The adrenaline-fueled, challenging, never-the-same, often unknown life of emergency medicine is not for everyone.
Some thrive in chaos; others do not.
Add in flying 30,000 feet in the air or more, and it’s the ideal work environment for nurses Megan Catalano and Nicole Hansen.
Megan and Nicole work with Black Hills Life Flight, an air ambulance service providing essential, fast, lifesaving interventions. BHLF is owned and operated by Air Methods, the nation’s leading provider of air medical services with hundreds of bases throughout the country.
“I think there is definitely a personality type to where you thrive on that little bit of excitement and adrenaline,” said Nicole.
Prior to becoming flight nurses nearly three years ago, Megan and Nicole spent several years working in the hospital’s intensive care unit and emergency room, a requirement for the role they have now.
However, joining the BHLF team added new challenges.
Along with flying to accident scenes, traumas and other emergencies, Megan and Nicole are on the frontlines making quick decisions on the best care for patients.
“It’s a different environment. We have a lot more autonomy out here,” Nicole said. “We have certain guidelines we follow, but it is not getting a patient and having the provider look at them and getting orders to start care. It is just the nurse and paramedic working together and making decisions. We can have some independence.”
Megan agreed, emphasizing the requirement of three years of emergency medicine experience. “You feel prepared.”
Air medical services significantly cut back on response time, often giving critical patients a better chance at survival.
“Driving from Deadwood to Rapid takes an hour more, but it takes less than 15 minutes to fly from Deadwood to Monument Health,” Megan said. “It takes off a lot of time especially in the Hills where there is no direct route.”
This is especially crucial with hundreds of rural miles in South Dakota and surrounding states.
The BHLF team recently responded to an ATV accident in Wyoming where the man sustained significant injuries. After recovering, he reached out to thank those who provided care. “He understood that he was in a very rural part of Wyoming and that ground crews would have taken a significant time to respond,” Nicole said.
Each response, whether in the helicopter or plane, has a nurse, paramedic, and pilot. Three nurses, three paramedics, three pilots and four maintenance technicians are on duty daily. An additional crew is scheduled with the influx of people in the area for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. “We just want to make sure we can answer the most calls and help the most people during the Rally,” Nicole said.
The helicopter crew respond to most accidents and other traumas often collaborating with Pennington County Search and Rescue. The airplane responders handle the interfacility transport taking patients from a smaller hospital to a larger one with additional resources and specialty services.
Each aircraft is equipped with everything found in an ICU including a supply of O negative blood, the universal blood type. “We do carry blood products and that can absolutely be lifesaving in some instances of trauma,” Megan said.
Air Methods has bases in more than 40 states, so Megan and Nicole can work in other locations as long as their South Dakota license transfers. They have also flown all over from Sacramento to Chicago to Oklahoma City; it just depends on the nature of the call.
Each call, just like each 24-hour-shift, is different than the previous. That is the draw for Megan and Nicole – a challenging, fast-paced, high-flying environment with freedom to care for their patients.