Inside the World of a Flight Nurse
Explore the world of flight nursing with Bob Bacheler of Flying Angels. From ICU to air transport, hear how critical care extends beyond the hospital walls.
What Is A NEMT Flight Nurse?
Flight nurses travel with patients in both emergency and non-emergency situations. They have specialized skills in providing medical care at high altitudes and managing a patient’s medications. In the case of non-emergency flight nurses, they help patients plan their trips, navigate through the airport and deliver any medical care needed during the flight.
While most people associate flight nurses with emergency situations they have seen on movies and television shows, in real life most people come in contact with non-emergency medical transport (NEMT) flight nurses. People hire NEMT flight nurses through companies who have experienced nurses on staff to accompany clients on their journey.
People who use non-emergency transport include those with chronic illness, injuries, and debilitating conditions. Older flyers also use NEMT for support in trip planning and getting through the airport.
What Do Flight Nurses Do?
A day in the life of a flight nurse includes many different duties and responsibilities. Their work differs from that of emergency flight nurses who provide pre-hospital care to people who have suffered injuries due to an accident, natural disaster or other emergency.
A flight nurse’s work starts before the journey begins. NEMT flight nurses collaborate with flight coordinators, who are also nurses, to go over all the details of the patient’s flight. They go over airport procedures and also contact any airline or airport officials they need to speak with before the journey begins.
They also review the condition of the client, ensuring they are bringing all the medical equipment and medication required for the journey. They pack their own medical kit to prepare for any needs the client might experience during the trip.
Flight nurses are trained in flight physiology, as well as psychological distress patients may experience during a flight. They also track the times for giving clients their medication and make routine health checks.
After landing, NEMT flight nurses make sure the client disembarks from the plane safely and ensures they get to their ground transportation. In some cases, flight nurses may even travel with patients to their final destination.
What Is a Flight Nurse Agency?
NEMT companies employ flight nurses employ registered nurses with years of experience in emergency room nursing and with formal training in providing medical services during a flight. They work with commercial airlines, helping clear any obstacles patients might encounter during their trip. People in many different situations may want to travel with a flight nurse. They include those who:
- Recently suffered an injury and want assistance while flying
- Recently went through a medical procedure and require medical support during travel
- Those with a chronic condition or illness that makes it difficult to travel alone
- Families who want a nurse to travel with older family members when they relocate to a new home or travel for a family get-together
A flight nurse can provide important care for those who do not wish to travel alone and want the security of having a trained nurse as a flight companion. For those in such situations, a NEMT flight nurse provides the comfort of knowing they will get to their destination safely, with professional medical care throughout the journey.
What is a Flight Nurse Agency?
A flight nurse provides medical care and health monitoring for commercial air travelers who do not want to fly on their own. A flight nurse agency is the medical transport service that employs the nurses and works with patients to coordinate their trip.
A flight nurse agency employs experienced nurses with an extensive education in providing care for patients flying on commercial airlines. Sometimes referred to as a concierge nurse, these healthcare professionals work with passengers who have chronic conditions, disabilities or injuries that prevent them from being able to fly on their own.
How Flight Nurse Agencies Work
Hiring an RN for air travel is a straightforward process. By contacting a flight nurse agency, sometimes referred to as a Non-Emergency Medical Transport (NEMT) company, clients can find out if flight nurses are available for their trip.
They do not need to arrange special mode of transport. Flight nurse agencies work with airports, commercial airlines and ground transportation, developing a schedule to get their patients safely from Point A to Point B. A day in the life of a flight nurse also includes assessing and monitoring the health of patients during travel, providing any care they require, and communicating with physicians and other healthcare professionals as needed.
Other duties can include:
- Packing and managing a medical kit that may include specialty reclining wheelchairs, oxygen equipment, suction and nebulizers
- Making sure patients meet all pre-planned points along the trip.
- Helping patients’ travel go easier by using their expertise in getting through the check-in process, security, and customs and immigration for international flights
- Ensuring patients disembark and reach their final destinations safely
Why People Hire Flight Nurses
Flight nurses have years of experience working with patients in emergency rooms and other situations where they provide patient stabilization and life support. In addition to working in trauma and critical care, nurses also are fully trained in flight physiology.
All these skills provide travelers who need support a great deal of comfort and security. Those who contact flight nurse agencies typically have disabilities, injuries or chronic conditions that make navigating an airport difficult on their own. Flight nurse agencies can be a lifesaver when loved ones need to travel long distances and an expensive air ambulance is out of reach.
In some cases, vacationers who have fallen ill or experienced an injury on their trip will hire flight nurses to fly with them back home. Full service NEMT companies offer service for both domestic and international flights.
Some of the requirements for a flight nurse include an active RN license, five to ten years at least of critical or acute care experience, a certificate in Basic Cardiovascular Life Support, Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support and often specialty certifications in Critical Care (CCRN) and Flight Nursing (CFRN). A flight nurse agency can connect travelers who need support during their trip with trusted, experienced medical personnel. Flight nurses provide professional medical services that make travelling much easier and safer.
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Day in the Life of a Flight Nurse
Not every day is the same for flight nurses who work in non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT). Every day, they deal with different types of patients who need a variety of medical services during their flight.
However, there are certain duties that often come up every day for a NEMT flight nurse. But first, it’s important to understand what NEMT is and how it differs from an air ambulance.
What Is NEMT?
NEMT involves the transportation of patients who require or desire medical assistance when traveling on scheduled flights on commercial airlines like Delta, United, Lufthansa, etc… both domestic and international. People hire a company like Flying Angels so a flight nurse can travel with their loved one. This can be for many reasons, including medical trips to specialist hospitals and doctors far away, for relocating an elderly parent, or for bringing home a loved one who was injured overseas. Family members are always welcome to fly with the flight nurse, but in most cases, it is just the flight nurse and the patient.
Whatever the case, flight nurses have a long list of duties. Flight nurses for Flying Angels all have experience in providing emergency medical care and have extensive experience in dealing with emergency and trauma situations.
Duties For Flight Nurses
So, what does a flight nurse do on a typical day? They usually include some or all the following.
Double Checking Plans
Flight nurses work with flight coordinators (who also are nurses) to handle the details in arranging NEMT with commercial airlines. They will review the procedures for the airports they plan to visit that day and reach out to any officials they need to speak with before arriving at the airport.
Packing The Medical Kit
Prior to any transport flight coordinators prepare an extensive case file that will include relevant information on the patient, and all details related to the transport including ground, air, hotels, and points of contact. Flight nurses will review the case file of that day’s patient beforehand. They will know all the medical equipment they need to deal with any type of issue that might come up given the conditions of each patient. Before departing home, will make sure they have any specialty medical equipment needed for the flight such as specialty reclining wheelchairs, oxygen equipment, suction, nebulizers, etc…
Meeting Schedules
Working in tandem with the flight coordinators, flight nurses make sure they meet all the pre-planned points on the trip, as laid out in the case file. The day before the flight the flight nurse will meet with the client at their residence and facility and will go over the plan for the following day. The flight nurse will confirm that all documents are in order, all medications are accounted for, and that all parties involved are aware of the schedule for the following day. The flight nurse will also will confirm that the ground transportation, arranged earlier by the flight coordinator is set up and in order. The flight nurse will stay overnight at a nearby hotel. The day of transport the flight nurse will return to pick up the patient at their home or residence and travel with them to the airport.
During the Flight
Flight nurses with Flying Angels have trained in flight physiology, and have extensive experience in air travel and the complexities involved getting through the check-in process, security, and customs & immigration for international flights. They also understand any psychological distress a patient might feel throughout the journey. Further, they know the specific circumstances of the patient they are flying with that day and know the signs of any problem. They also will monitor when it is time for medications and make routine checks.
After Landing
Flights nurses oversee the patient disembarking from the plane safely and make sure they get through the airport to the awaiting ground transportation where they will travel with the patient to their final destination. Typically they will stay at an airport hotel and will then return to their point of origin the following day ready for another flight.
The daily routine of a flight nurse always has some variables, but it’s an exciting and challenging job no matter what the specific duties for each day’s flight. Flight nurses serve an important function in working with patients with medical conditions and illnesses, keeping them safe when they fly.