A flight paramedic is a

paramedic A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research. Not all ambulance personnel are p ...

who provides care to sick and injured patients in an aeromedical environment. Typically a flight paramedic works with a

registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized licensing body to o ...

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

respiratory therapist A respiratory therapist is a specialized healthcare practitioner trained in critical care and cardio-pulmonary medicine in order to work therapeutically with people who have acute critical conditions, cardiac and pulmonary disease. Respirator ...

, or another paramedic. Flight paramedics must have an advanced medical knowledge along with years of clinical experience. Flight paramedics in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

usually hold certifications such as the

FP-C The Flight paramedic Certification (FP-C) is an advanced certification that indicates an individual has attained the designation of Certified Flight Paramedic. The FP-C certification exam is administered by thInternational Board of Specialty Cert ...

or the CCP-C, while in countries like the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, they are typically required to hold a postgraduate certificate in critical care as a minimum, with many holding a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in advanced practice or aeromedical critical care.

Education/training

United States

Within the US, the minimum requirements for flight paramedics generally include: * Licensed as a paramedic by a state

Emergency Medical Services Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to definitive care. ...

(EMS) board * 3-5 years as the lead paramedic in a volume EMS ground service * Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support,

Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians is an American professional association representing Emergency medical technicians and paramedics. Lobbying In March 2013, the association unsuccessfully lobbied for the Veteran Emer ...

or ITLS Additional requirements may include: * Neonatal Resuscitation Program * Certifications such as the

or CCP-C (usually required within 2 years of commencing employment in the

) * Critical care classes such as the CCEMTP by UMBC. * Postgraduate certificate or master's degree (

British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...

)

Roles and responsibilities

Roles and responsibilities vary by organisation and country. Typical responsibilities include: *Perform as a member of an aeromedical evacuation team * Plan and prepare for aeromedical evacuation missions * Provide in-flight critical care to patients * Care for patients with both medical and traumatic issues * Possess advanced understanding of

mechanical ventilation Mechanical ventilation, assisted ventilation or intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV), is the medical term for using a machine called a ventilator to fully or partially provide artificial ventilation. Mechanical ventilation helps move air ...

, hemodynamic support, vasoactive medications and

intensive care Intensive care medicine, also called critical care medicine, is a medical specialty that deals with seriously or critically ill patients who have, are at risk of, or are recovering from conditions that may be life-threatening. It includes pro ...

* Possess specialized clinical skills combined with knowledge, theory, education and expertise in hospital and pre-hospital environments * Perform advanced medical procedures without supervision of a doctor such as

rapid sequence intubation In advanced airway management, rapid sequence induction (RSI) – also referred to as rapid sequence intubation or as rapid sequence induction and intubation (RSII) or as crash induction – is a special process for endotracheal intubation that is ...

, ventilator management, finger thoracostomy/chest tube insertion, central line placement, intra-aortic balloon pump management, pericardiocentesis, titration of vasoactive medications, administration of general anesthetics and paralytics for intubation, as well as sedatives and analgesic medications for pain and anxiety.

References

External links

International Association of Flight Paramedics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flight Paramedic Emergency medical responders Air ambulance services

Education/training

United States

Roles and responsibilities

See also

References

External links