer. For the most part Nursing Officers don't attend boot camp, but are required to enroll and successfully pass Flight Nursing School, which varies in duration depending on the branch. However, training is typically anywhere from 12-16 weeks, with the rest of your training consisting of on-the-job training with your unit. Flight nurses, like the rest of the military, undergo recently-revamped physical fitness, career comprehension and psychological tests. Enlisting into the military as a Nurse does not guarantee you entry into flight school, as this is something that must be secured in your contract. It is possible after enlistment to apply to flight school, but the field is very competitive.
For most, becoming a flight nurse is a two-step process. The first step is to obtain a degree in Nursing. The program can be either an Associate, Bachelor or Diploma program that is nationally accredited. Most often, student nurses choose the Associate's degree in Nursing, so that they can quickly enter into the nursing field and gain an entry level position. After obtaining a nursing degree, a nurse must take and pass the NCLEX-RN national licensing examination.
The second step in becoming a flight nurse after nursing school is to obtain your CFRN. The Certified Flight Registered Nurse exam tests a nurse on her knowledge of flight nursing procedures and scenarios. Although some jobs don't require this certification, there are those that do. Organizations like the Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association and the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) have joint certification programs that help a nurse attain her Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN) or Certified Transport Registered Nurse (CTRN) credentials.