Flight Nursing: What Is It And Why Are Nurses Leaving

Turnover of flight nurses is a growing problem and places a heavy financial burden on transport organizations. This cross-sectional qualitative study of ex-flight nurses from a private air medical transport company explores the perceptions of the flight nursing profession and examines possible reasons why flight nurses leave their positions. Snowball, purposive, and non-probability sampling were used to recruit ten ex-flight nurse participants for in-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews. Participants viewed flight nursing as an exciting job with an expanded practice scope, caring for critically ill patients in a dynamic environment. However, misconceptions about pay and working conditions, in addition to poor work/family balance and organizational concerns, led these nurses to leave their jobs within three years of hire. Participants also identified inadequate training and work conflicts among peer nurses as new unexpected discoveries. To combat turnover, organizations should focus on adjusting pay and improving work environment.