Not 100% sure this is the right forum for this but it seems to be the most fitting. If not, moderators please delete with my apologies.

Anyways, I'm looking to see if there are any Flight RNs/Paramedics on ARFCOM.

I've wanted to fly ever since I finished my degree 7 years ago and began working on the inpatient, critical care (ICU, ED) side of things. I had previous "jolly volly" firefighting experience and always felt strongly about getting back into the pre-hospital/transport side of things once I became trapped in a windowless hospital all day.

Finally landed a job flying and I will be starting in a month.

What tips do you have for "the new guy?"

I have my CCRN. They are going to put on a CFRN review course this summer locally so I intend on taking that prior to the exam. I'm really looking forward to the challenge.

What do your friends say about their jobs?

Everyone at the base I will be joining seems to thoroughly enjoy it. I'm excited to get started.

Thanks for taking the time to post!

That's great to hear. I'm going to get my feet wet first and then I will see how I feel about staying PRN in the ED or picking up any side gigs.

Yes, they are CAMTS certified. I don't know much about that besides that it's a voluntary accreditation process. I can only assume it helps keep your program on its game and helps prove your safety and competency.

Where abouts in Utah are you? I love southern Utah.

Congrats!  I've known several who have flown and all loved it.  Most everything around me is full time only now, hope to get a PRN or part time gig sometime down the road.

GF has been a flight nurse for the last 4 years. She seems to enjoy the job most of the time. Down side is they are really short staffed currently so shes working a lot more hours than her normal 2-24 hour shifts a week.  She has actually been working several 36 hour shifts lately.

Where does she fly?

I flew for almost 8 years. Best job ever. The only reason I stopped is the fact I have 2 little kids at home and didn't want to do 24 hour shifts any more. The hour drive each way wasn't so fun either.

Advice for you? Let's see... first, and foremost, don't walk into anything thats spinning! That's a great way to ruin your day.

When you show up, everyone knows you're there to save their asses, whether it's a transfer or a scene flight. No matter how bad the call is, always stay calm. They see you as someone who can fix the situation, no matter what, so don't ever let them think you can't. Panic on the inside if you have to, but always stay cool on the outside.

One big thing, treat the guys on the ground with respect. Talk to them, listen to their report, let them know they did a good job if they did. I've been in the back of the ambulance when a flight crew showed up, didn't know I was also a flight medic, and was treated like I was the dog shit they stepped in on the way over. Rude, didn't want to hear anything I had to say, took my written notes for them and tossed them in the trash. Don't treat people like that.

Don't expect every call to be blood and guts and excitement. There was a lot that were simply transfers that took 30 min by air vs 2+ hours by ground.

Know your drugs, your RSI doses and vent settings. I carried a couple little cheat cards with me, do what you need to do for those. Know your equipment in and out, how to troubleshoot it and what to do if it fails on you. At the bedside or in a field is not the time to try to learn how to use something. Know where your equipment is, especially the obscure things you don't use often. Again, when you're with a patient isn't the time to have to go searching through the bags to get something.

One thing I started doing very early on, and still do to this day, is when I had to intubate someone, I use a bougie. Doesn't matter if they have a perfect airway with vocal cords lit up like a neon sign, I always put a bougie in. If for some reason the tube wouldn't pass and you need a smaller tube, or if they started to vomit and you needed to suction, your path to the airway was there and secure.  Lay the bougie to the side and you can bag them until it's time to try again.

I always carried a few extra company pens and carabiners with me, toss them to the guys on the ground, they love that stuff.

Keep your eyes outside if you don't have a patient on board. Keep your phone in your pocket, Facebook can wait till you get back to the base. This is especially important when you're landing at night in a remote place. Look for wires, stuff on the ground around the LZ that can get blown up into your blades, bystanders or firefighters who want to stand in the middle of the LZ, basically anything that can make an uneventful landing an eventful one.

Most of all, be safe and have fun. You're getting to do a job that a lot of people would kill to do, but never get the chance.

Awesome post, medic_man! Do you mind if I send you a PM or e-mail?

Feel free!

This is slightly off-topic, but here goes.

I was present at the scene of a crash with severe injuries a few days ago.  The driver had a broken hip and probably a collapsed lung.  The front passenger had a compound lower leg fracture and spine/neck trauma.  Long story short, both patients ended up being flown out to a trauma center.

The helos came from two different hospitals, but both aircrews put their birds down in a shitty, uneven grass lot surrounded by trees and power lines in complete darkness.  The flight nurses were professional and cool as ice.  Needless to say, I was impressed and thankful that people like that will come for me if I ever need them.  From a LEO, thanks for what y'all do.