Specialized Care Flight Crew
Every Care Flight crew includes highly-trained medical professionals and a skilled pilot. The Certified Flight Nurse (CFRN) and the Critical Care Paramedic (CCP) have standing medical orders that include an expanded scope of practice, allowing them to perform medical procedures beyond typical ground emergency medical services.
The CFRNs are required to have a minimum of three years of critical care experience in the emergency department, intensive care unit, cardiac intensive care unit, or other critical care environments to be eligible for employment. All CFRN’s practice under an expanded scope, providing advanced care and procedures as EMS RN’s.
Critical Care Paramedics are required to have a minimum of three years working full time in a high volume advanced life support ground system or other flight service to be eligible for employment with Care Flight.
Care Flight clinicians also participate in a unique preceptor program giving them access to individualized mentorship as they transition to critical care transport. Care Flight pilots have logged 2,500 hours of helicopter flying time and are also required to successfully complete a five-hour mountain course that prepares them for the challenging Sierra terrain. Pilots and crew participate in ongoing training including emergency procedures, crew resource management, and aviation safety skills.
The qualifications and experience of the pilots, nurses, and paramedics and the different perspectives and backgrounds from each professional provides for a well-rounded crew. This team is capable of managing critical emergencies both in the helicopter and on the scene of an incident.
