Latest / The Shift Podcast / 125. Skylar’s Journey To Flight

Transcript

125. Skylar’s Journey To Flight · The Shift Podcast

0:00
Welcome to Frontline Static, we will get to hear interviews with
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some of my clients journeys of getting into flight and how they
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utilize coaching to help them create success of getting hired
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with less confusion and more ease.
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Make your dream a reality of getting into flight.
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Listen in as you hear some of the stories of the people
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getting there and come join the flight prep group.
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OK, Take 2. I'm really excited.
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I'm bringing back some interviews with some of my
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clients inside the Flight Prep Academy who are getting hired
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into flight. So today we have Skyler with us.
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Skyler, do you want to just introduce yourself first?
0:33
Yeah. Hello everybody, I'm Skyler.
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It's been my dream for probably like the last 10 years to get
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into flights and I've been working with Janessa probably
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the last year and a half. And I got an offer letter the
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other day at my dream company. So I'm really, yeah, I'm so
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excited just to kind of tell my story and everything so.
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All right. Well, let's start there.
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Tell us like your background, your story, like, and why it's
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been 10 years and kind of like, what has that kind of looked
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like for you? For sure, for sure.
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So I like right out of high school I got my CNA.
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I was ACNA probably for about like 4 years working like in
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nursing homes and then moved on to get my LPN.
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And it was when I was in my LPN program, like in 2015, I was
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doing clinicals at a hospital in the ER and I saw this flight
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crew come in bringing in a patient.
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These people looked like the Fantastic Four.
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I was like, who are these people?
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They, they look like next level, like I want to be that, you
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know, and honestly, from kind of that day, like I, I knew there's
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many different directions you could go in nursing, but I had
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never seen that before. And so I just kind of started
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dialing towards getting, you know, my RN, my BSN working in
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like the ER and trying to kind of gear my experience towards
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flights. And so a lot of my experience
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has been in the ER, primarily in a rural ER, you know, like a
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tiny like 11 bed work with what you got kind of situation.
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And I have learned so much. It did definitely scare me not
2:34
having ICU experience 'cause I thought that I could never get
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into flights without that. And then just kind of working
2:43
with you, I've been able to, you know, you, you help me open up
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that door to the possibilities. And you've just helped me build
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confidence. And you've given me like the
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little pep in the step to get towards flights.
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And it's it's been awesome. Yeah, I want to talk about too.
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I just think your story is so important to tell as far as ACNA
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to LPN to RN journey, because I do see a lot of people get stuck
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in one of those places and I think instead of like keep on
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going because maybe they have the thought like this is going
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to take too long. But I think there's something
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special, especially going through really starting from
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different positions and working your way up.
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I think there's a very special clinician and flight nurse
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that's made from that because you've seen all the different
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aspects of care in all the different levels.
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So can you kind of speak on that and how that's been for you?
3:43
Yeah. And I think I think from like
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the very first meeting that you and I had, you kind of asked a
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little bit about my background. And you know, I in my head I
3:52
completely belittled my nursing experience because it was around
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it surrounded by like long term care and like, you know, nursing
4:00
homes and inpatient rehabs. But you help me realize that
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that has, that's built such a strong foundation of, you know,
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understanding like chronic illnesses, the pathophysiology,
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communication, time management. It's like built such a strong
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background that I, I really never realized that I rely on so
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much. And it kind of scared me with
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flights 'cause, you know, I was like, I was never an ER tech.
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I was never an ENT or like, you know, never worked as like as
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CNA in ICU. Like for some reason I thought
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that would kind of just kick me out of the picture since I
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didn't have that type of experience.
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But no, like, you helped me definitely realize that I have a
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strong foundation and not to let that get in the way of, you
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know, thinking that I'm not good enough.
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Yeah, I think it's really important to talk about that
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because for everybody, there's kind of like this missing piece
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that they think is the thing that's going to make them better
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to be able to kind of go for it or quote UN quote, decide to go
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for flight for and for everyone. I mean, I think you can keep
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chasing that. So for me, I only had ICU
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experience. I didn't have ER, I didn't have
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pre hospital. I didn't know what it looked
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like to triage and all of that. So those were my thoughts.
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But even if you become the person who chases all those
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different things, there's still something else that you're going
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to keep chasing. And the real thought is like,
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I'm not good enough. And we have to like talk about
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that thought to build the confidence because you could be
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chasing all the certifications and all the time and all the
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levels for years, and still that thought's going to be there.
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And I almost think like the more you chase, the more it feeds the
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fuel to that thought. Yeah, definitely.
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Kind of what are your thoughts about that because I know we did
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a lot of coaching earlier on about like, hey, I need level 1
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or I maybe need a few and all this stuff.
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So like how has that kind of in your brain?
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Tell us about your journey of that.
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Yeah, yeah. So I like do live in a small
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mountain town and I've like, I have always wanted to get kind
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of a higher level of trauma care just yeah, like it looks great
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on a resume. But like, I personally did want
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that experience just 'cause you know, and like a rural trauma
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level 5 hospital, you know. So I kind of the last like 9
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months or so, I've been working part time at the small hospital
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and then I did get a job in the city as an ER float pool.
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And it was so funny 'cause you know, I remember we had a
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conversation. You're like, it's, it's gonna be
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the same thing. And so like, I feel like I
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almost wanted to prove to myself that I went to these big city E
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Rs and I was like, I'm seeing the exact same patients that I
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see in my little hospital, maybe a little bit more in numbers,
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but it's, it's was just kind of the same thing.
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And there are sometimes that I at the larger hospital, I've
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been able to float to the ICU as like helping hands and you know,
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like take vented patients to CT where everything crashes.
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And and so I, I did really like that.
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But when I did go float to the ICU, you, you kept popping up in
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my head. I was like, I feel like a fish
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out of water and like this whole like unit, like I, I know my
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nursing practice, I know my skills, but it's like as soon as
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you go to another unit to get experience, you start right back
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to Ground Zero. And then you you just feel like
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you're not good enough. You're like, I need years of
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experience before I can feel like I'm ready.
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And so that thought definitely came into my head when I would
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float to the ICU and I'm like, this, this is a lot.
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And it's just, yeah, it's just going to get in my own way of
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getting to flights and just, yeah, kind of make me feel
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subconscious. And yeah, so I'm, I'm happy.
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I'm happy that I did do the big city job 'cause I think it did
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help with like, reassurance that I can do it.
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Yeah. And I love that you said that
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because it, it is, that's what happens when you move
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departments, whether you move like ER or ICU or lateral or to
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a whole different department is you do start from Ground Zero
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again and you start over and then you build that confidence
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and then you become that leader and that mentor in the unit.
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And that's the sweet spot. Like that's the spot that flight
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companies are looking for is like, who are who are you as a
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leader? And then you have to build that
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all over again versus just get really good at the department
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that you're in, build the leadership, build the mentorship
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and build your strengths. You know what your weaknesses
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are, which maybe are is not ventilators and multiple drips
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because you haven't seen that as much.
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But building that leadership, the qualities of that is like
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really what flight companies are looking for is that piece.
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Yeah, absolutely. And I've been charged nurse in
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our in Aurora ER for like the last two years or so.
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And even just kind of stepping up to that role, like really
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made me have confidence in my care.
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And just like having any students that would come in, we
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wouldn't have really designated preceptors, but I was always one
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of the first ones to introduce myself, taking for a tour around
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the unit. And then just 'cause I remember
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how crummy it was to be a student and you don't know where
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to go or what to do. So yeah, I think, I think those
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leadership qualities definitely helped just kind of help build
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me to where I'm at today. Yeah.
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And the building block with that, and something that I
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always talk about too in the program is that once you get
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into flight, whether you have the title or not, you're that
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person. You're that person.
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When you walk, bring your patient in and you're walking
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into the ER or the unit, everybody's looking at you.
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You're the Fantastic Four. And even if you don't choose
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that, you're automatically put on that pedestal.
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So practicing that leadership qualities in your current unit
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is what's gonna set you up. It's like now automatically,
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you're a part of that Fantastic Four.
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You're a part of that Fantastic 3 or whatever team and you know,
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you're the person that no matter what everybody's looking at,
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even without the title yet. And I think it speeds up and it
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happens so quickly in flight. You'll see that even after being
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hired, you're going to start precepting right away and
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everything is just speed up. Yeah, definitely.
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Like you don't, you don't have to have the title of charge
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nurse just to go help out a student or just to, you know, go
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the extra mile. But going the extra mile is your
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normal, you know, And so just kind of already having that, you
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know, that quality that's just going to set you up.
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Yeah, I'd love for you to talk about rural hospital care
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because I maybe the hospital I came from was a level four or
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three. I mean, they were getting
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neurosurgery, so the ICU was getting a little bit higher in
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that. But the company that I flew for
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predominantly, we have small rural ERS here where you have
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like a podiatrist that's like moonlighting for the ER doctor,
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you know? And there was a lot of times
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where we would show up and they almost afraid to intubate and
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they asked us to intubate. And I just realized I really
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appreciated having like the rural, growing up in a rural
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environment, seeing rural hospitals, seeing the rural
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care, because that really helped me initiate care and be
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confident in my care when I would pick up and drop off
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patients. So I'm curious for you, your
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experience with rural hospitals and ERS, how you think that
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might build and help you as a flight nurse?
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I mean, honestly, I, I absolutely love rural ERS
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because I mean, I feel like in our ER specifically, we have a
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doctor, a mid level 2 to 3 nurses and a tech.
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And so we're a very like close knit type team.
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And so I think and we have very limited resources, you know, we
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ship a lot of things out. And so I think it's just built
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me to have like really good resourcefulness using only
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materials and things that we have.
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We don't have a pharmacist in our ER.
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We act as respiratory therapists all the time.
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We, you know, we delegate as much as we can, but since, you
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know, we only have so many people, we're, we're doing the
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vitals, the Ivs, the Ek GS, like, and then on top of, you
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know, all the medications, the charting, the patient care, like
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we were so many hats. And I think moving to the big
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city, I was like, oh, wow, I can just delegate everything.
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Everything's already done for me.
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I'm just giving medications, you know.
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And so I think, I think the rural ER just definitely helped
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me. Like I understand like you can't
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be lazy. You like you have to be so
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observant around the whole unit. And yeah, I mean, we definitely
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have less numbers than a higher level ER, but we see anything
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from like, you know, neuro to cardiac to trauma to OB to PEDs
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like we've, we are carrying, we're like a pediatric OB, like
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like we see everything. You know, we don't have
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specialties like an OB specialty ER or anything like that or a
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pediatric hospital near us. So I think that's really helped
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me see kind of a wide picture of different patient populations.
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Yeah. And I think that resourceful
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piece is something that most people don't think about too.
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I, I can't, I was talking to one of my one-on-one clients about
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this because they had moved to a level 1 hospital as well, but
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she had had pre hospital experience.
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And when you go to a higher level, you have people that do
14:20
like your 12 leads for you. Oh.
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Yeah. You have RTS or you have techs,
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right? But when you're a rural bed, you
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do it all. And I remember her telling me
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she had like a nurse working next to her where the 12 lead
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tech couldn't do it and she had no idea what to do.
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And so she was like, oh, I'll do the 12 bed because she had
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already had experience in it. But that's the kind of tools
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that you're going to get in your tool belt when you do have to be
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resourceful. And another thing I think is
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really important to talk about with rural bed ERS, especially
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one that's only A10 bed like yours, is that you have to get
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really good at triaging. You have to get really good at
15:02
being like, is it? Where is the path of this
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patient going? Do I have a feeling that it's
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going to go downhill? Do I need to get them out sooner
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than later? Because time is of the essence.
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And I think triaging is so key in flight because we have very
15:16
little time and we have to really rely on our gut and what
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we're feeling about it. Yeah, yeah, I definitely agree.
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I mean, there's there's definitely days where we have a
15:25
full ER and there's like hall beds and a full waiting room.
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And yeah, so just when you're triaging, if you're like, OK,
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this patient's sick, we need to kick someone out of the room so
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we can have this room or you know, like just doing like a 12
15:42
lead and you see like St. elevation, you're like, all
15:45
right, well, I'm going to start transfer.
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Like we kind of just already know the process of are they
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going to stay or are they going to go?
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And I think kind of more so lately when I've been trying to
15:55
transition my mindset as to thinking I am a flight nurse
15:59
before I even got the job off or anything, just trying to switch
16:02
that mindset. Just kind of understanding the
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the stay in play or the load and go.
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And I've been kind of trying to have that in my head too.
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And just kind of, yeah, having prediction of where these
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patients are going to go and just trying to be prepared as
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best as possible with what I have at that time.
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Yeah, I love that. That's like something a verbiage
16:23
that we use in flight. And I speak with you guys on
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that as well as we're talking about case scenarios is like, do
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we stay and play? Do we load and go?
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And it's just always constantly thinking like if you were
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autonomous in this situation, if you didn't have the position,
16:38
what were some of the decisions that you would be making?
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And I just see Royal bed ER or ICU nurses with a stronger
16:45
confidence in this. I see it in the interviews and I
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see them as stronger flight nurses because of it.
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Because you have to, you have to utilize like that part of your
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brain. Yeah, definitely, definitely.
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And I remember in my interview that I had with the flight
17:03
company, it was, it was really nice 'cause I, you know, he
17:07
asked like a pharmacology question and he's like, what are
17:10
your resources? And so I didn't know that we
17:15
would have, you know, like an MD on call 24/7.
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So I can call them. We have like a clinical
17:22
pharmacist on call. And so it was nice that yeah, it
17:25
is just you, your partner and the pilot, but like you do have
17:28
other resources if if it's needed and not to be afraid to
17:33
reach out so. Yeah.
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And what I tell people is people get afraid of this because it's
17:38
just you and your partner. So for some reason they have
17:40
this thought that like your resources shrink, but it
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actually becomes bigger when you become the flight team that's
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taking the patient out and sending them somewhere else.
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They're going to give you whatever you need, whatever
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you're asking. They want to provide that for
17:53
you to get the patient out. And then also you have your
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medical director, you have everybody on call.
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You have just like your base hospital, you have all these
18:02
people that you can call in and they're ready and willing to
18:05
help you every time, which is like so different than when you
18:08
work in the hospital. It's like, oh, is so and so on
18:10
today because that will determine and if I get what I
18:12
need or not. Right.
18:14
Exactly. Yeah.
18:15
As a flight nurse, it's like you always have what you need and
18:17
you always have someone, multiple people willing to give
18:20
it to you. So your resources become so big.
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And so that's like, I love that you thought about that because I
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always tell people think about that before your interview
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because they're gonna get you to an, I don't know, question.
18:30
And then we don't know what are your resources and what do you
18:32
want to say and expect exactly? Yeah, exactly, exactly.
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So that was, it was really nice and just reassurance that
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you're, you're not alone up there and in a, in a tiny little
18:44
little room with a super patient, you're not alone.
18:47
So. Exactly.
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And I also, when you were talking about your situation
18:53
working in a world at ERI was thinking about this one call
18:56
that I had. It was a scene call and the
18:59
patient ended up coding, so we had to take them to AER and I
19:03
and honestly, I think this ER was like just a little critical
19:06
access ERI think it only had four or five beds and it only
19:09
had two nurses working. And that was similar to your
19:12
situation, right? Yeah.
19:15
And two nurses and one doctor. And we got there and the patient
19:20
was avidly coding and the doctor just wanted us to take over.
19:24
And I just remember the two nurses were so good.
19:29
Like we were just like, hey, I was like, hey, let's start the
19:33
blood, let's get a line, let's do all this stuff, we're gonna
19:35
intubate all this stuff. And they were just on it.
19:39
And I thought about that situation a lot, 'cause we ended
19:41
up staying with that patient, stabilizing them and then
19:43
transferring them out. But we used to fly into level
19:46
ones all the time. And with a Level 1, you're gonna
19:49
get 30 people into the room. More is not better, and I always
19:55
remember that situation because I remember those nurses were so,
19:58
so good. And I think that's what creates
20:01
such a good flight nurse is when you have situations like that
20:04
where you're constantly bombarded with them and you have
20:07
to do something. Yeah, yeah, No, absolutely.
20:10
I, I resonate with that story quite a bit because, yeah, we,
20:13
when you have a super sick patient and it's you and your
20:16
other nurse or your partner, like, it's nice to know that you
20:21
can rely on your partner, especially if you have like
20:24
built a strong relationship and, you know, each other's like
20:27
level of like education and knowledge and you can trust
20:31
them. And yeah, it's, I'm, I'm very
20:34
excited because it's been a while since I've had a full time
20:38
job, just with working like, you know, part time and then PRN.
20:42
And I'm, I'm just so excited to have a full time job where I can
20:47
just fully like dedicate myself and like have such a strong
20:52
understanding of, you know, like the aircraft, my role, my
20:55
responsibilities, the algorithms, like I'm, it's, it's
20:59
just opened up a whole nother world that I can't wait to dive
21:02
into. Yeah, yeah, I'm excited for you.
21:05
And also I think your story is a little bit different too,
21:08
because inside my program I really talk about dating a bunch
21:13
of companies and and that's not the same for everybody.
21:18
Your story is like, hey, I want this one company, I want this
21:21
one place and I want this one area.
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And when that kept coming up, I remember one day I was just
21:27
like, why aren't we just going all in on this one thing?
21:30
Then like, why aren't we just like one company, 1 area, one
21:34
place? And I think that's kind of when
21:36
it changed for you a little bit when you're like, oh, OK, I can
21:39
give myself permission to like, just focus on this one thing.
21:42
So tell me about that a little bit for you and how maybe that
21:46
made a difference for you. Yeah, 'cause I, I remember kind
21:50
of when we, we first started talking you and I like about a
21:53
year and a half ago and you it, I just, I feel like we hit the
21:58
ground running and it, I was just getting so excited.
22:01
But I think that I also at the same time was getting a little
22:05
carried, not carried away, but just like a little anxious
22:08
because I, you know, I was like, I know that I want to work with
22:12
this one specific company. And, but I feel like everyone
22:16
else in the group is getting like 5 right alongs to different
22:19
companies and reaching out. And I think, I think that's kind
22:22
of when I like pulled back a little bit because I, I felt
22:28
like I wasn't doing my due diligence by going to multiple
22:31
companies because I really just wanted one.
22:34
And so when I kind of like step back in and kind of like I took
22:39
a little break from the group and just kind of focused on like
22:41
myself and things like that. But when I got back into the
22:44
group and had that conversation with you and you're like, let's,
22:47
you know, if you want this one company, let's just dive all in.
22:51
And so just, you know, it's a company that's in my town and
22:57
so, you know, we fly a lot of patients out of our rural ER.
23:01
And so I see them all the time. I have like a great rapport with
23:04
them, good relationships. I've gotten to do 2 ride alongs
23:07
with them. And so yeah, it's I just like
23:11
really honed in and just trying to like be the best version of
23:15
myself and just be real as well. And yeah, I've it got me there.
23:22
So that's good. Well, one thing that I wanted to
23:26
mention too is that most of the people that I work with are like
23:32
us, like me, overachievers, doers, lots of things on our
23:36
plate, like we actually thrive and we like it that way.
23:39
But what I tell people is that this process of like getting
23:43
here, you actually have to slow down.
23:45
It's not going to be about speeding up and it's also not
23:48
going to be about how the person next to you is doing it.
23:51
So when you, I really think you slowed down, you took the moment
23:56
to say, OK, what's the goal? And now let's take the action
24:00
towards that goal versus what maybe is a bigger goal that
24:03
everybody else is doing. And how do I take a little
24:06
action? But really slowing down in this
24:09
process, mapping it out, and then getting really clear on how
24:13
it works for you as an individual to get there, I think
24:16
is what creates success for every single person that I'm
24:19
helping get there. Yeah, definitely.
24:23
And I think kind of back in August we had like our, our, our
24:27
30 day goal, you know, and, and so I mean, it's just been so
24:31
cool working with you because you, you do push, you do push
24:34
the buttons to make us push the buttons.
24:36
And you're not going to get anywhere by just like standing
24:40
there and like hoping, you know, that a job, just cause a job
24:43
opening is going to open doesn't mean it's yours.
24:45
You know, you, you just like need to, to make things happen,
24:51
leave a little room for magic, like you say.
24:53
And with that 30 day goal is like, OK, well, I'm getting the
24:57
emails of like the program directors, I'm sending my
25:00
resume, I'm showing interest and just kind of like pushing their
25:04
buttons a little bit. And even though that 30 day goal
25:08
wasn't, I'm, I'm sure it helped. I'm sure it helped, you know,
25:13
'cause when I had my interview, they had already have my resume.
25:16
They already knew I did my write alongs, you know, and so I, you
25:21
know, like I think on the application it was like, did
25:26
someone refer you for this job? And so I got to put like one of
25:29
the flight nurses down with their permission.
25:31
And so I think with without like doing the extra mile, I probably
25:38
wouldn't have gotten the job. I maybe, I maybe would have, but
25:42
I made my presence known before the job was even open.
25:46
Yeah, I love that. The thing about the 30 day
25:51
challenge, I would just want to go back for a second and then
25:53
come back to this is that when the more uncomfortable we get,
25:59
we want to pull back. Like usually when we start to
26:03
feel discomfort or fear or failure or fear failure, all
26:07
that stuff, we want to pull back.
26:09
And with a 30 day challenge, what I wanted to encourage you
26:11
guys to do is like, wait, let's seek out the discomfort, Let's
26:14
seek out the fear and let's push forward.
26:17
And when we do that, we grow our capability to be in the
26:20
discomfort longer, which is ultimately every call and shift
26:25
you run as a flight nurse, it's going to be in the discomfort.
26:28
And I really saw you push yourself and I do, do you think
26:31
like I do think the little things even mentally that you
26:35
worked on is, is the thing that maybe tipped you over?
26:39
Yeah, yeah, I think so. Like, for instance, in that
26:42
challenge, the initial e-mail that I had sent, I, I didn't
26:47
hear, I didn't hear a response. And it was like 2 weeks went by
26:50
and I was like, crap, like, you know, maybe they don't want me
26:54
or, you know, you start getting in your own head or.
26:58
And then I think we had a call and you're like, no, this is
27:01
your time to be annoying. And so I found a different
27:04
management that was more part of the hiring committee and yeah,
27:10
and he emailed me back and then was part of the interview panel.
27:14
And it was, it was perfect. So.
27:16
Yeah, it's almost like the discomfort is be willing to be
27:19
annoying when your brain offers you I'm being annoying.
27:21
And then that's when you push that that call.
27:25
And I mean, even the 30 day challenge, we talked about that
27:27
a lot with everybody like this thought that your brain offers
27:29
you, I don't want to be annoying.
27:30
Well, even when it offers you that, that's when we want to
27:32
push forward. And I think you did a really
27:34
good job of that. Oh yeah, yeah, 'cause you can
27:36
definitely get in your own head when, you know, you don't have
27:39
an e-mail back or a call back or anything like that and you're
27:42
like, well, maybe they didn't like my resume.
27:44
Maybe, you know, like your, your brain just goes in different
27:48
directions and it's just like, no, they, they could be insanely
27:52
busy. You know, it's not you, It's
27:54
different. They could.
27:55
Have 1000 emails from people every day.
27:58
Yeah. And just to.
28:00
Yeah, like I've learned just to like not take things personally
28:04
because I think, I think that's definitely kind of like my
28:07
weaknesses is sometimes I do take things personally and just
28:12
trying to get over that hump that, you know, we're we're all
28:15
human, we all make mistakes. We all are super busy at some
28:19
point, but we all also have goals and dreams.
28:22
And so just, yeah, just that little extra kick, kick in the
28:27
butt definitely helped me, helped me get there.
28:31
Yeah, and I love the last thing that you said too about I just,
28:36
I just think that there is such a difference in interviews when
28:39
they're already bought into you and that's the reason why you're
28:42
making these connections. You're sending the emails,
28:44
you're getting your resume flight ready, you're doing the
28:46
ride alongs. Because when you sit in that
28:48
interview and you already know some of the people and they know
28:51
you, it makes for a very different interviews.
28:54
So I'd love for you to speak on. I mean, I know you initially
28:58
said after you got it, I it was easier than I thought.
29:01
And this was your very first flight interview, which is not
29:03
usually the common thing I hear. Yeah.
29:06
So especially people who come to work with me are like, oh, that
29:08
was so hard. It was nothing like what I
29:10
thought. So why were you able to say, do
29:13
you think this was a lot easier than I thought it was going to
29:16
be? It was, it was definitely a
29:19
different interview, you know, like I, you know, probably like
29:24
2 weeks in advance. I was, you know, practicing
29:27
clinical scenarios. I was going over like, what are
29:31
my weaknesses? What about when a patient, you
29:34
know, didn't respond to a treatment?
29:35
What did you do? Or just kind of like more like
29:39
difficult questions that I think.
29:41
So I've definitely spent a lot of time practicing for those
29:44
I've been listening to, like podcasts about case scenarios.
29:48
And so when I went to my interview, well, first thing, my
29:52
Internet didn't work. Oh.
29:55
No. Like I had, I had like my whole
29:59
desk set up, like I was already. And then I log on and then kind
30:03
of like earlier today, like the guy's face froze and I was like,
30:07
you know, of course, of course. But I was like, Skylar, don't
30:11
get upset. It's OK.
30:13
We're still going to have the interview.
30:14
Don't freak out. And so, yeah, we, we got that.
30:18
We got the situation under control and first thing, first
30:23
question that they asked was, you know, tell me about
30:25
yourself. And I'm really, I, I like laid
30:30
all my, all my cards on the table with that one question.
30:33
You know, I told them about like my CNA and LPN background.
30:37
I told them kind of for, you know, I've been in this group
30:40
for a long time. I've been, you know, studying
30:43
for my CFRN. I've been doing ride alongs.
30:46
I did a ride along with our ambulance service for pre
30:48
hospital experience this summer. And so I just, I, you know, I
30:53
put all my cards on the table and I was like, I've been
30:56
gearing my experience and like my just my drive towards flight
31:03
nursing for the last like 10 years to be honest.
31:06
And just really dove into it in the last like almost two years.
31:10
And I'm really happy I answered that one question with all that
31:14
information because that was the only question that they asked
31:19
regarding like, you know, tell me about a time when you made a
31:23
mistake or you know, things like that.
31:26
And then we proceeded to go into 15 clinical patient.
31:30
They're like, OK, we know who she is, let's just trust her
31:32
clinically. Let's just say she can handle
31:34
that. Oh my God, they're like, we
31:36
already know you as a person. Like we know that you like have
31:40
such a good relationship with the people that work there
31:42
already. Like 'cause I think they've
31:45
already seen who I am as a person because I've made my
31:49
presence known. And then so it just got down to
31:53
like, are you smarter than 1/5 grader like?
31:57
I honestly think this is the hardest question, This is the
32:00
biggest question I coach you guys on is tell me about
32:02
yourself. And I'm like, this is the
32:05
question that you need to forwards and backwards know how
32:09
to lay your cards all on the table.
32:11
And I think you did such a good job of that, not even in that
32:14
interview, but before ahead of time like getting to know them
32:17
and you're right along that they didn't need to ask anything
32:20
more. And I think that speaks volumes
32:23
of the work you put in prior to sitting in the.
32:26
Heat, yeah, for sure. And so after, you know, I mean,
32:30
I'm, I felt pretty confident with like all the clinical
32:34
scenarios, but then there's questions I didn't know and they
32:37
definitely look at not if you get something right or wrong,
32:40
but like can you use your critical thinking?
32:42
Can you use your resources? If you don't know, how are you
32:45
going to find out? Kind of just to, yeah, just to
32:48
see what your thinking process is like.
32:51
Yeah, if they're a really good flight interview channel
32:55
interview team, they're going to get you to an, I don't know,
32:58
answer because they want the squirrel and then want to see
33:02
how are you going to, are you going to be able to say, hey, I
33:05
don't I really don't know this, but this is my resources.
33:07
They want to see what the person you can be when you get to 1.
33:11
So I think it's like the biggest, biggest thing is like
33:14
expected, expect you're going to get to that answer and then know
33:17
how you're going to carry and handle yourself.
33:18
And I think you have a good job of that.
33:20
Yeah, yeah. And so at the end of the
33:23
interview, you know, I they're like, do you have any questions?
33:27
And I was like, what's the orientation process?
33:29
Do you have like a good support system for people that are new
33:32
to like, you know, flight nursing and aviation and things
33:36
like that? And you know, it's, it's close
33:39
to like a 5 month orientation process, which I am thrilled.
33:43
I'm thrilled. It sounds like, you know,
33:46
they're, they're not going to leave you hanging out to dry.
33:49
You know, it's and I'm, I'm really grateful for that.
33:54
And then another question I asked him was, you know, when,
33:57
when are you going to fill the position or when are you trying
33:59
to fill the position? And when I'm, when am I going to
34:01
hear back from you? And the gal was like, I'll call
34:05
you tomorrow. And I was like, OK.
34:11
And then so, you know, I the whole next day, like checking my
34:15
phone. Do I have phone batteries?
34:17
My volume on loud and she calls me like kind of late morning and
34:23
she was like, we just, you know, we we're going to offer you the
34:27
job if you'd like it. And I was like, yeah,
34:29
absolutely. And she was like, honestly,
34:32
right after you got off the the zoom call, we had a
34:35
conversation. We were about to call you right
34:37
then, but we wanted to make you wait like 24 hours just to get
34:41
in your own head, you know? Yeah, exactly.
34:46
Because yeah, I definitely, I'm there had to be other flight
34:50
nurses with flight nurse experience that had to apply.
34:54
And I think, yeah, I think just the steps in the last year and a
35:00
half, like it just showed them what type of person I am, that
35:04
I'm like, I'm driven and I'm confident and I'm, you know,
35:08
I've, I want this so bad. And I'm, it's, you know, it's
35:13
just like as a new flight nurse, like you're just waiting for one
35:16
person to give you a chance. And I'm very grateful to for
35:21
someone to do that, you know? Yeah.
35:23
And I think about that all the time.
35:25
I think about like real critical situations that you've been in
35:28
in the hospital or, you know, when the patient's coding, you
35:33
don't necessarily want the person next to you.
35:35
If it's just you and another person who has the most time and
35:38
experience, you want the person next to you who's, who's going
35:41
to help you get it done. And so that doesn't necessarily
35:45
mean time and experience. It's like, hey, who is that
35:48
person who's standing next to you and what do they have to
35:52
bring? And that's really what flight
35:54
nursing is about, is finding those people.
35:57
Yeah, exactly. And I think honestly, like, like
36:01
every single person that's like gets coaching from you, that
36:04
that is already like such a huge thing because we've all taken
36:08
the initiative to, you know, to, to start building.
36:12
And that, that speaks volumes for sure.
36:14
Yeah, I always say when you say yes to you, when you say yes to
36:18
like being in here and going for it, it's like you've already
36:21
grown that level of confidence in yourself, like you already
36:24
decided. And I personally think and I've
36:28
seen it happen for other flight nurses in the program, you are
36:31
already kind of thinking like a flight nurse.
36:34
So your orientation is going to be more confident than not
36:39
having thought about her before. I just think you're going to be
36:43
ready. You you know what the
36:44
expectations are and you've been like kind of processing and
36:47
taking care of your patients that way too.
36:48
So I just see the transition usually more confident for you
36:52
guys. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
36:55
And, you know, like kind of a funny thought that I've had is,
36:59
you know, I've had this dream of being a flight nurse for such a
37:02
long time. And during the during like, you
37:07
know, preparing and everything I have had in the back of my mind,
37:10
like, OK, well, if I get to be a flight nurse, then what?
37:15
You know, like I've reached my goal and I've that's kind of
37:18
been a fear of mine, but it was, it was crazy.
37:21
As soon as I got that phone call saying that they wanted me, it
37:25
was like that whole part of my brain shut off and I was like,
37:28
no, this is just the beginning. Like like I, it does.
37:33
The road does not end here because I've reached my goal.
37:36
Like it was just crazy. Like how my mind just completely
37:39
shifted to like, I can't wait to just like dive into this whole
37:44
specialty. So.
37:45
Yeah, you will become a whole different person and a whole
37:47
different clinician. Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
37:51
And then you'll continue to get the support from the other
37:53
flight nurses that are in the program too, because they have
37:56
the exact same thoughts. Like, oh, I've arrived.
37:59
And now it's almost like calming yourself down even more 'cause
38:02
you're like, OK, I'm gonna take in all this information, but
38:04
I've also arrived so I don't need to be trying to do the next
38:08
thing. It's like being in this arrival
38:11
for a little bit too. That's the hard part.
38:14
Yeah, yeah, definitely, definitely.
38:16
And because I, I start in November and so, you know, it's
38:19
like month and a half, almost two months away and just kind
38:23
of, yeah. Now I'm just kind of like I'm,
38:25
I'm going to enjoy this next month of, you know, working like
38:30
just part time at the rural ER and just like, you know, almost
38:34
like a month of like congratulating myself before I
38:39
know that things are going to get really busy again, so.
38:43
Celebration for sure. Celebration.
38:45
Yes. My last question for you is, I'd
38:48
love for you to speak to the people who kind of have a
38:52
similar timeline as you who started maybe as Cnas or LVNS or
38:56
LPNS and are working their way to RN and then want to do flight
39:00
and maybe have the same thought of like this is going to take so
39:03
much time. What would you kind of offer
39:06
them now going through your journey?
39:09
I mean, yeah, I'd like just, I think just kind of that has
39:14
built a great foundation. And I wouldn't, I wouldn't take
39:17
it back for anything at all. And so if you, if you are in
39:21
like your CNA or your LPN and you're just like, oh God, it's
39:25
going to take forever. Like I'm not doing good enough.
39:27
Like just be patient and just just absorb everything that you
39:31
can along the way. You know, like it's so easy to
39:34
get caught up in your own head thinking like, oh, I have to do
39:37
this next and this next. But like just trying to be
39:40
really present with what you're learning at that time and just
39:43
have such an open mind and like, it's, it's going to take time.
39:48
But all, all good things come with time, you know, and the
39:51
fact that they're already, you know, in this program at that
39:55
level, I mean, there's, there's like not a doubt in my head at
40:00
all or in this whole world that they're not going to get where
40:02
they want to go. Yeah, I know.
40:03
It's so great. We've had a lot of LVNS and LPNS
40:06
come in lately and pre nursing students, which has been great
40:10
because I'm like we're going to cut your timeline in half and
40:12
we're going to get you on track so you're not in confusion.
40:14
A lot, Yeah. Yeah.
40:15
No, I my goal for flight nursing was like, I'll be a flight nurse
40:19
at 35 years old and I'm 32. So like, I was like, all right,
40:23
yeah, three years earlier. Let's go.
40:25
Yeah. Yeah.
40:28
Well, I, is there anything else Skyler, that you would love to
40:31
kind of share with anybody that we haven't talked about today or
40:35
any maybe piece of advice that's kind of helped you carry
40:37
yourself to this point of getting here?
40:41
I would. Just say just like that, you
40:43
that you are good enough, you are good enough and you know,
40:47
like the fact that you're already taking the steps and you
40:49
have that momentum and drive it that just like speaks so loudly
40:53
and just yeah. And Janessa, I just want to
40:56
thank you because I thank you. But yeah, you've just been, you
41:00
know, like just enough push, you know where you can get in your
41:04
own head and you can just be like scared and have doubt and
41:08
like worry and you're you're just like always right there.
41:12
And so I'm, I'm very grateful for you and this like whole
41:14
group and just like the immense amount of support that you get
41:18
from it. Oh, I.
41:19
Appreciate that. Thank you so much.
41:21
No, I, I just watched so many people not get this and that's
41:28
why I wanted to create this because I really want everybody
41:31
who wants us to have it and to get over themselves like it's
41:36
nothing else. It's it's only ourselves that
41:37
keep us from really getting from this goal.
41:39
So. I appreciate, appreciate it.
41:42
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.
41:44
And the other thing that I wanted to tell you as you were
41:46
talking about what advice to give people moving up
41:50
CNASLVNSLPNS and what you said there is like the exact same
41:54
thing that I tell new flight nurses too, is like enjoy the
41:57
process. Like enjoy being, getting there,
42:00
leveling up, arriving, learning the new things because it you
42:05
look back and you're like, oh, I wish I would have enjoyed my
42:09
orientation more or my first intubation.
42:12
And you're like so caught up in your head.
42:13
So I love that because I think you going through that is gonna
42:18
actually help you enjoy this process too, of learning new
42:20
things. For sure, for sure.
42:22
And it's, it's just going to have to be like for me, I know
42:25
it's going to be a constant reminder just to, to slow down
42:28
because I, you know, Yep. It's easy to take off, you know,
42:32
in your own little head. But yeah, just even like
42:34
constant reminders and just like learning how to be grounded and
42:38
take that extra breath. Yeah, we'll help you do that
42:41
inside the crowd. Well, thank you for being on.
42:45
I know like something that you talked about today is going to
42:47
resonate with someone else listening.
42:48
So I really appreciate you telling your story and just
42:52
being willing to be honest about how you got there and what's
42:56
kind of really helped you. Yeah, yeah.
42:58
You, you guys got it. You guys got it?
43:01
And I'm so proud of you. I'm like I, I cannot wait to
43:05
just see you grow and put on your first light suit and get
43:09
all the pictures and all the things.
43:11
Gosh, I was like, Lance, we're taking all the pictures.
43:13
Let's go. I.
43:14
Love it. All right, Skyler, thanks for
43:17
being on today. Yeah.
43:18
Thank you. We'll see ya.
43:20
Bye. Bye.
43:23
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43:25
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43:28
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