Flight Nurse I Float - South Central

Job Title

Responsible for providing high quality care including assessment, triage, and treatment utilizing standards and guidelines established by Air Methods Community Base Services (CBS) Medical Director(s).

You'll assess the nature and extent of illness or injury to establish and prioritize the care needed for safe transport of the critical patient to the appropriate facility and are responsible for carrying out the mission and goals of Air Methods CBS assuring that safety remains the highest priority throughout the transport continuum. This position supports multiple Clinical Flight Teams at bases in all regions where currently licensed.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Provides nursing care within his/her scope of practice from the initial contact until patient care is relinquished to the accepting medical facility; maintains thorough patient care documentation.
• Maintains competency in knowledge and psychomotor skills by participating in ongoing laboratory and clinical experiences. Communicates educational needs to the Clinical Education Team. Maintains documentation of required licensure, certifications, continuing education, aviation and safety training, OSHA and HIPAA training, clinical rotations, and advanced procedures and attends continuing education programs pertinent to his/her area of practice.
• Knowledgeable in use and routine maintenance of all equipment and supplies used by Air Methods CBS. Responsible for reporting medical equipment failures and taking initial steps to insure repair of equipment as directed. Maintains adequate supplies onboard aircraft to deliver patient care. Keeps aircraft clean and orderly to insure rapid response to all transport requests.
• Functions as a medical flight member by attending pre-mission briefings and mission debriefings and completing necessary documentation. Assists in pre-mission liftoff checklist and assists pilot as requested, i.e., radio, navigational, and visual observation activities. Complies with safety standards to assure safety of self, medical personnel, patient, and equipment and conducts aircraft safety briefings as needed.
• Serves as a flight resource to neonatal/pediatric personnel when transporting specialty patients by helicopter and performs advanced skills and procedures as approved by Air Methods CBS Medical Director(s).
• Participates in patient and referring institution follow-up and in planned outreach marketing and education activities.
• Acts as a preceptor and/or participates in orientation of new employees and students as assigned and communicates program goals and objectives
• Participates regularly in Air Methods CBS meetings, activities, projects and committees (to include research and publishing opportunities).
• Other Duties as assigned

Additional Job Requirements

• Maintains a high level of flexibility and availability to be scheduled for a minimum of two 24 hour shifts per week at any CBS base where currently licensed. Schedules are provided by the Centralized Scheduling team 4 – 8 weeks in advance. Self-scheduling is not permitted. Inability to be scheduled for two shifts per week as a result of providing limited availability (less than 5 consecutive days per week), in the absence of requested benefit time, will result in a written warning for the first occurrence. A second occurrence will result in a final written warning. A third occurrence will result in removal from the float position. If failure to meet the expectation for shift coverage is due to removal from a shift by Centralized Scheduling as a result of other coverage found, no disciplinary action will occur.
• Indicate the percentage of time spent traveling - 85%

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. In accordance with applicable laws, Air Methods will provide reasonable accommodations that do not create an undue burden so disabled employees may perform the essential functions of the position.

Education & Experience

• Graduate of an accredited School of Nursing
• Bachelor's degree in health-related field preferred
• Minimum three (3) years recent critical care/emergancy nursing experience within the last 5 years or as required by state/local EMS regulations
• Pre-hospital experience preferred
• Flight experience 1 year full-time required

Operation and Safety Requirements:

• As a member of the Clinical Flight Crew, any person employed in this position shall maintain a weight not to exceed 225 pounds including empty flight suit and boots.

Skills

• Skills as required to practice nursing as defined by assigned state scope of practice and advanced practice skills as defined by Medical Director (s) and Medical Standards
• Maintains positive interpersonal relationships with colleagues, EMS representatives, hospitals and the public while executing strong interpersonal skills and a high degree of collaboration at all levels
• Demonstrates high critical thinking and reasoning skills and strong attention to detail while working in a fast paced environment that requires ability to prioritize and multi-task
• Ability to work a flexible schrdule including 24 hour shifts, overtime and an on-call rotation
• Dependable and self-motivated while working in a frequently changing environment
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, both written and verbal

Computer Skills

• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

• Current RN License(s) for states of practice where Air Methods maintains CBS locations. Nurse compact license preferred.
• EMS or MICN certification/licensure as required by state regulations
• Current certifications in Healthcare Provider BLS/CPR; ACLS; PALS or equivalent (AHA courses if state or county required) and TNCC/ITLS/PHTLS advanced provider (if state or county required)
• Specialty certification (CFRN, CCRN, or CEN) are required
• Advanced Trauma Course requirement: One (1) of the following certifications are acceptable: TNCC, ATLS/ATCN, TPATC or CAMTS approved advanced trauma course (Please note, advanced skills lab may be required for some of the above mentioned advanced trauma courses). A second trauma course may be required based on state requirements
• Current NRP certification
• NIMS Training IS 100, 200, 700, 800 and HazMat