Flight Nurse (Full Time) - Arkadelphia, AR

Pafford Medical Services, Inc. – Arkadelphia, AR

About the role

The Flight Nurse is a registered nurse and critical care transport clinician who provides safe, autonomous, evidence-based care to critically ill or injured patients across the lifespan. As part of an interdisciplinary transport team, the Flight Nurse assesses, stabilizes, treats, monitors, and transports patients by rotor-wing aircraft, fixed-wing aircraft when assigned, and ground critical care ambulance.

Responsibilities

Clinical Care

• Review transport requests and available records; receive a complete handoff; independently assess the patient; identify transport risks; and develop an individualized plan of care.
• Stabilize, prepare, and safely transport adult, pediatric, neonatal, obstetric, medical, and trauma patients consistent with the program's approved scope of care.
• Continuously monitor the patient, recognize deterioration, anticipate complications, and initiate timely interventions or medical control consultation as required.
• Manage advanced airways and mechanical ventilation, hemodynamic monitoring, infusion therapy, vasoactive and sedative medications, blood products, drains, tubes, and other authorized critical care therapies.
• Maintain continuity of care from acceptance through bedside handoff and provide clear, compassionate communication to patients, families, and referring and receiving teams.

Transport Operations and Safety

• Participate in mission briefings, risk assessment, crew resource management, and debriefing; promptly identify and communicate safety concerns.
• Follow aviation and ground safety procedures, instructions of the pilot in command, applicable FAA requirements, and program policies. This clinical role does not exercise aviation operational control.
• Perform equipment, medication, oxygen, battery, and supply checks; secure the patient and equipment; and maintain mission readiness.
• Coordinate effectively with pilots, communications personnel, EMS, fire and law enforcement agencies, referring and receiving facilities, and specialty teams.
• Complete missions initiated during the assigned shift when clinically and operationally appropriate, recognizing that mission completion may extend beyond scheduled hours and remains subject to fatigue-management and safety requirements.

Documentation, Quality, and Readiness

• Complete accurate and timely patient care records, medication and controlled-substance documentation, equipment records, and required operational reports.
• Participate in quality management, case review, peer review, safety reporting, performance improvement, clinical investigation, and research activities as assigned.
• Inspect, clean, restock, and maintain equipment, medications, supplies, and transport work areas; promptly report deficiencies and remove unsafe equipment from service.
• Protect patient privacy and comply with documentation, billing, regulatory, and accreditation requirements.
• Participate in education, simulation, community outreach, committees, and other activities supporting clinical quality, safety, and service readiness.

Education and Professional Practice

• Successfully complete initial orientation, clinical validation, transport safety training, and competency requirements before independent assignment.
• Maintain required licenses, certifications, continuing education, clinical currency, skills validation, and annual competencies for assigned patient populations and interventions.
• Demonstrate sound judgment, professional conduct, teamwork, cultural sensitivity, and respectful communication in routine and high-stress situations.
• Serve as a clinical resource or preceptor when qualified and assigned.

Requirements

• Current, unrestricted registered nurse license in each state required for assignment and patient transport; additional state licensure must be obtained within the timeframe established by Pafford Medical Services, Inc.
• At least three years and a minimum of 4,000 hours of recent critical care experience in an intensive care unit or emergency department relevant to the program's scope of care and patient populations.
• Current American Heart Association BLS and ACLS credentials.
• Current PALS, APLS, or ENPC credential appropriate to the program's pediatric scope of care.
• Current NRP credential when assigned to high-risk obstetric or neonatal patients.
• Current trauma education appropriate to the role and program scope, such as ATCN, TNATC, TPATC, ATLS audit, or an approved equivalent.
• CFRN or CTRN certification must be obtained and maintained within two years of employment in the transport nurse role.
• Successful completion of pre-employment screening, clinical knowledge and skills evaluation, orientation, and competency validation.
• Valid driver's license and ability to meet company vehicle-operation requirements when driving is assigned.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
• CFRN or CTRN certification at hire; additional credentials such as CCRN, CEN, CPEN, or C-NPT consistent with assigned patient populations.
• Previous critical care transport, flight nursing, EMS, or prehospital experience.
• Experience in a Level I or II trauma center, tertiary referral center, or comparable high-acuity setting.

Skills

• Advanced assessment, critical thinking, prioritization, and independent decision-making in resource-limited and rapidly changing environments.
• Competence in critical care pharmacology, airway and ventilator management, hemodynamics, shock and resuscitation, trauma, neurologic and obstetric emergencies, and age-specific care within the program's scope.
• Ability to communicate concisely by radio, telephone, electronic systems, and in person; provide structured handoffs; and resolve conflict professionally.
• Ability to organize competing priorities, maintain situational awareness, and work effectively as part of a two-clinician transport team.
• Basic computer proficiency and ability to use electronic patient care, communication, inventory, and learning-management systems.

Physical Requirements

• Safely perform essential functions in confined aircraft and ambulance spaces and in hospital, scene, ramp, and outdoor environments.
• Regularly stand, walk, sit, reach, bend, kneel, stoop, climb aircraft steps, work in awkward positions, and push or pull loaded stretchers and equipment.
• Lift and/or move up to 50 pounds independently and assist with heavier patients and equipment using team-lift techniques and available mechanical aids.
• Possess sufficient vision, hearing, speech, manual dexterity, and depth and color perception to assess patients, operate equipment, communicate in high-noise environments, and complete documentation.
• Tolerate vibration, turbulence, motion, altitude-related pressure changes, temperature extremes, weather exposure, noise, limited lighting, and required protective and aviation safety equipment.
• Work rotating or extended shifts, nights, weekends, holidays, call periods, travel, and mission-related overtime while complying with fatigue and fitness-for-duty requirements.
• Work around blood and body fluids, infectious disease, hazardous materials, medications, and oxygen systems while following required safety controls.