Registered Nurse (RN) - Flight Nurse or Critical Care Flight Nurse
Travis County
Austin, TX

Flight Registered Nurse

STAR Flight nurses provide medical care and transport to critically injured/ill patients, perform public-safety operations (search and rescue, aerial fire-fighting, law enforcement assistance) and promote education and safety throughout the STAR Flight response area. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: This is a job classification within the Medical job family. Emergency operations require working under difficult conditions. Availability to work a rotating shift schedule consisting of 12 hour day and night shifts with minimal rest during work assignments. Works some holidays, nights and weekends. This classification requires a flexible work schedule to meet the needs of the department. * Assesses, plans treatment and administers care to critically injured/ill adult and pediatric patients. * Documents patient assessments, treatment plans and outcomes of patients. * Provides 100% quality assurance/improvement of patient care and documentation on all STAR Flight patients. * Performs aviation-related duties such as assisting with navigation, radio communication, obstacle/aircraft avoidance and coordination of landing zones and other flight-related duties as an assigned medical crew member, and as an employee performing safety-related duties. * Provides patient care follow-up for internal and external customers by consulting with hospital medical staff. * Represents STAR Flight and coordinates public relations events and educational in-services for Travis County and surrounding service area. * Maintains proficiency and evaluates risk/benefit of rescue operations in helicopter and ground rescue. * Directs/educates colleagues on medical and trauma scenes to achieve maximum effectiveness. * Maintains mission readiness by daily inspection of personal and helicopter medical and rescue equipment as well as studying medical and rescue information. * Completes special projects as assigned, including preparing educational in-services, researching new medical equipment, rescue equipment, development of STAR Flight-specific protocols for medical and rescue environment. * Performs other job-related duties as assigned. Education and Experience: Graduation from an accredited school of nursing AND three (3) years experience as a registered nurse (RN) in a critical-care area i.e. Emergency Department (ED), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Critical Care Unit (CCU), Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) or flight nursing. Licenses, Registrations, Certifications, or Special Requirements: Current license to practice as a Registered Nurse in the State of Texas. Current Certification Basic Cardiac Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Current Certification Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (or equivalent). Letter of support from Medical Director(s) or direct supervisor. Must meet physical ability/strength standards established by Travis County for the STAR Flight Program. Must meet minimum physical fitness requirements established by Travis County for the STAR Flight Program. Subject to the STAR Flight mandated Anti-Drug and Alcohol Misuse Prevention Program. Valid Texas Driver's License. Drug and alcohol testing shall be conducted as part of the pre-employment process for all applicants. Must attach Resume, References, Licenses and Certifications to application.  Preferred: Previous rotor or fixed-wing flight experience. Pre-hospital experience. Experience in a Level I or Level II trauma center. Possess or meet Texas Department of State Health Services requirements for Emergency Care Attendant, Emergency Medical Technician or Paramedic Certification or Licensure. National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician or Paramedic. Pediatric Advanced Life Support (or equivalent). Advanced Trauma Life Support/Trauma Nurse Advanced Trauma Course. Neonatal Resuscitation Program. Current Certified Emergency Nurse, Critical Care Registered Nurse, or Certified Flight Registered Nurse. Training in and understanding of Incident Command principles. Demonstrated proficiency in Low to High Angle and Swift Water Rescue techniques. Helicopter rescue experience. Bilingual oral proficiency in English/Spanish. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Knowledge of: * Appropriate response to emergency situations. * Policies, practices, procedures and terminology of assigned function. * Federal, State, Local and County applicable laws, rules, regulations and guidelines. * State and Federal regulatory or administrative requirements and practices. * Computer equipment to include word processing, spreadsheets, databases and a variety of software packages. * Business letter writing, grammar and punctuation, and report preparation. * May be required to develop knowledge of and adhere to federal and state laws requiring the confidential handling of certain health information. Skill in: * Meeting emergencies. * Problem-solving and decision-making. * Both verbal and written communication. Ability to: * Demonstrate the principles and practices of pre-hospital emergency medical care. * Direct colleagues on medical and trauma scenes to achieve maximum group effectiveness. * Demonstrate exceptional interpersonal skills while working in a stressful environment. * Provide service that meets the values, vision and customer service commitment of the STAR Flight program. * Demonstrate the principles and practices of technical rescue in swiftwater, low-to-high angle and helicopter rescue environments. * Establish and maintain effective working relationships with regional pre-hospital and hospital care providers. * Establish and maintain effective working relationships with Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical System (EMS) first responders, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), paramedics, nurses, physicians and other ancillary personnel, other County employees and officials, and the general public. Physical requirements include meeting physical ability/strength standards outlined above. Physical requirements include the ability to lift/carry up to 50-100 pounds, visual acuity, speech and hearing, hand and eye coordination and manual dexterity necessary to operate a computer and office equipment. Subject to standing, walking, sitting, repetitive motion, reaching, climbing stairs, bending, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, pushing, pulling, balancing, client/customer contact, squatting to perform the essential functions. Based on aircraft weight limitation pilots in these positions should maintain a maximum body weight of 220 pounds. Must be available to work in inclement weather. Subject to contact with dust, dangerous machinery, noise, fumes, potential harm, vibration, communicable diseases, and hazardous chemicals. Travis County employees play an important role in business continuity. As such, employees can be assigned to business continuity efforts outside of normal job functions. Work Hours: Schedule may change periodically. Works some holidays, Works some nights, Works some weekends  Department: STAR Flight  Location: 7800 Old Manor Road, Austin, TX 78724  Drug Test, Alcohol Test, and Physical Exam Required. Criminal, Driving, Education, and Employment Background Checks Required. This job description is intended to be generic in nature. It is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The essential duties, functions and responsibilities and overtime eligibility may vary based on the specific tasks assigned to the position.