(2/7) “Most people think our job is like what they see on TV, but I don’t even watch any of those hospital shows because they drive me bananas. Not everything is a crazy emergency, and there aren’t things flying everywhere as we take off. But it can be intense, and it requires a calm approach to high-pressure situations. We have an organized approach to how we do things and a protocol for every situation that’s focused on safety for the clinicians, pilots, and patients. For instance, we aren’t loading up with an actively coding patient. We try to stabilize them the best we can before beginning any transport. But, whether by helicopter, plane, or ambulance, every decision is deliberate and coordinated. At the airport, we start at 5 a.m. and either do a 12-hour or 24-hour shift. At the hospital, we have a 7 a.m. start time. I do an ambulance and helicopter equipment check first thing in the morning, then wait for a call. When one comes in, the dispatcher at Children’s will send a page to everyone on the team that includes where we’re going, the kid’s age, weight, and name, and the reason we’re picking them up. It also tells us how we’re traveling — by plane, helicopter, or ambulance. We aim to leave within 15 minutes of the page. After dropping the patient off at the hospital and completing the trip, we clean up, restock, and get ready for the next call.” Angelique Dreiswerd, RN, BSN, C-NPT, Pediatric Flight Nurse at BJC HealthCare-St. Louis Children's Hospital 📷: Colleen O’Connell Smyth HOSTL + #BJCCareers
