Flight Paramedic – Program, Requirements, Jobs and Salary

The career of a flight paramedic is full of exciting challenges and the higher level of responsibilities. Nurses who work in aero-medical emergency or evacuation missions are termed as the flight paramedic. They are the important part of air rescue team who provide onsite emergency medical care to patients in times of crisis from a mobile response unit, in collaboration with a medical support team including flight nurses and flight physicians, outside the hospital setting. Those who aspire to become a flight paramedic need to attain a certification and get trained as a ground paramedic first. Their jobs include the risk of acquiring certain diseases, but they are provided with lucrative salary packages so that they could maintain a good lifestyle.

Requirements for Becoming Certified Flight Paramedic

All the aspirants must meet the following criteria in order to be flight paramedic.

• Candidate must be at least 18 years of age.
• One must pursue an accredited program approved by National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT).
• Aspirants must have at least three years of experience as a paramedic.
• Have immunity to air sickness.
• The clear criminal background is imperative for every candidate.
• Regular screening for drug and alcohol is mandatory.
• S/he should be physically fit and weigh 250 pounds with full uniform.
• CPR program.
• Paddle Program.
• Proficiency in the treatment of spinal injuries, bone fractures, 1st, 2nd, 3rd-degree burns, cardiac arrest, obstetrics, airway management, blood circulation management, wound management etc.
• Candidate must be able to work in tight places.

In order to take a flight paramedic certification exam, an aspirant ought to possess following certifications:

• NREMT Certification
• CCEMTP, TNACT, ATLS-Audit Certification
• Basic Life Support
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support
• Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support
• Flight Paramedic- Certified

Procedure to Become Certified Flight Paramedic

• Obtain certification and program as a ground paramedic.
• Continue with your education and take as many certifications and program as possible.
• Gain certification and expertise (at least 2-5 years) as a critical care professional.
• Keep all the certifications ready for testing.
• Undergo flight paramedic certification exam. Students will get 2.5 hours to complete the certification exam which will consist of 125 multiple choice questions.

After getting certified as a flight paramedic, nurses have the opportunity to practice as a dermatology physician, pediatrics physician, family practice physician, part-time urgent care physician, internal medicine physician, ob-gyn physician, etc.

Coursework

The syllabus of flight paramedic program incorporates a wide range of topics. Nurses cover entire curriculum through classroom lectures and hands-on practices.

• Trauma management
• Aircraft fundamentals, safety, and survival (aircraft integrity and safety)
• Flight physiology (diagnosis of hypoxia)
• Neurological emergencies (diagnosis of coma patients)
• Advanced airway management techniques
• Burn patients (performing an assessment of burn patients)
• Environmental injuries
• Critical cardiac patient
• Respiratory patient
• Toxic exposure
• Obstetrical emergencies
• Neonates.
• Pediatric
• General medical patient
• Acid/base balance (a study of fundamentals of acid/base balance in the body)

Job Outlook and Salary

The bureau for labor statistics does not differentiate between the salary of flight and ground paramedics, but a certain growth in salary graph has been seen in recent years. The average salary was seen to be $34,360 which was raised to $54,930 in various states of United States, as per the information is given on BLS as of May 2017. The BLS data projects a growth of 15% in between 2016 and 2026.

Median salary of typical flight medic in United States is as follows:

Information Source – Salary.com (as of May 2018)