01/09/2026
Whether we realize it or not, we’re all on a lifelong journey of learning. Formal education helps us to improve how we view the world and participate in it. It provides opportunities to share ideas and experiences that will make us better at what we do. Our journey will, at times, be filled with sources of wonderment that will drive us to learn more.
Developing our talents to be the best we can be is part of the learning curve. The Nursing Profession is no exception. With the primary objective of always acting in the best interests of the patient to achieve the best possible outcome, keeping current with the latest care methods is essential and even more in the flight medical environment where you have limited resources specifically trained medical personnel and equipment.
Nursing professionals will be faced with daily challenges, regardless of where they work. Caring for a patient while airborne however will be an entirely different thing to caring for a patient in a hospital setting. Very few medical professionals have had the benefit of flight training or aeromedical education which will cause decision making to be difficult due, simply, because of their lack of knowledge.
Flight Registered Nurses on the other hand must receive comprehensive instruction on all the critical elements of flight, and there are many. Everyone who gets on an aircraft, which is a very unique environment, has the potential for being affected by any number of the stressors that come with flying. Add the complication of an already compromised patient who is ill or injured, the Registered Nurse Es**rt must have specialized training and the expertise to respond to any medical episode that could occur during transport.
Because of the physical and mental demands placed on Flight Nurses, not everyone would find this a suitable occupation. But for those who are up for the challenge, the successful repatriation of a patient to their home province or country is very rewarding.
Integrity would dictate that everyone in healthcare has a responsibility to themselves and to their patients to obtain as much knowledge and information regarding their specialty and where their duties are performed. Ideally, those with specific expertise should always be utilized for the benefit of the patient. In the case of Flight Registered Nurses, the learning journey will never end.
https://www.angelsofflightcanada.com/education-and-training