The Flight Nurse Badge is a military badge of the

United States armed forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...

which is issued by the U.S. Air Force and

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

to flight nurses. Versions of this badge have existed since

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, when the decoration was first created as the ''

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

Flight Nurse Badge''. AFI36-2903: Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel
; dated July 18, 2011; last accessed 15 Jan 12U.S. Navy Uniform Regulations: Chapter 5, Section 3 Identification Badges/Awards/Insignia
, Navy Personnel Command, updated 27 Jul 11, last accessed 4 Oct 11
updated Nov 11, last accessed 15 Jan 12 The Flight Nurse Badge is issued in two different versions, one for the Navy and the other for the Air Force. To be awarded the Flight Nurse Badge, a service member must be a commissioned officer and 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 ...

and must also complete training normally befitting the award of the

Aircrew Badge The Aircrew Badge, commonly known as Wings, is a qualification badge of the United States military that is awarded by all five branches of armed services to personnel who serve as aircrew members on board military aircraft. The badge is inten ...

. Upon completion of prerequisite training, a service member must complete advanced studies in

Aerospace Medicine Aviation medicine, also called flight medicine or aerospace medicine, is a preventive or occupational medicine in which the patients/subjects are pilots, aircrews, or astronauts. The specialty strives to treat or prevent conditions to which aircr ...

and be qualified as a military flight nurse. The Flight Nurse Badge is then presented after a probationary period of in-flight instruction and observation. The Air Force version of the Flight Nurse Badge is issued in three degrees: Basic, Senior, and Master. The Basic Flight Nurse Badge is awarded upon completion of all training and qualification as a flight nurse. The Senior and Master versions of the Flight Nurse Badge are awarded based on years of service in the Air Force and number of flight hours obtained. The different degrees of the Flight Nurse Badge are denoted by a star (Senior level) or a star with wreath (Master level) centered above the decoration. The United States Navy issues the Flight Nurse Badge in a single degree. None of the other military branches maintains an equivalent to the Flight Nurse Badge. The decoration is similar to the Flight Surgeon Badge.

References

{{Military badges of the United States United States military badges Nursing credentials and certifications

See also

References