Life at 1,000 Feet: A Day in the Life of a NICU Flight Transport Nurse
- Janice Berry is a NICU transport nurse at Children's National Hospital, Washington, D.C.
- She has been with the hospital for 27 years, working 12 years in the NICU before transitioning to transport.
- She has completed thousands of flights while caring for critically ill infants.
When you think about neonatal intensive care nursing, your mind probably jumps to images of incubators, monitors beeping in a quiet corner of the hospital, and carefully controlled environments.
But for Janice Berry, a NICU transport nurse at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., her "unit" often takes the form of a helicopter slicing through the skies.
Berry has spent 27 years at Children’s National, with the last 15 as part of their specialized transport team. Before that, she spent 12 years in a traditional NICU role.
Now, she cares for critically ill newborns while flying hundreds of feet above the ground, all at the dizzying speed of 100 miles per hour. The NICU transport nurse has now taken thousands of flights, caring for critically ill infants.
It's a job she fell in love with instantly, and after stepping into (or up to?) the role, she's never looked back.
“Once I got here and I saw what the transport team did, and how they functioned, and everything that they got to do — which is a really unique job — that was what my goal was and what I strived for,” Berry said.
Flying ICU: The Challenges of NICU Transport Nursing
Being a NICU nurse is already a high-stakes job, but add turbulence, cramped spaces, and the roar of helicopter blades, and you’ve got yourself a whole new level of complexity.
Berry and her team have to monitor vitals, administer treatments, and stabilize these fragile patients while managing the physical challenges of flying.
That means that no two patients or shifts ever look alike, but that's something that Berry embraces, not fears.
“I really appreciate that it’s different every day,” Berry told a local news outlet.
What It Takes to Be a NICU Transport Nurse
Wondering what it takes to be a NICU transport Nurse like Berry?
Most NICU transport programs require at least five years of experience in emergency, intensive care, or flight nursing.
Nurses also need to come from a Level 1 or 2 trauma center background. In addition to your standard RN license, you’ll need certifications in:
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
Oh, and don’t forget flight-specific credentials like the Certified Flight Registered Nurse (CFRN) designation.
Beyond the clinical skills, there are some physical requirements too. You’ll need to meet strict height and weight limits for aircraft safety and pass a physical exam to prove you can handle the demands of the job.
Helicopters don’t exactly come with ergonomic nursing stations, so you’ll be working in tight spaces for long periods.
Each flight team typically includes a pilot, a paramedic, and a NICU nurse.
“We generally have a basic idea of what’s going on with the baby, what kind of equipment, what size team that we’re going to need for that transport,” Berry explained. “Sometimes, it’s just myself and a paramedic and either the driver or the pilot. Sometimes we’ll need respiratory therapy, and occasionally we’ll bring a doctor with us as well.”
Together, they form a well-oiled machine that ensures the helicopter functions as a fully equipped neonatal intensive care unit.
The Rewards of Nursing at 1,000 Feet
For Berry, one of the best parts of the job is working with her tiny patients' families.
"Since we are based in the NICU, I go out as a children's nurse, meet the families, talk to them about Children's and the wonderful care that we're going to give this baby and help to reassure them,” Berry told People.
She also relishes when she can catch up with families and babies later, long after they've left her care in the skies.
“I was invited to a first birthday party recently for someone I transported, which was pretty amazing to get to see that full circle moment of my little guy doing great,” Berry noted.
Berry’s career is a testament to how nursing can evolve into highly specialized roles. For seasoned nurses looking to take their skills to new heights—literally—NICU transport nursing might just be the challenge you’re looking for.
So, if you’ve ever dreamed of combining flight medicine with neonatal care, maybe it’s time to consider trading your unit scrubs for a flight suit. Because as Janice Berry will tell you, there’s nothing quite like nursing at 1,000 feet.
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