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A new kind of Air Force nurse - the flight nurse clinical nurse specialist

  • Published
  • By Maj. Erwin Gines and Maj. Dianne Stroble
  • Air Force Nursing Services
WASHINGTON --  The Air Force Nurse Corps is developing a new kind of clinical expert - Flight Nurse Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS). Nurses with flight experience accepted into the program will immerse in a clinically rigorous curriculum with advanced flight nursing skills and disaster nursing.

CNSs operate out of some Aeromedical Evacuation Squadrons (AES) today but this program is the first that deliberately develops them with this uniquely combined skill set. Growing this group of experts helps posture AE capabilities to better assist with disaster operations and deepens the clinical expertise of Aeromedical Evacuation (AE) teams.

The program is held in partnership with Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. The Air Force's first student is Maj. Karey Dufour.
 
"This is very academically and clinically intense program," says Dufour, " the core courses are exactly the same for all other CNS or nurse practitioner students such as advanced pathophysiology and advanced pharmacology."

The curriculum consists of 11 core courses including research, epidemiology, theory, and informatics. At the completion of the program, graduates like Dufour will qualify to take a certification exam as an Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Dufour spends six to seven days a week engaged in coursework but says "I am loving every minute of it! I am really beginning to understand more of the 'why' of what we do and the importance of evidence-based practice." Her past AE experience includes a flying assignment at the 86th AES at Ramstein AB, Germany and instructing at the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine. This program will escalate her talents to a new level.

As a graduate student, Dufour has already applied evidence-based practice and research to flight nursing and has found a new love for nursing research. As part of a research project, she created a method to improve nurse-to-nurse communication about patients in the AE system. Communication is challenging in the hectic, noisy conditions of AE, especially as patients transition from the care of one nurse to the next. Improving communication improves patient safety and the quality of care. By researching some of the best practices in the civilian nursing world, she adapted existing tools to best fit the unique AE environment. The results of her research project were recognized by AE nursing leadership are being tested for implementation for real-world AE missions.

The flight and disaster nursing coursework set this program apart from all other clinical nurse specialist programs. Candidates' clinical experiences include a variety of settings including a civilian air transport program and disaster laboratories. While flying, candidates will hone old skills and gain new ones. Disaster management courses have candidates explore responses to individuals and communities. Part of the experience includes time spent at the Calamity Tactical Lab at the National Center for Medical Readiness where she tested part of her research project. Dufour will also learn to
interact with other government agencies for a combined disaster response effort.

Developing Flight Nurse Clinical Nurse Specialists is a logical evolution for flight nurses. Aeromedical Evacuation is an AF core competency and the AF is constantly adapting to meet future demands. AF nursing services is developing to persistently deliver the best patient care in any environment or situation.
 
Maj. Gen. Kimberly Siniscalchi, Assistant AF Surgeon General, Nursing Services, said "We can grow future clinical leaders in the AE field to bring cutting edge clinical practice to our flight nurses and technicians. In the same program, we will also develop nurses who will serve as a vital link to other governmental agencies that respond to disasters. This is a superb opportunity for flight nurses and the nursing service."

Projected to graduate June 2012, Major Dufour will have her hands full. She aspires to continue to bridge key communication gaps in the AE system, synergize military-civilian medical response in disasters but, most of all - be the go-to clinical resource for AE.