Jobs in Medical Transport for ED Physicians

[Ttan]

Hey all,

This is a part of EM that I can't find much on.

Careers in medical transport. This may have some cross over with wilderness medicine.

I was curious about any information pertaining to this. I know there are ED docs that get jobs flying patients around. How does this work? Is there special training? Can this be a full career for ED docs?

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[Ttan]

I know in switzerland they have those mountain doctors who fly with the helicopters out to pick people up too. I just have not much more knowledge than that.

 

[docB]

There are some opportunities for docs to get involved in flight med. In general these jobs will not come close to providing the income that you would get from working in an ED. Some docs use these gigs to supplement their income but most lose money doing it but do it because they like it and it's less stressful than working shifts.

There generally is no cross over with wilderness med. In fact most of these jobs that actually pay are more like critical care because they are transporting very sick patients from facility to facility. In general, in the US, there are limited opportunities to work for reasonable money on HEMS units that go to scene calls (i.e. have the potential to go pick up patients in the woods). That's because we are just not cost effective. Those jobs are more cost effectively done by nurses and paramedics.

 

[deuist]

There is an international aeromedical transport gig for physicians called international SOS. I don't know much else about it except that you can be sent anywhere in the world.

 

[Arcan57]

The military has gigs (C-STARS for one) that involve transport from field hospitals to definitive care sites but I don't know whether you rotate through as part of other duties or whether it's something you could do as a career.

 

[anonymousEM]

Most companies that offer travel evacuation insurance have a group that does transport (or must contract with one). I did this when I was a fellow in DC, but it wouldn't be a career. MD transports were usually reserved for the sickest patients and pay was less than I would make in a shift moonlighting. However, I did get one cush trip to the Dominican Republic with 24 hours at the beach before helping someone on O2 to her home. Rare though for a doc...usually those were RN transports for our group (with even lower pay).

 

[styphon]

Ground Civilian Transports in the US are done by Paramedics/EMTs. Often flight/intercept cars are Paramedics.

US Helicopter EMS transport is done by paramedics w/ a CC nurse.

You could always act as a paramedic/get cross certification - but you will be paid as a paramedic, not an MD.

 

[jwk]

Ground Civilian Transports in the US are done by Paramedics/EMTs. Often flight/intercept cars are Paramedics.

US Helicopter EMS transport is done by paramedics w/ a CC nurse.

You could always act as a paramedic/get cross certification - but you will be paid as a paramedic, not an MD.

But your liability will be that of a physician.

 

[MSmentor018]

wanted to resurrect this thread. does anyone do this? know how much it pays? hours? i am looking into it and wanted to get some opinions

 

[deleted109597]

wanted to resurrect this thread. does anyone do this?

Residents at Cincinnati, Chicago, and Iowa. They also have some attendings, but they don't fly much.

know how much it pays?

Crap

hours? i am looking into it and wanted to get some opinions

Long. As in, 24 hours of on call every 3 or so.

If you want to do it, you'll have to go to Canada, the UK, Oz, or NZ. They pay flight docs appropriately. Also, they're starting a new one in Ireland after John Hinds successfully campaigned in death for one.

 

[FLTDOC1]

The University of Wisconsin has 2 full time helicopters staffed 24/7 by EM attendings - Its a busy prehospital service with 1200+ flights a year. Our docs are anywhere from one to 25 years out of EM residency. Hopefully will be expanding to a third helicopter in the next year. We also offer a one year Air Medical fellowship. Senior EM residents have the opportunity to fly as a solo provider if they complete all the flight physician requirements/training

 

[KarlPilkington]

I pick up occasional flights with an international evacuation company.
Pay is good (~200/hr) for sitting on a jet and flying all over the world.
I don't know anyone who does it full time, flights can be hit or miss. For example I took two international flights in four days and made a killing and then sat for a week "on-call" without getting a flight.
I don't know of any company out there that offers docs a salary, it seems to be mostly per diem work.
It can be a fun gig under the right circumstances. Flying in a nice private jet is cool for a while, and its exciting to land in a random country and pick up a train wreck of a patient.
For me it's just too much risk (to life and limb not medicolegal) and time away from family.