VFlutter
Flight Nurse
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The hard truth is that the vast majority of HEMS is not critical care nor provides critical care experience. You may get great critical care education and exposure but nothing that will substitute bedside experience or make someone exceptionally competent.
I know there are many bases that likely go a year without seeing any invasive hemodyamic monitoring, mechanical assist devices, titration of 6+ drips, true ARDS, etc. Flying a vented septic shock on Levo is the tip of the iceberg.
I've had flight nurse friends whom are prior ER nurses apply for CRNA school and be appalled to find out many do not consider it critical care experience. Most who went to an ICU to get experience were surprised the learning curve was much steeper than anticipated.
While I am on a soapbox I also think ER experience should be specifically level one or two (maybe)
I know there are many bases that likely go a year without seeing any invasive hemodyamic monitoring, mechanical assist devices, titration of 6+ drips, true ARDS, etc. Flying a vented septic shock on Levo is the tip of the iceberg.
I've had flight nurse friends whom are prior ER nurses apply for CRNA school and be appalled to find out many do not consider it critical care experience. Most who went to an ICU to get experience were surprised the learning curve was much steeper than anticipated.
While I am on a soapbox I also think ER experience should be specifically level one or two (maybe)