- Email: [email protected]
1991 Job market
MANAGEMENT
--WHERE
WE'RE
HEADED
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1 9 9 1 JobMarket Less turnover, more hiring from within by dana Lillie An important member of your flight crew has just announced that she's burned out, leaving the industry, and you need to find a replacement. You ponder your options and wonder if you can replace her, if the qualified person you need is out there and interested in applying. Likely, but not guaranteed. The Journal ofAir Medical Transport interviewed presidents of the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS), the National Flight Nurses Association (NFNA), the National Flight Paramedics Association (NFPA), the National EMS Pilots Association (NEMSPA), and the National Association of AirMedical Communication Specialists (NAACS)--plus a cross sampling of program directors and operators-and asked about the availability of both air medical jobs and personnel in the year to come. Their comments follow.
Association Outlook Don Stamper, president of AAMS, doesn't expect any explosion in the number of job openings but feels the industry will probably see the standard 15 to 20 percent turnover rate at the flight nurse/paramedic level. He also expects to see occasional openings in other areas. When asked about the quality and quantity of personnel currently applying to his program, he says, '~¢¢e see a good flow of qualified applicants, so much so that we've actually trained three or four extra people who are ready and willing to
assume positions anytime there's an opening. We've had good success with that." Jean Herges, president of NFNA, says that although the air medical market is becoming more saturated and will tighten up over the next year or
We've anticipated a shortage a few years down the line, but the Middle East crisis could exacerbate the problem. - - Michael Burke, President of NEMSPA
/ two, the need for critical care nurses will continue, more on a replacement basis than a new program basis. Nurses who have been in the critical care or emergency room setting for years will be available and have the quality care capabilities desired, but training will be very important for those nurses moving fl'om a hospital to a prehospital setting. They'll need intensive training in aircraft orientation, safety, altitude physiology, prehospital care medicine, and other areas.
The Journal of Air Medical Transport • December 1990
Note: NFNA is compiling a database offlight nurse job openings, coordinated by Carol Wichman of Flight For Life (Colorado Springs, CO). Tim Hynes, president of NFPA, says that during his nine years in the air medical industry he has seen a lot of programs make the transition from using physicians to using paramedics on their flight teams. He anticipates that even more programs will make the change. "Being a paramedic on a flight team is a very desirable job," says Hynes. "At AirMed at the University of Utah, we don't turn paramedics over at all, and I have stacks of applications and resumes from guys wanting to work for me. As far as the market for paramedics, the supply is there, and the demand should grow as programs make the transition to nurse-paramedic teams or two-paramedic teams." M i c h a e l B u r k e , p r e s i d e n t of NEMSPA, says the number of qualified pilots available has been sufficient but is dwindling rapidly. The Middle East crisis and increased exploration in the oil industry may deplete that number even further, as pilots are drawn into the military or oil exploration. "Anywhere from forty to sixty percent of c u r r e n t EMS pilots have Reserve or National Guard commitments," says Burke. "Based on that, and especially with the call for another 200,000 military personnel by the end of the year, we may still face a pilot shortage. We've anticipated a shortage a few years down the line, but the 19
MANAGEMENT
Middle East crisis could exacerbate the problem. We simply have no pilots in the pipeline." Nancy Race, president of NAACS, sees the need for communications personnel remaining steady over the coming year. She anticipates that the market for communications supervisors will probably decrease, however, as increasing numbers of chief flight nurses are asked to assume communications supervisor responsibilities in addition to their regular duties.
Program Outlook A cross sampling of five air medical programs revealed that most programs have a good selection of job candidates to choose from, though many end up hiring from within. According to Sue Lockman, program director at Stanford Life Flight (Stanford, CA), her program has hired recently but doesn't anticipate hiring in 1991. Her hospital always tries to promote from within before going to the outside to look for personnel, and Stanford has had no difficulty in finding quality people to fill positions. On the other hand, Dave Kerins, program director at SkyMed (Columbus, OH), has had great difficulty in finding a new chief flight nurse for his program. The soon-to-be-filled job has been open since March 1990, and though he has had a handful of good 20
applicants, Kerins hasn't received the number anticipated. "I don't know if chief flight nurses are getring out of the business, if they just don't want to move anymore, or what it is, but I've noticed a definite decrease the last five years in the number of people who apply for chief flight nurse openings," says Kerins. "People seem reluctant to leave the security of their current situations." Pare Lee, p r o g r a m d i r e c t o r at Lifestar (Savannah, GA), is not planning to hire this coming year, but when she has had positions open, she has found the job market unpredictable. "Sometimes there's an abundance of applicants putring their names on the waiting list," she says, "sometimes there's nothing. I f we do any changing this year, it will probably be a reposifioning in rifles, not personnel." According to Larry Cooper, program director at Samaritan AlrEvac (Phoenix, AZ), which has over 160 employees, his program is expanding and anticipates few problems finding the qualified personnel it will need. The program will be putting a fourth helicopter into part-time service by the end of the year, and will eventually require additional nurses, paramedics and pilots. The company is also putting a Lear 35 on a three-year lease for long-range flights, and will be taking over most of the maintenance on its Cessna 441. "We'll be hiring mechanics and a line service person," says Cooper.
Operator Outlook Operators appear to hold the horn of plenty on job applications, with most citing an abundance of people lined up for positions. "We have experienced no shortage of applicants whatsoever for pilot or mechanic positions," says Jack Russell, Director of Marketing at St.
Louis Helicopter Airways (Chesterfield, MO). "In fact, we take a rather substantial number of applications on almost a daily basis. We don't anticipate many changes in the job market for 1991. We literally have people lined up for the different parts of the country that we operate in or are anticipating opening programs in." Roy Morgan, president of Air Methods Corporation International (Denver, CO), says his company has never had a difficult time finding qualified people, but he senses that hiring may become more difficult in the years ahead. "Hordes of people aren't coming out of the military anymore," says Morgan. "I'm hearing that down the road fewer pilots and mechanics will be available, and I think the day will come when we as operators will be happy to find a pilot with 1500 (as opposed to 3000) hours of flight experience." Air Methods also currently receives more job applications than it can fall, which Morgan attributes to "motivated staff with the right attitude, quality equipment, and the added gratification that comes from delivering patients." Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. (PHI), located in Lafayette, Louisiana, has a steady stream of job applicants and is taking an aggressive approach to finding the qualified personnel it needs. '%Ve interview pilots every Monday, have a class come in for interview, check tides, and run a 'new hire' class almost every other week," says Gene Graves, VP of Marketing. "Activities are similar for those applying for our mechanic positions." Noticing a dramatic shortage of A&P mechanics, PHI recently went on an all-out recruiting program to military bases. The helicopter operator also went to its local chamber of commerce and vocational school and, effective January 1st, an A&P school will start in Lafayette through the area's vo-tech system. "We want a never-ending supply of qualified technicians," says Graves. "All operators will be able to recruit from this school."
The Journal of Air Medical Transport • December 1990
--WHERE
WE'RE
HEADED
--
1 9 9 1 JobMarket Less turnover, more hiring from within by dana Lillie An important member of your flight crew has just announced that she's burned out, leaving the industry, and you need to find a replacement. You ponder your options and wonder if you can replace her, if the qualified person you need is out there and interested in applying. Likely, but not guaranteed. The Journal ofAir Medical Transport interviewed presidents of the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS), the National Flight Nurses Association (NFNA), the National Flight Paramedics Association (NFPA), the National EMS Pilots Association (NEMSPA), and the National Association of AirMedical Communication Specialists (NAACS)--plus a cross sampling of program directors and operators-and asked about the availability of both air medical jobs and personnel in the year to come. Their comments follow.
Association Outlook Don Stamper, president of AAMS, doesn't expect any explosion in the number of job openings but feels the industry will probably see the standard 15 to 20 percent turnover rate at the flight nurse/paramedic level. He also expects to see occasional openings in other areas. When asked about the quality and quantity of personnel currently applying to his program, he says, '~¢¢e see a good flow of qualified applicants, so much so that we've actually trained three or four extra people who are ready and willing to
assume positions anytime there's an opening. We've had good success with that." Jean Herges, president of NFNA, says that although the air medical market is becoming more saturated and will tighten up over the next year or
We've anticipated a shortage a few years down the line, but the Middle East crisis could exacerbate the problem. - - Michael Burke, President of NEMSPA
/ two, the need for critical care nurses will continue, more on a replacement basis than a new program basis. Nurses who have been in the critical care or emergency room setting for years will be available and have the quality care capabilities desired, but training will be very important for those nurses moving fl'om a hospital to a prehospital setting. They'll need intensive training in aircraft orientation, safety, altitude physiology, prehospital care medicine, and other areas.
The Journal of Air Medical Transport • December 1990
Note: NFNA is compiling a database offlight nurse job openings, coordinated by Carol Wichman of Flight For Life (Colorado Springs, CO). Tim Hynes, president of NFPA, says that during his nine years in the air medical industry he has seen a lot of programs make the transition from using physicians to using paramedics on their flight teams. He anticipates that even more programs will make the change. "Being a paramedic on a flight team is a very desirable job," says Hynes. "At AirMed at the University of Utah, we don't turn paramedics over at all, and I have stacks of applications and resumes from guys wanting to work for me. As far as the market for paramedics, the supply is there, and the demand should grow as programs make the transition to nurse-paramedic teams or two-paramedic teams." M i c h a e l B u r k e , p r e s i d e n t of NEMSPA, says the number of qualified pilots available has been sufficient but is dwindling rapidly. The Middle East crisis and increased exploration in the oil industry may deplete that number even further, as pilots are drawn into the military or oil exploration. "Anywhere from forty to sixty percent of c u r r e n t EMS pilots have Reserve or National Guard commitments," says Burke. "Based on that, and especially with the call for another 200,000 military personnel by the end of the year, we may still face a pilot shortage. We've anticipated a shortage a few years down the line, but the 19
MANAGEMENT
Middle East crisis could exacerbate the problem. We simply have no pilots in the pipeline." Nancy Race, president of NAACS, sees the need for communications personnel remaining steady over the coming year. She anticipates that the market for communications supervisors will probably decrease, however, as increasing numbers of chief flight nurses are asked to assume communications supervisor responsibilities in addition to their regular duties.
Program Outlook A cross sampling of five air medical programs revealed that most programs have a good selection of job candidates to choose from, though many end up hiring from within. According to Sue Lockman, program director at Stanford Life Flight (Stanford, CA), her program has hired recently but doesn't anticipate hiring in 1991. Her hospital always tries to promote from within before going to the outside to look for personnel, and Stanford has had no difficulty in finding quality people to fill positions. On the other hand, Dave Kerins, program director at SkyMed (Columbus, OH), has had great difficulty in finding a new chief flight nurse for his program. The soon-to-be-filled job has been open since March 1990, and though he has had a handful of good 20
applicants, Kerins hasn't received the number anticipated. "I don't know if chief flight nurses are getring out of the business, if they just don't want to move anymore, or what it is, but I've noticed a definite decrease the last five years in the number of people who apply for chief flight nurse openings," says Kerins. "People seem reluctant to leave the security of their current situations." Pare Lee, p r o g r a m d i r e c t o r at Lifestar (Savannah, GA), is not planning to hire this coming year, but when she has had positions open, she has found the job market unpredictable. "Sometimes there's an abundance of applicants putring their names on the waiting list," she says, "sometimes there's nothing. I f we do any changing this year, it will probably be a reposifioning in rifles, not personnel." According to Larry Cooper, program director at Samaritan AlrEvac (Phoenix, AZ), which has over 160 employees, his program is expanding and anticipates few problems finding the qualified personnel it will need. The program will be putting a fourth helicopter into part-time service by the end of the year, and will eventually require additional nurses, paramedics and pilots. The company is also putting a Lear 35 on a three-year lease for long-range flights, and will be taking over most of the maintenance on its Cessna 441. "We'll be hiring mechanics and a line service person," says Cooper.
Operator Outlook Operators appear to hold the horn of plenty on job applications, with most citing an abundance of people lined up for positions. "We have experienced no shortage of applicants whatsoever for pilot or mechanic positions," says Jack Russell, Director of Marketing at St.
Louis Helicopter Airways (Chesterfield, MO). "In fact, we take a rather substantial number of applications on almost a daily basis. We don't anticipate many changes in the job market for 1991. We literally have people lined up for the different parts of the country that we operate in or are anticipating opening programs in." Roy Morgan, president of Air Methods Corporation International (Denver, CO), says his company has never had a difficult time finding qualified people, but he senses that hiring may become more difficult in the years ahead. "Hordes of people aren't coming out of the military anymore," says Morgan. "I'm hearing that down the road fewer pilots and mechanics will be available, and I think the day will come when we as operators will be happy to find a pilot with 1500 (as opposed to 3000) hours of flight experience." Air Methods also currently receives more job applications than it can fall, which Morgan attributes to "motivated staff with the right attitude, quality equipment, and the added gratification that comes from delivering patients." Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. (PHI), located in Lafayette, Louisiana, has a steady stream of job applicants and is taking an aggressive approach to finding the qualified personnel it needs. '%Ve interview pilots every Monday, have a class come in for interview, check tides, and run a 'new hire' class almost every other week," says Gene Graves, VP of Marketing. "Activities are similar for those applying for our mechanic positions." Noticing a dramatic shortage of A&P mechanics, PHI recently went on an all-out recruiting program to military bases. The helicopter operator also went to its local chamber of commerce and vocational school and, effective January 1st, an A&P school will start in Lafayette through the area's vo-tech system. "We want a never-ending supply of qualified technicians," says Graves. "All operators will be able to recruit from this school."
The Journal of Air Medical Transport • December 1990