Emergency department nurses pride themselves on being ready for anything. But what if “anything” is flying on a helicopter through mountainous terrain, hiking a mile into the backcountry with medical supplies, and carrying an injured patient back to the aircraft? What if it’s performing ICU-level care in the back of a helicopter, in the dark, with your night vision goggles on?
During her session “You Do What … Where?! Flight Nursing: Expectation Vs. Reality,” flight nurse Jeanne Knepper will cover the core tenets of the specialty, a day in the life of a flight nurse and case scenarios.
Those are exactly the kinds of experiences that Jeanne Knepper, MSN, RN, CFRN, CEN, a flight nurse for the University of Utah AirMed program, will discuss at the session “You Do What … Where?! Flight Nursing: Expectation Vs. Reality” on Sept. 7 from 8-8:45 a.m. in Titian 2201.
“ER nurses are well suited to move into the role as a flight nurse,” Knepper said.
Yet many emergency nurses aren’t aware of the career opportunity that flight nursing could provide. That’s why Knepper will share her experience with flight nursing and let other emergency nurses know that “this is an option, and you might be really good at it.”
In her session, Knepper will discuss four core elements of flight nursing: autonomy, team dynamics, the environment where they work and safety. They’re familiar topics for ED nurses, but in the flight nursing world, they’re all turned up a notch.
For instance, the flight nurse working environment is not only drastically different from that of bedside nurses, but it also differs from day to day. Knepper has answered calls everywhere, from mountainous terrain to a busy highway in the rain, not to mention provides medical care inside whatever aircraft they’re using that day.
“The expectation is that you are at your base, and you’re ready to go, no matter when the tones drop on the radio. And you can be going anywhere on anything,” she said. “This isn’t like the ICU anymore. This isn’t a controlled environment.”
Jeanne Knepper, MSN, RN, CFRN, CEN
Similarly, nurse autonomy is taken to a new level when the flight team consists only of a pilot, nurse and paramedic. The same is true for team dynamics — trust and communication are paramount with such a small team — and safety, which not only includes keeping the patient medically safe in tight, moving quarters with limited supplies but also at different altitudes within the aircraft itself.
“We have a ton of autonomy that really doesn’t exist in the nursing world,” Knepper said.
In addition to reviewing the core tenets of flight nursing, Knepper will walk session attendees through a day in the life of a flight nurse and discuss case scenarios. Ultimately, her session will allow attendees to learn about the specialty and perhaps even consider it for themselves.
Flight nurses are decisive and flexible, with a high stress tolerance and the ability to “MacGyver things well when things don’t go as planned,” Knepper said. But most importantly, they’re compassionate.
“You’re picking people up at their absolute most vulnerable times, putting them in an aircraft away from their families and saying, hey, we’ll see you on the other side,” she said.