University of Michigan - Survival Flight

11/11/2025

🇺🇸 Honoring Our Veterans 🇺🇸

Today, we pause to recognize and thank all who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Your courage, dedication, and sacrifice protect the freedoms we enjoy every day.

At Survival Flight, we are incredibly proud of the veterans within our organization and across the communities we serve. Your commitment to service—both in uniform and beyond—continues to inspire us all.

Thank you for your service and sacrifice. We honor you today and every day. ❤️🤍💙

11/09/2025

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Vanderbilt LifeFlight team following the tragic crash that occurred. In this line of work, we understand the risks that come with every mission, but we also know the incredible rewards and the deep sense of purpose it brings.

The bonds formed among flight crews go far beyond coworkers — they become family. Losing members of that family is a heartbreak no one should have to endure. We extend our deepest condolences to the Vanderbilt team, their families, and everyone affected. 💛🚁

11/07/2025

🚁 Our Annual Survival Flight Conference is almost here! 🚁

We’re just a few days away — happening Monday and Tuesday next week at the Bavarian Inn!

Don’t forget, the Bavarian Inn now has a brand-new water park, so you can unwind and relax after a full day of learning, networking, and hands-on training. 💦

It’s not too late to sign up — registration is still open, and you can even register in person the day of the event. Don’t forget we offer both nursing and EMS CE’s for the conference😎

We can’t wait to see everyone there for another great year of education, collaboration, and fun! 🙌

https://umich-ssc.jotform.com/251974892185977

11/04/2025

Dr. Hunt’s career has been driven by a lifelong passion for emergency medicine and air medical transport. His journey began as a paramedic with Huron Valley Ambulance, where he served for nearly nine years while earning his BSN from the University of Michigan School of Nursing — always with the goal of becoming a Survival Flight nurse.

After several years as an emergency department nurse, Dr. Hunt pursued medical school at Wayne State University, followed by both his residency and EMS fellowship at the University of Michigan. The opportunity to work with Survival Flight played a major role in his decision to train and build his career here.

Since joining the faculty, Dr. Hunt’s dedication and leadership have been clear. He has served as Assistant Medical Director for Education and later as Assistant Medical Director for Survival Flight.

Today, we are proud to share that Dr. Hunt has been appointed Medical Director of Survival Flight — a dream that has come full circle since his first days in nursing school.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Hunt on this incredible and well-deserved achievement!

10/29/2025

Survival Flight was proud to take part in the Jackson County Fire Department Open House! The event brought together fire departments, EMS, and community partners for a day of learning, demonstrations, and fun for families.

Visitors were able to explore fire trucks, ambulances, and rescue equipment, while also meeting our flight team and getting a close-up look at our aircraft. Events like these are a great opportunity to connect with the community and highlight the teamwork that goes into emergency response.

10/26/2025

Survival Flight had the opportunity to meet with members of the Civil Air Patrol to talk about our profession as flight nurses — sharing our capabilities, the path to becoming a flight nurse, and the many personal attributes we share with the Civil Air Patrol such as dedication, teamwork, and service to others.

A big thank you to Captain Chuck Nemecek, Captain Mary Scilzo, and 2nd Lieutenant Wyatt Feldmann for the invitation and warm welcome. A special thank you to Captain Nemecek and the Civil Air Patrol for presenting Survival Flight with their Squadron Patch — an incredible honor

10/24/2025

🚨 Don’t Miss Our Fall Conference! 🚨
Registration is still open for all EMS licensures and nursing CEs!

📚 CEs Available:
• 14.5 Nursing CEs
• 13.5 EMS CEs

You’ll experience a mix of engaging lectures and hands-on training designed to strengthen your skills and expand your knowledge.

This is truly a conference you don’t want to miss — spots are still available, so be sure to sign up today!

https://umich-ssc.jotform.com/251974892185977

10/22/2025

There’s still time to grab one of our Halloween shirts! Each one is made to order and shipped right out — so it’ll arrive just in time for Halloween. We’ve added sweatshirts for the fall weather too!

🧡 All proceeds go directly to Toys for Tots, helping bring joy to families during the holidays.

And don’t forget… our Christmas versions will be coming soon! 🎅✨

https://www.aatwebstore.com/Toys4Totts/shop/home

10/21/2025

As we reflect on Dr. Bartlett’s passing, we extend our deepest gratitude for his contributions and our heartfelt condolences to his family, colleagues, students, and patients whose lives were touched by his compassion and intellect.

May his memory remain a guiding light for all who strive to push the boundaries of care and human potential.

Because of his efforts, thousands of lives—both children and adults with otherwise untreatable heart/lung failure—were given a chance.

◾️In Memoriam of Robert Hawes Bartlett, MD 1939 - 2025 ◾️
Without Dr. Bartlett, there is no ECMO: Dr. Bartlett saved more than 100,000 patient lives globally through his life’s work on ECMO. He changed the world.
Known globally as the Father of ECMO, Robert H. Bartlett spent his life not only caring for the critically ill, but pioneering, establishing and teaching others new ways to provide life-saving support to these patients. ECMO, perhaps his most prestigious achievement, is today a standard of care for lung and/or cardiac support for premature infants to the elderly.
Dr. Bartlett was recruited to the University of Michigan in 1980. Bringing along his ECMO team, he established the ECLS laboratory, which is still active today, supports up to 100 students, residents, and investigators annually. In the early days at the University of Michigan, he created the ECMO program, which was largely focused on neonatal patients, but he advocated for an ECMO program that would address the needs of all patients.
With the success of ECMO, in 1989 he founded the ELSO - Extracorporeal Life Support Organization a global organization to inspire camaraderie while advancing technology, knowledge, and access. His charter message was that ELSO will be the “motor for research, the forum for discussion, the internal conscience, and the external voice of extracorporeal life support. Membership is exclusively limited to individuals with experience in extracorporeal life support and commitment to improving the state-of-the-art and science, but expansively inclusive to everyone with those characteristics.
He will forever be the Father of ECMO. He changed the landscape of surgery and critical care; he had friends all over the world and lived life fully. His work will continue to save lives. He will be missed by many and remembered by us all as an inspiration, a compassionate clinician, and a great intellect.

Vale, Dr Robert H Bartlett.
🔗 elso.org/ecmo-resources/drbartlett.aspx
🎥 Gibbons challenge fulfilled: award to Dr Bartlett
🔗 youtube.com/watch?v=4sfPgPIQ49s

10/17/2025

It might look a little strange — like the helicopter is floating in with still blades — but it’s actually an optical illusion!

The phenomenon happens because of how camera shutters (or even your eyes under certain lighting) capture motion. The spinning rotor blades move so fast that they sometimes sync up with the frame rate of a camera, making them appear like they’re barely moving or even completely still.

In reality, those blades are moving hundreds of times per minute — generating the lift that keeps us safely in the air and bringing our patients the critical care they need. ✈️💨

69 likes, 2 comments. “It might look like the helicopter is floating in with still blades — but it’s actually an optical illusion! 👀 The phenomenon happens because of how camera shutters (or even your eyes under certain lighting) capture motion. The spinning rotor blades move so fast that t...