And to the previous poster ground transport nurses function at the EXACT same level as flight nurses but for longer periods of time and without the cool suits. Flight nurses can expect to earn between $50,161 and $95,605 annually. Even if you save a minute, its an expensive minute. flight nurses. The speed debateDespite the cost, the helicopter flights are invaluable because they transport patients quickly to top trauma centers in the region and, as a result, save lives, said Red Duke, medical director of Life Flight and a founder of the 32-year-old service. 1 in 50 in a crashThe rate at which medical helicopter accidents occur also is on the rise, more than tripling per 100,000 flight hours from 1993 to 2004, the Congressional Research Service report said. A flight nurse must be able to perform life-saving procedures without much room to roam. The skill and dedication of these nurses contributed to the extremely low post-injury mortality rate among American military forces in every theater of the war. Once youve become a registered nurse, you can then start working toward a graduate degree in emergency nursing. Army flight nurses helped to establish an incredible record of deaths in flight - only five per 100,000 patients. You just do it because it's your job not because FNs are altruistic angels flying through the sky. Be willing to do it right. . In the 1990s, there were 14 fatal medical helicopter crashes, including a 1999 Life Flight accident south of Houston that killed the three-member crew. With so many reasons for becoming a flight nurse, why wouldn't everyone want to become one? On a typical mission with one crew, two flight nurses and three aeromedical technicians, the Airmen assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron have the ability to transform nearly any cargo aircraft into a flying hospital., The official News page of the Air Force Medical Service, providing the latest articles about Air Force Medicine and the Air Force. Of course, environmental extremes vary from location to location. Since patients transported via aircraft are often in critical condition, flight nurses and other medical personnel must be trained to perform emergency medical care.