Flight Nurse Katie - “I Worked Hard for This”

Stories From the Road: First Responder Stories

“I look at the EMT, and I’m trying to stay as calm as possible, because panic is probably the most contagious thing out there – I will argue that panic is the most contagious thing out there [...]. And I just look at him and say, ‘Hey, as soon as my partner walks over here, don’t jump out, don’t do anything, just open the door […] – he’ll see what’s going on.’ And he did, and I said, ‘Well Bill, this is where we are now.’” - Flight Nurse Katie
Sometimes amidst the chaos, life sends us a sign that we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be. For Katie, that epiphany came during her first semester of nursing school, when she was given the opportunity to shadow a flight nurse. She was enthralled by the experience, from the sights and sounds to the unmistakable command the flight nurses had over each situation, and she knew she was hooked.
Join former paramedic/firefighter and host Phil Klein as he sits down with Flight Nurse Katie who, seven months into her role, has only seen her hunch – that she belonged in a helicopter helping others – confirmed again and again. In this episode, Katie recalls the snowy-day scene of a motorcycle accident involving a helmetless rider. She shares the moments of self-doubt she experienced over the tumultuous four-hour call, the motorcyclist’s miraculous recovery, and a trauma surgeon’s words that reminded her she was well on her way to achieving the autonomy she’d once admired in the crew on her initial flight.
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