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Training and Certs

Working at STAR Flight is both exciting and challenging.  Our unique mission profile creates a diverse and exciting environment to work in, but also places many demands and requirements on crews to remain skilled and proficient.  Training is a continuous, year-round process for all STAR Flight crewmembers involving over a hundred hours of training a year.

All of our medical crews are qualified as Helicopter Rescue operators.  After several years of demonstrated competence in that capacity, crew are eligible to become certified as crew chiefs.  STAR Flight crew chiefs are required to maintain qualification as both rescuers and crew chiefs.

We are frequently asked, “What does it take to work at a place like STAR Flight?”  Below is a partial list of the on-going/yearly requirements to maintain medical/rescue qualification:

Maintain state & system licensure as Registered Nurse and/or Paramedic

Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)

Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)

National level Critical Care Transport certification – CFRN/CF-P/CCEMTP (preferred)

Competency training in advanced practice skills such as invasive line monitoring, needle thoracotomies, intraosseous line insertion (adult/pediatric), and administration/monitoring of blood products

Advanced airway maneuvers (endotracheal intubation, nasotracheal intubation, surgical airway insertion) and Pharmaceutically-assisted intubation (aka. Rapid Sequence Intubation)

In-hospital clinical rotations to Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric ICU, Neonatal ICU, Operating Department – Anesthesiology, Special Procedures, Emergency Department, and Cardiac Cath Lab.

 24 hours Survival training

120 hours (initial) 40 hours (recurrent) of Ground Rescue Operations including:

          Raising/lowering rope systems

          Rappelling

          Patient Pick-offs

          Patient securing methods (high/low angle environments)

          Litter basket tending

          Search techniques

          Cave & Confined Space rescue (operations level)

          Moving/still water rescue (operations level)

          Basic in-water patient management

          Rescue boat bowman & victim retrieval (basic)

Demonstrated competency in following helicopter rescue modalities & skills (day & night):

          Rappelling

          Short-haul

          Rescue swimmer water deployment

          Rescue swimmer water skills (search, recovery, patient management)

          In-water use of patient litter

          In-water use of cinch collar/rescue strop

          Ability to safely secure patients from water, trees, and high/low angle slopes

STAR Flight is committed to providing advanced medicine to any patient, anytime, anywhere.  This requires an intensive training and education program.  To meet this demand STAR Flight crews rotate out of their line position for ten weeks a year to focus on training and education – this is in addition to monthly medical trainings and multiple helicopter rescue training evolutions and spot evaluations.