{"id":2693,"date":"2025-05-10T23:28:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-10T23:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/?p=2693"},"modified":"2026-03-04T00:09:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T00:09:52","slug":"flight-nursing-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/flight-nursing-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Flight Nursing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_62 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/flight-nursing-job\/#What_is_a_flight_nurse\" title=\"What is a flight nurse?\">What is a flight nurse?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/flight-nursing-job\/#What_do_I_need_to_become_a_flight_nurse\" title=\"What do I need to become a flight nurse?\">What do I need to become a flight nurse?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/flight-nursing-job\/#What_is_the_schedule_of_a_flight_nurse\" title=\"What is the schedule of a flight nurse?\">What is the schedule of a flight nurse?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/flight-nursing-job\/#How_is_flight_nursing_most_different_from_nursing_a_hospital_setting\" title=\"How is flight nursing most different from nursing a hospital setting?\">How is flight nursing most different from nursing a hospital setting?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/flight-nursing-job\/#Pros_of_being_a_flight_nurse\" title=\"Pros of being a flight nurse\">Pros of being a flight nurse<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/flight-nursing-job\/#Cons_of_being_a_flight_nurse\" title=\"Cons of being a flight nurse\">Cons of being a flight nurse<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_flight_nurse\"><\/span>What is a flight nurse?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A flight nurse is one of the crucial providers of health care in emergency flight transportation. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/jobs\/travel\/rn\/flight-nurse\">Flight nurse job<\/a> involves\u00a0 working with one teammate to bring patients directly from their crisis to the hospital and do all of the heavy liftings in between. Flight nurses can either ride in helicopters or small fixed-wing planes.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/jobs\/travel\/rn\/flight-nurse\">Flight nursing jobs<\/a> are said to be the last frontier for nurses trying to expand their career skills. It\u2019s for those who perform great under pressure and are want to make even more a difference. Since air transport is only utilized in emergency situations, flight nurses often work with patients during the single worst day in their lives like car crashes, rock climbing accidents, and cardiac arrests.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_do_I_need_to_become_a_flight_nurse\"><\/span>What do I need to become a flight nurse?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Nurses that go into flight nursing have to have a spark and a half &#8211; You have to have been in plenty of time pressure situations in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/what-is-icu-nursing\/\">ICU<\/a>, ER, or Critical Care Unit, preferably years in all three. Experience and knowledge in neonatal, through pediatrics, to adult health is crucial as you have to be ready for any patient. Experience in OBGYN can also be very helpful.<\/li>\n<li>All of your certifications &#8211; ACLS, BLS, PALs, TNCC ATLS, NRP. If you or your partner don\u2019t know something, you\u2019re out of luck as you won\u2019t have cell service at high altitudes.<\/li>\n<li>Physical fitness and conditioning &#8211; There is a physical fitness test. You might have to show up to a gym and lift weights, do some cardio and whatever other exercises the physical therapist deem relevant. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/jobs\/travel\/rn\/flight-nurse\">flight nurse job<\/a>, you have to be able to lift a certain amount of weight because you\u2019ll have to lift the stretcher onto the plane or helicopter. In the ICU it doesn\u2019t matter because you can have 8 people help you, but on the plane, you\u2019d be lucky if the pilot could help you.<\/li>\n<li>You have to be a team player &#8211; There is no calling in sick and 100% effort is required every single time you go out as things can always go wrong. You\u2019ll always need all-hands-on-deck. There are no excuses.<\/li>\n<li>Flexibility \u2013 You do 24-hour shifts. Sometimes you don\u2019t get a call, sometimes you work 24 hours straight. You don\u2019t know what you\u2019re going to get. If you have other commitments like school, another job, a spouse, or kids it can be really tough. You will never know what your schedule is going to be like.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_schedule_of_a_flight_nurse\"><\/span>What is the schedule of a flight nurse?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The shifts are 24 hours and there is no standard schedule. Sometimes you\u2019re in transportation for 24 hours and sometimes you don\u2019t fly at all through the course of 1 day. No matter what, you have to be ready to go. Like firefighters, when you get the call you go.<\/p>\n<p>Flight nursing isn\u2019t something that you can turn on or off. It\u2019s who you are. Whenever a helicopter is involved, it\u2019s something serious. In those difficult situations, you\u2019ll learn a lot about yourself: like how you respond to stress and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/night-shift-anxiety\/\">anxiety<\/a>, whether or not you\u2019re claustrophobic, how well you work with your team in pressure situations. The speed to the healthcare facility can be the determining factor in a life or death situation. That&#8217;s the schedule that matters.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_is_flight_nursing_most_different_from_nursing_a_hospital_setting\"><\/span>How is flight nursing most different from nursing a hospital setting?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>First, you&#8217;re in the air in very tight quarters with one extra hand to help you out.\u00a0 The helicopter is essentially a mobile ICU. In the air, the biggest difference is that flight nurses don\u2019t have the resources that staff nurses have in a hospital. If you don\u2019t know something, you ask your partner and if they don\u2019t know, they\u2019ll ask you back. There are some planes that can fit 3, but those aren\u2019t as common as flight nurses usually work in pairs, with either another nurse or a paramedic.<\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;re not in a hospital. You can\u2019t hook up a tube to the wall for oxygen, you have no powered suction mechanisms like in the ICU. You won\u2019t be able to stand up and there will be no extra pair of hands. During a flight, the body goes through hemodynamic changes when ascending to 35,000 feet you&#8217;ll need to be ready for anything without having access to the internet.\u00a0You better know your stuff.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pros_of_being_a_flight_nurse\"><\/span>Pros of being a flight nurse<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>If you want to build legendary connections with like-minded team players, emergency transport is riddled with active and inactive military veterans and has the familial camaraderie to match.<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019ll wear a military-style flight suit and strut into the Emergency department like a special agent in your military-style suit.<\/li>\n<li>If you\u2019re looking for expanding your skills in pressure situations, flight nursing will prepare you for just about everything.<\/li>\n<li>Adrenaline junkies need to look no further. With the combination of take-off, landing, assessing emergency situations, finding crucial solutions, and seeing those solutions through, flight nurses can go through an entire life of emotion in one transport.<\/li>\n<li>Flight nurses save lives daily. Flight nurses are the ones that need to determine what a patient needs and which hospital they go to. There\u2019s a very human side to taking care of someone during the worst day in their lives.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cons_of_being_a_flight_nurse\"><\/span>Cons of being a flight nurse<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>If you\u2019re a student, or you have a job, spouse, or children the schedule of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/jobs\/travel\/rn\/flight-nurse\">flight nurse job<\/a> might not be ideal for you. When you\u2019re on shift, you have to be ready to go anywhere at a moment\u2019s notice.<\/li>\n<li>You do have to lift the patients onto the stretcher and get them onto the plane\/helicopter. Even if the patient is over 300 pounds, you have to be able to lift them with one additional teammate.<\/li>\n<li>You may be bumping up and down through turbulence with a patient in cardiac arrest that needs their dopamine in the IV pump. Time is usually of the essence so there are no emergency landings.<\/li>\n<li>While accidents in air travel are rare, there are extremely high consequences when things do go wrong.<\/li>\n<li>If you\u2019re uncomfortable with letting family members know about bad news this isn\u2019t the field for you.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Thanks for reading! New to the Wanderly community? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/nurse\/register?utm_source=blog_travelnursingalaska&amp;utm_medium=signup\">Join for free<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/jobs\/travel\/rn\/flight-nurse\">to access a platform that allows you to compare and view fully detailed pay packages from top agencies. As a result, this helps you save time and get your travel assignment faster, especially for travel nursing in Alaska.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Don\u2019t forget to follow along on social. We love getting to connect with travelers and their adventures: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wanderlynurses\/\">Instagram<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WanderlyNurses\/\">Facebook<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is a flight nurse? A flight nurse is one of the crucial providers of health care in emergency flight transportation. Flight nurse job involves\u00a0 working with one teammate to bring patients directly from their crisis to the hospital and do all of the heavy liftings in between. Flight nurses can either ride in helicopters [&hellip;]<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":{"author_name":"Kelley","author_description":"","author_user_level":10,"author_avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fe55d4feb1c4e681b976a3b0f3c15157?s=96&r=g"},"featured_media":2694,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[17],"tags":[318,319,392],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screen-Shot-2019-05-07-at-3.10.02-PM.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Kelley","author_link":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/author\/manshu\/"},"featured_image":{"size_thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screen-Shot-2019-05-07-at-3.10.02-PM-150x150.png","size_medium":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screen-Shot-2019-05-07-at-3.10.02-PM-300x168.png","size_large":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screen-Shot-2019-05-07-at-3.10.02-PM-1024x573.png","size_full":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screen-Shot-2019-05-07-at-3.10.02-PM.png"},"loftocean-view-count":["8142"],"category":[{"id":17,"slug":"travel-nursing","name":"Travel Nursing"}],"post_tag":[{"id":318,"slug":"flight-nurse","name":"flight nurse"},{"id":319,"slug":"flight-nursing","name":"flight nursing"},{"id":392,"slug":"specialties","name":"Specialties"}],"views":17023,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screen-Shot-2019-05-07-at-3.10.02-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p92mSz-Hr","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2693"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16637"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2693"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2693\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7453,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2693\/revisions\/7453"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wanderly.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}