RE: Looking Deeper

["Tom Waters" <tom@tomwaters.net>]

Take all of the excellent comments by the other nurses, input the
comments by Msmith_01 (all the "complications of flight care") and the
position of the EMT-B Scott Woolf, that "Not everyone can do it" and you
approach an answer.
The complications (as Msmith listed for us) we encounter in the air are
ten-fold what I have  to seen on the ground.
Flight Nurses AND Paramedics CAN do it, and DO GET THE JOB DONE, and are
able to multi-task so much better, it seems.
The need to handle complex situations may be what gravitates some to
this arena.  I wanted to Fly soon after getting into Paramedic school,
figured I had always loved aviation, why not include my new career
(love) and Flying.

Commraderie is different too, earlier this month, I flew RW to a trauma
center, our FW flew another pt. To the same facility, having to do the
ground shuffle on each end. We were jokinly racing to see who turned
over quicker, they in a faster a/c, us landing on the roof!  We both
delivered, and got back to the FBO in that area for fuel, and fly home.
When we arrived there, our OFF DUTY FW pilot was there too, he was
moonlighting, doing a charter for a rich guy.  Well, we all took off
within minutes of each other, headed for our common HOME.  The A-Star
leaving first, the 421 in the middle, and the 414 leaving last.  We
raced each other, as the only 3 aircraft on that path, and had a
chuckle, as the landing order was exactly opposite of the takeoff order!
I have seen some pretty neat things on the ground, but will never forget
a recent morning on the return flight, as we climbed to 10,5 to clear
the mountain ridge on our path home, at about 0545, and the sun was just
rising, the sky was amazing, all colors.  We were tired.  The patient we
just dropped off was likely having his sun set for the last time, but WE
were the ones called to be with him, care for him, hopefully give HIM a
shot at another sunrise.

Sorry, rambling too, but the original question DID ask us to did deep.

Tom Waters
New Mexico

-----Original Message-----
From: flightmed-admin@flightweb.com
[mailto:flightmed-admin@flightweb.com] On Behalf Of msmith_01
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2001 6:03 PM
To: flightmed@flightweb.com
Subject: Re: Looking Deeper


Let's all be realistic about why we all got into flying.

The bad weather,  bad smells, up all night, walking through mud, snow,
manure, having to  smile and say thanks when the sending facility really
was
not doing so good, air sickness, turbulence, hard landings, landing
short of
your destination because of unforcasted weather....yeah that's why I
started
flying.

I'm a medic but had to toss in my comments.

Thanks,
Mike
----- Original Message -----
From: susan nittinger <suziqfly@yahoo.com>
To: <flightmed@flightweb.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2001 10:59 AM
Subject: Re: Looking Deeper


>
> Mike,
>      I can remember being a 1st semester senior in
> nursing school. My critical care instructor, at that
> time, hated my "care plans."  She told me I would
> never make it in critical care, and maybe I should
> rethink my nursing career.  Four years into my major,
> and now I have to rethink my career. Ha Ha
>      I was introduced to a flight nurse who had come
> in to do a lecture on trauma care.  She and I spoke
> for a long time. She told me never to give up my
> dreams and aspirations.  I could do whatever I wanted
> to do.  I wanted to do what she did. Six and a half
> years later I am sitting in the back of an ambulance
> with my partner and her orientee. It turns out the
> orientee was the very same nurse who had done my
> lecture 6 years prior.  She started flying with us
> after a hiatus.  We had come full circle. I told her
> how much her words encouraged me.  I admired her for
> believing in herself and me, the lowly nursing
> student.
> She is a big part of why I am a flight nurse.
>      Yes, I love being 2500 ft off the ground! Yes, I
> love the autonomy! Mostly, I like knowing I can make a
> difference;  Whether it be to the critically ill and
> injured, or the nursing student, high school student,
> EMT, new flight personnel, etc.  Sorry for rambling.
>                                     Sue
>
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