Top 7 Flight Nurse Interview Questions to Ask

Flight nurses deliver care to critically ill patients who are being transported to a facility on an aircraft. They’re valuable members of the care team, responsible for keeping patients stable until they arrive at their next destination. The work of a flight nurse can be quite unpredictable and fast-paced, so it’s important to ask the right flight nurse interview questions when hiring for this role.

In this article, we’ll outline seven of the most common questions asked during a flight nurse interview to help you narrow down your pool of candidates. Need help finding suitable candidates to interview? Start by preparing a well-written job description. For even more job-market insights, you can also browse current flight nurse job openings and explore what traits other facilities are looking for.

Below you’ll find a downloadable flight nurse evaluation form that can help you keep track of your next round of interviews.

Flight Nurse Interview Questions

Flight nurses must be registered nurses (RN) and most employers also prefer them to earn CFRN certification. But regardless of your job qualifications, it’s important to identify candidates who can stay calm under pressure, react quickly to emergency situations, and communicate effectively. The following seven questions will help you assess these essential qualities.

1. What inspired you to become a flight nurse?

The interview provides an opportunity to learn more about a candidate’s values and motivations. This question allows a candidate to share more personal details about their journey to becoming a flight nurse. A candidate’s answers can show you who they are as a person and whether they’re in this specialty for the right reasons.

What to listen for:

• Genuine passion for emergency medicine and aviation
• Strong desire to help patients through critical situations

Potential follow-up questions:

• What do you think are the most important qualities of a flight nurse?
• Tell me about how your past clinical experiences have prepared you for this role.

2. What do you think is the best in-flight intubation technique?

During a flight nurse interview, clinical questions should touch on essential skills like airway management. This question is broad enough that you can assess a candidate’s knowledge on different in-flight intubation techniques while assessing their critical thinking skills.

What to listen for:

• Knowledge of standard intubation techniques
• Ability to adapt care process to the constraints of an in-flight setting

Potential follow-up questions:

• What’s your experience with seizure management?
• How do you consider the environment when making independent nursing decisions?

3. How do you ensure your safety while caring for patients during turbulence?

Having care interrupted by turbulence is one of the most common flight nurse scenarios that candidates should be prepared to handle. This question evaluates whether candidates can make sound decisions and protect both their safety and the patient’s safety during inclement weather conditions.

What to listen for:

• Understanding of basic safety protocols (e.g., securing items)
• Ability to effectively balance patient care tasks with personal safety

Potential follow-up questions:

• What measures do you take to lower a patient’s risk of infection during a flight?
• How do you communicate with the pilot and flight crew while caring for patients?

4. You and the paramedic on a flight disagree on how to proceed with a patient’s care. How do you resolve this?

Asking flight nurse interview scenario questions like this is a great way to evaluate a candidate’s communication and teamwork skills. Being able to resolve conflicts productively is crucial for staying on task, especially in a high stakes specialty like flight nursing.

What to listen for:

• Ability to stay calm, rational, and professional during in-flight conflicts
• Ability to stay focused on patient priorities during disagreements

Potential follow-up questions:

• How would you handle feedback from a supervisor that you don’t agree with?
• What steps do you take to ensure accurate and thorough documentation of care?

5. Tell me about a time that you successfully worked through a patient emergency.

Asking candidates to draw from their past experiences is a great way to assess how they handle real-world emergencies. Flight nurse interview questions like this can apply to candidates with varying levels of experience and clue you into their decision-making skills.

What to listen for:

• Clear decision-making and ability to articulate thought processes clearly
• Demonstration of teamwork and ability to reach out for help when necessary

Potential follow-up questions:

• What’s your process for relaying patient information to the emergency care team?
• Tell me about some in-flight challenges you’ve had to work through in the past.

6. Tell me about a time that you made a mistake on the job. What steps did you take to resolve it?

While flight nurses do the best that they can to stabilize patients, sometimes things can go wrong. This question assesses how a candidate handles mistakes and whether they’re able to learn from them.

What to listen for:

• Ability to take accountability and stay focused on resolving the issue at hand
• Lessons learned and steps that should be taken to prevent the same mistake

Potential follow-up questions:

• How do you communicate errors or mistakes with other team members?
• What do you think is the most difficult part of being a flight nurse?

7. Walk me through your process of prioritizing tasks during a flight.

In an emergency, knowing what to tend to first is a crucial skill for flight nurses. Task prioritization should be covered in at least one of your flight nurse interview questions, and answers should reflect a candidate’s ability to balance competing demands.

What to listen for:

• Sound process for prioritizing critical care needs (e.g., ABCDE)
• Ability to remain flexible and adaptable to changing conditions

Potential follow-up questions:

• Tell me about a time that you had to adapt your care process because of unexpected circumstances.
• How do you handle stress while managing care during a flight?

Find Top Nursing Candidates to Interview

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