Anatomy of a Flight Nurse
It looks exciting. The jet-powered helicopter screams across the
sky, heading towards Harborview Medical Center with another
critically-ill patient on board. Friends and family will
probably say later that "he's lucky to be alive". The reality is
that the person is alive because of the skills and talents of
emergency flight nurses like Erin Reed.
Born in Bellflower, and raised in Petaluma California, Erin
Reed, 46, is doing what she does best: emergency medical
services (EMS). "This is my passion," says Reed, "It was what I
was meant to do." Coworkers won't argue with that. According to
friend and fellow flight nurse Sandra Koopman, "In critical
situations, things can move very fast. Erin has the ability to
focus in on the situation without being distracted."
A former paramedic with the Marin County Fire Department, Reed
now relishes her career as a flight nurse with Airlift
Northwest, the region's primary emergency air transport
organization.
To be a flight nurse for Airlift Northwest is no small
achievement. All medical personnel are registered nurses and all
are required to have advanced life support training with a
minimum of five years critical care experience.
Started as an adjunct to the Medic One paramedic system of King
County, Airlift Northwest now provides emergency air services
primarily to Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, with
additional flights to other states and Canada. Airlift Northwest
flies four Agusta A109 helicopters based in Seattle, Arlington,
Bellingham and Puyallup. Lear jets are located in Seattle and
Juneau with a Commander GC690C based in Wenatchee.
Each helicopter flies with a pilot and two nurses. Reed enjoys
the camaraderie. "You definitely need to be a team player to be
in this line of work. You work together, you support each other
and decompress together. You spend more time with these people
than you do at home."
Reed hadn't always wanted to be in Emergency Services. "I
originally wanted to be a doctor, but I changed my mind after
the fire."
The 'fire' she refers to is a tragic episode of being in the
wrong place at the wrong time. Upon arriving at a party that had
gotten out of hand, Reed saw a Molotov cocktail explode right in
front of her. The experience changed her life. There were weeks
of painful skin graft surgeries followed by a long period of
physical therapy. Her physical therapist suggested she learn to
ski, since that would aid in her recovery, particularly for her
badly injured hands and wrists.
She moved to Colorado and immersed herself in the sport. Her
grandfather was a fire chief there and that's when she got
interested in becoming an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) .
She has never looked back.
Reed thinks that she's got the attitude and qualities needed for
emergency services. "I'm direct and I'm not afraid of conflict,"
she says. "But you also have to be a team player and be able to
make decisions and stand by them," she adds.
Reed also believes that nurses should be politically involved.
She is a passionate patient advocate. "One of the hallmarks of
nursing is patient advocacy," Reed says, "when we have the
opportunity to speak up, we should do it not only for ourselves,
but for the public we represent."
When she was the only woman in an all male fire department in
Marin County (the only woman to pass the physical exam), she
still concentrated on doing the job. "You need to prove yourself
, everybody does." Says Reed, "If I didn't think I was as good
as the best, I wouldn't have stayed."
Reed offers some good advice for anybody getting into emergency
services. "Get a mentor," she insists. "Find some one with
experience that you respect and learn what you can."
Reed also says it's a good idea to get some experience in the
field before committing to more specialized training, she says,
reflecting on her own strategy. "Get some education, get some
experience, discover your interest and build on it."
What's the most satisfying part about the job for Reed? "Knowing
that when I get one of those critically ill patients to the
hospital alive - that they wouldn't have made it without me."