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Management focus
EDITORIAL GENERAL INFORMATION Regular Subscriptions To subscribe to The Journal of Air Medical Transport, to change the address of your current subscription, or to ask questions about your subscription, calf or write the business office. Subscription rates for North America: $28 per year for 12 issues or $49 for two years for 24 issues. Subscribers outside North America add $18 per year for airmail postage. All foreign subscribers remit in U.S. dollars drawn on a U.S. bank or make payment with American Express, VISA or MasterCard.
AssoCiation Subscriptions Paid-up members of AAMS, NFNA and NFPA receive an annual subscription with their association membership. Questions regarding subscription and address changes should be directed to the appropriate association office.
Back Issues Back issues prepayable at $3 each.
Editorial Contributions The Journal of Air Medical Transport e n c o u r a g e s article queries and submissions. Article submissions should include 5 printed copies accompanied with a 5-1/4 or 3-1/2-inch diskette. WordPerfect software preferred. Submissions should be sent to the editorial office and be accompanied by return postage. Editorial guidelines available upon request. Telephone 801-226-5555 or FAX 801-226-8804 for more information. The Journal of Air Medical Transport takes precautions to provide accurate information and does not accept any liability for errors or omissions inadvertently caused by contributors.
Advertising Advertising inquiries should be directed to Michael Collett, 801-226-5555.
Letters Lettersshould be mailed to the editorial
office c/o Letters.The writer's name, city and state must be included. We reservethe right to edit letters.
Reprint Information Reproduction in whole is prohibited. Photocopying of individual segments for research purposes is permitted, provided proper source credits are included. © 1990 The Journal of Air Medical Transport (ISSN: 1046-9095) is published monthly by WordPerfect Publishing Corporation. Editorial and executive offices at 270 West Center, Orem, Utah 84057. Second-class postage paid at Orem, Utah. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Journal of Air Medical Transport, 270 West Center, Orem, Utah 84057. Subscription rates for U.S. and possessions: $28 per year for 12 issues, $49 for two years for 24 issues. Subscribers outside the United States and Canada - add $18 per year for airmail postage. All foreign subscribers - remit payment in U.S. dollars drawn on a U.S. bank or make payment with American Express, VISA or MasterCard.
Management Focus The Most Important Asset by Jim Bothwell Suppose I were to tell you of somet h i n g that c o u l d r e d u c e y o u r program's liability, increase its safety, and double the number of requests for service, all the while cutting your costs. Some program directors would jump at the chance to obtain such a package. While the cost of health care system improvements soars, this package is not outrageously expensive or unattainable. It's you, the air medical personnel. It's easy to get carried away in the air medical transport business. New helicopters, sophisticated equipment, marketing plans, and the bottom line distract us from the most essential part of an operating program. The new helicopter, while it may look nice and provide more room, is not going to determine patient treatment. The new hangar, while it may protect aircraft and simplify maintenance, is not going to make weather decisions. The personnel in the program are going to meet the customers daily, and your actions are vastly more important than the PR brochures or flights. The cost savings plans your organization tries to implement are going to be relatively useless unless you support their implementation. One does not have to be an air medical team member long to realize the importance of your co-workers. Time and dollars invested in staff development will almost always return a much higher yield than money spent on new equipment. Articles in this issue of The Journal of Air Medical Transport (JAMT) discuss the importance managers are placing on obtaining and keeping personnel, the most essential component of an air medical transport program.
The Journal of Air Medical Transport • October 1990
In our clinical report, Theodore Whitley, Nicholas Benson and E. Jackson Allison, Jr. of the Department of Emergency Medicine, East Carolina University School of Medicine (Greenville, NC) and Dennis Revicki of Battelle Human Affairs Research Centers (Washington, DC) discuss predictors of flight nurse job satisfaction. Matt Coffey, pilot for Samaritan AlrEvac and C a t h e r i n e C a u t h o r n e Lindstrom, a project director at John C. Lincoln Hospital (Phoenix, AZ), share the elements that should be considered in selecting the best EMS pilots, and JAMT's Program Management survey shares ideas on how to improve air medical program management. As m a n a g e r s of air m e d i c a l programs continue striving to offer the highest quality service possible, they should consider getting the optimum value from the technology and information available, but most important, they need to remember to focus on their most valuable asset: you, the air medical personnel. ~3
Jim Bothwell, EMT-P, is vice president of the National Flight Paramedics Association and works for the Maryland Institute for EMS Systems (Baltimore, MD).
Coming Next Month "Aircraft Configuration-Current Technology" * Liquid O x y g e n S y s t e m s • Aircraft C o s t A n a l y s i s • N e w Products • More
Watch for it! 5
AssoCiation Subscriptions Paid-up members of AAMS, NFNA and NFPA receive an annual subscription with their association membership. Questions regarding subscription and address changes should be directed to the appropriate association office.
Back Issues Back issues prepayable at $3 each.
Editorial Contributions The Journal of Air Medical Transport e n c o u r a g e s article queries and submissions. Article submissions should include 5 printed copies accompanied with a 5-1/4 or 3-1/2-inch diskette. WordPerfect software preferred. Submissions should be sent to the editorial office and be accompanied by return postage. Editorial guidelines available upon request. Telephone 801-226-5555 or FAX 801-226-8804 for more information. The Journal of Air Medical Transport takes precautions to provide accurate information and does not accept any liability for errors or omissions inadvertently caused by contributors.
Advertising Advertising inquiries should be directed to Michael Collett, 801-226-5555.
Letters Lettersshould be mailed to the editorial
office c/o Letters.The writer's name, city and state must be included. We reservethe right to edit letters.
Reprint Information Reproduction in whole is prohibited. Photocopying of individual segments for research purposes is permitted, provided proper source credits are included. © 1990 The Journal of Air Medical Transport (ISSN: 1046-9095) is published monthly by WordPerfect Publishing Corporation. Editorial and executive offices at 270 West Center, Orem, Utah 84057. Second-class postage paid at Orem, Utah. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Journal of Air Medical Transport, 270 West Center, Orem, Utah 84057. Subscription rates for U.S. and possessions: $28 per year for 12 issues, $49 for two years for 24 issues. Subscribers outside the United States and Canada - add $18 per year for airmail postage. All foreign subscribers - remit payment in U.S. dollars drawn on a U.S. bank or make payment with American Express, VISA or MasterCard.
Management Focus The Most Important Asset by Jim Bothwell Suppose I were to tell you of somet h i n g that c o u l d r e d u c e y o u r program's liability, increase its safety, and double the number of requests for service, all the while cutting your costs. Some program directors would jump at the chance to obtain such a package. While the cost of health care system improvements soars, this package is not outrageously expensive or unattainable. It's you, the air medical personnel. It's easy to get carried away in the air medical transport business. New helicopters, sophisticated equipment, marketing plans, and the bottom line distract us from the most essential part of an operating program. The new helicopter, while it may look nice and provide more room, is not going to determine patient treatment. The new hangar, while it may protect aircraft and simplify maintenance, is not going to make weather decisions. The personnel in the program are going to meet the customers daily, and your actions are vastly more important than the PR brochures or flights. The cost savings plans your organization tries to implement are going to be relatively useless unless you support their implementation. One does not have to be an air medical team member long to realize the importance of your co-workers. Time and dollars invested in staff development will almost always return a much higher yield than money spent on new equipment. Articles in this issue of The Journal of Air Medical Transport (JAMT) discuss the importance managers are placing on obtaining and keeping personnel, the most essential component of an air medical transport program.
The Journal of Air Medical Transport • October 1990
In our clinical report, Theodore Whitley, Nicholas Benson and E. Jackson Allison, Jr. of the Department of Emergency Medicine, East Carolina University School of Medicine (Greenville, NC) and Dennis Revicki of Battelle Human Affairs Research Centers (Washington, DC) discuss predictors of flight nurse job satisfaction. Matt Coffey, pilot for Samaritan AlrEvac and C a t h e r i n e C a u t h o r n e Lindstrom, a project director at John C. Lincoln Hospital (Phoenix, AZ), share the elements that should be considered in selecting the best EMS pilots, and JAMT's Program Management survey shares ideas on how to improve air medical program management. As m a n a g e r s of air m e d i c a l programs continue striving to offer the highest quality service possible, they should consider getting the optimum value from the technology and information available, but most important, they need to remember to focus on their most valuable asset: you, the air medical personnel. ~3
Jim Bothwell, EMT-P, is vice president of the National Flight Paramedics Association and works for the Maryland Institute for EMS Systems (Baltimore, MD).
Coming Next Month "Aircraft Configuration-Current Technology" * Liquid O x y g e n S y s t e m s • Aircraft C o s t A n a l y s i s • N e w Products • More
Watch for it! 5