It looks exciting. The jet-powered helicopter screams across the
sky, heading towards Harborview Medical Center with another
critically-ill patient on board. Friends and family will
probably say later that "he's lucky to be alive". The reality is
that the person is alive because of the skills and talents of
emergency flight nurses like Erin Reed.
Born in Bellflower, and raised in Petaluma California, Erin
Reed, 46, is doing what she does best: emergency medical
services (EMS). "This is my passion," says Reed, "It was what I
was meant to do." Coworkers won't argue with that. According to
friend and fellow flight nurse Sandra Koopman, "In critical
situations, things can move very fast. Erin has the ability to
focus in on the situation without being distracted."
A
former paramedic with the Marin County Fire Department, Reed now
relishes her career as a flight nurse with Airlift Northwest,
the region's primary emergency air transport organization.
To be a flight nurse for Airlift Northwest is no small
achievement. All medical personnel are registered nurses and all
are required to have
advanced life support training with a minimum of five years
critical care experience.
Started as an adjunct to the Medic One paramedic system of King
County, Airlift Northwest now provides emergency air services
primarily to Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, with
additional flights to other states and Canada. Airlift Northwest
flies four Agusta A109 helicopters based in Seattle, Arlington,
Bellingham and Puyallup. Lear jets are located in Seattle and
Juneau with a Commander GC690C based in Wenatchee.
Each helicopter flies with a pilot and two nurses. Reed
enjoys the camaraderie. "You definitely need to be a team
player to be in this line of work. You work together, you
support each other and decompress together. You spend more
time with these people than you do at home."
Reed hadn't always wanted to be in Emergency Services. "I
originally wanted to be a doctor, but I changed my mind after
the fire."
The 'fire' she
refers to is a tragic episode of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Upon arriving at a party that had gotten out of hand, Reed saw a Molotov
cocktail explode right in front of her. The experience changed her life.
There were weeks of painful skin graft surgeries followed by a long period
of physical therapy. Her physical therapist suggested she learn to ski,
since that would aid in her recovery, particularly for her badly injured
hands and wrists.
She moved to
Colorado and immersed herself in the sport. Her grandfather was a fire chief
there and that's when she got interested in becoming an Emergency Medical
Technician (EMT) . She has never looked back.
Reed thinks
that she's got the attitude and qualities needed for emergency services.
"I'm direct and I'm not afraid of conflict," she says. "But you also have to
be a team player and be able to make decisions and stand by them," she adds.
Reed also
believes that nurses should be politically involved. She is a passionate
patient advocate. "One of the hallmarks of nursing is patient advocacy,"
Reed says, "when we have the opportunity to speak up, we should do it not
only for ourselves, but for the public we represent."
When she was
the only woman in an all male fire department in Marin County (the only
woman to pass the physical exam), she still concentrated on doing the job.
"You need to prove yourself , everybody does." Says Reed, "If I didn't think
I was as good as the best, I wouldn't have stayed."
Reed offers some
good advice for anybody getting into emergency services. "Get a mentor," she
insists. "Find some one with experience that you respect and learn what you
can."
Reed also says
it's a good idea to get some experience in the field before committing to
more specialized training, she says, reflecting on her own strategy. "Get
some education, get some experience, discover your interest and build on
it."
What's the most
satisfying part about the job for Reed? "Knowing that when I get one of
those critically ill patients to the hospital alive - that they wouldn't
have made it without me."
Nursing Career Articles
