Flight Paramedic

[wnj]

Hello everyone, I'm a junior in high school and am thinking about a career in EMS. Can anyone tell me what it takes to become a flight paramedic? Specificaly what is the program you need to go through to be able to do this? I want to be an ambulance paramedic also and am familiar with this program, how would I continue on to work on choppers? Do I just apply or is further training required? Also does a flight paramedic hold a pilot's license? Any info on this topic would be great, also if anyone knows the salary for this position.

[JimSpoor]

I'll take your last question first. Flight paramedics by and large are not pilots. neither are the flight RNs. The pilot flies. The rest of the team treats.

Now the path to flight medic status. It is not easy. being a flight paramedic is one of the most popular career goals in EMS. There are two general routes.
1) The military route. Although the Air Force PJs are now the most famous, all branches of the military (except USMC) have very highly trained medics in their Spec Ops units. No diss on the Devil Dogs. They USN supplies their medics. If your ultimate goal is flight paramedic you would want the advanced training that comes with Spec Ops medical training. This involves a several year long "pipeline" with no guarantee for success. First you have to pass the evals and be accepted into the military. Then you have to pass Basic and usually an "A" school. Then you have to be accepted for Spec Ops tryouts, which you obviously have to pass. Then comes the basic Spec Ops training, depending on service. Then you have to be selected for advanced medic training. Then you have to pass. etc. etc. etc. Needless to say, if it was easy, everyone would do it.
2) The civilian route. You start with EMT-B training. This will allow you to begin working in the pre-hospital environment. I would suggest working as a Basic at least 1 year before starting paramedic school. After another 1 or two years in paramedic school you will once again be turned loose on the streets to perform Advanced Life Support. Here is where you can start applying to EMS programs that have a helicopter program. At this point you MAY have the minimum requirements, you may NOT. Either way you are not yet a good candidate. You should have at least another 3-5 years of ALS experience. Most EMT-P flight medics have received training in several advanced disciplines, such as critical care paramedic, neonatal care, WEMT-P etc. etc. Many will also carry instructror certifications in these disciplines. It is not uncommon for flight paramedics to also be certified as RNs. Most flight nurses are NOT medics but many medics ARE RNs. It is simply another level of training that employers like to see.

So, as you can see, it is definitely an experience AND training game. The successful flight medic candidate will have plenty of both. You will find exceptions, but this is a pretty standard rule.

P.S. Back to the military for a moment. The USN also has Independent Duty Corpsman. These are medics who have received special training to operate independantly of MDs on smaller combatant vessels (like subs) and at remote posts. Although the training does not directly translate to the civilian world, the experience is rrecognized and thought well of.

Good Luck. Don't be discouraged. You can get your EMT-Basic certification for roughly 110 hrs of training. This is the first step on your journey. GO FOR IT.

[wnj]

thanks for the info. im still deciding about becoming an RN instead/also. also i plan on starting volunteer work this summer.