I have my first Flight Nurse interview tomorrow. Any last minute advice? I have been brushing up on my drug calculations, critical care drips, trauma, etc.
I am also concerned going in with the "bare minimum" experience trying to prove myself. I have worked 5 days a week ever since I started in the unit and also work PRN in another ICU so my hours are much more than average. I also teach IABP, Swan, and Hemodynamics. I do not want to come off like an arrogant young nurse however I do think I have a lot of expertise.
Also what should I be asking about the company? It is an Air-methods owned company. I know safety is always a big concern and unfortunately the base I am interviewing with had a fatal crash a year ago. I looked up the NTSB report. Other websites say ask about night vision, etc. They fly EC130s.
Don't worry about your ICU experience. Your resume speaks for itself - they would never have invited you for an interview if you didn't meet at least their minimum requirements. If someone asks you whether you think you've been doing CC nursing long enough, explain how you not only work more hours than necessary, but that you also seek out challenging assignments and sick patients. Mention that you feel like teaching has helped solidify your knowledge base, and also that think your EMS experience (even if you don't have a lot) helps you conceptualize the challenges and planning involved in taking care of these critical patients outside the hospital. If there's one thing that HEMS programs love, it's teaching experience. If there's another thing, it's an ICU nurse who has also spent at least a little time in the field.
For the same reasons as above, don't study tonight. You know what you know and you aren't going to change that much in an evening. You have plenty of knowledge to do the job of a flight nurse, and even if they ask you something you can't answer, it's OK.
The way you come off is really important. HEMS is as much about customer service as anything. The part I bolded above is critical to avoid. Just be relaxed and be yourself and don't worry about impressing anyone. Find way to be confident, but also relaxed. Convince yourself that the interview isn't that important.
Safety: don't ask them anything about the crash last year, but do ask about their safety policies. Tell them you understand that the industry has a lot of safety challenges, and ask the interviewers what kind of changes they think should be made industry-wide. Then ask them what their program does to keep their crews and patients safe. Then ask them for examples of when they used those practices.
They are going to give you impossible verbal scenarios about incompetent partners, clueless referring physicians, and not being able to contact medical control. They will give you a scenario about launching the helicopter in bad weather when the pilot says it's OK but you don't think it is - the scenario will probably involve the rescue of a badly burned child, just for good measure. They may throw something in about you suspecting that your pilot is impaired but he insists that he is fine. What they want to hear you say is that the interests of crew safety always trumps everything, even if taking that stand involves you risking your reputation.
Dress. I don't know, basic interview stuff. "You can never over dress", "Dress for the position you want" blah blah blah. I abhor wearing anything dressier than cargo shorts and a t-shirt, and I personally (and I think the vast majority of others) would never decide not to hire someone just because they didn't wear a tie. But, there are some crazy people out there who find that crap important. If you are interviewing as part of a group, there will be that one guy there in an expensive three-piece suit, another one or two in nice shirts and ties, and one guy in jeans and a polo shirt that dont fit well. If your lucky there might be a chick wearing a shirt with an inappropriately-low neckline.
Good luck.
