Locum Flight Nurse at AMREF Flying Doctors

JOB PURPOSE

• To provide treatment, stabilization of acutely or chronically ill, and/or injured patients across the lifespan to referral hospitals or trauma centers. The Locum Flight nurse is charged with rendering skilled pre-hospital and emergency life support care to the patients and subsequently does transfers by air or ground transport to a more superior healthcare facility.
• Locum Flight Nurses are committed to safe operations, premier customer service, expert clinical practice and leadership during all medical evacuations.

Job Description

Control Room and Communication

• Operate the 24-hour Control Room, receiving and responding to telephone, radio (UHF/VHF), email, and other communication channels in a timely and professional manner.
• Ensure effective, efficient, and accurate communication with patients, families, hospitals, EMS providers, aviation operators, and other stakeholders to facilitate medical assistance and evacuation services.
• Maintain continuous communication and information sharing with patients, families, referring facilities, and safety personnel throughout the patient care journey.
• Ensure all communication equipment and office devices are operational and report any faults promptly.

Medical Assistance and Case Coordination

• Receive, assess, and coordinate emergency evacuation requests, obtaining comprehensive patient demographic, clinical, and logistical information.
• Follow up on admitted patients and obtain regular medical progress reports while managing medical assistance cases.
• Inform relevant medical team lead of new requests and coordinate dispatch of medical teams for evacuation missions.
• Provide clients with cost estimates in liaison with medical team lead and obtain required Guarantees of Payment (GOPs) and related documentation.

Documentation and Records Management

• Maintain complete, accurate, and confidential patient records, correspondence, medical reports, and evacuation files in accordance with organizational policies and professional standards.
• Complete, file, and communicate all required medical, operational, immigration, insurance, handover, and shift reports.
• Ensure proper shift handover through comprehensive documentation and communication of ongoing cases.

Medical Evacuation Preparation

• Assemble, inspect, test, and prepare all required medical equipment, medications, and supplies for evacuation missions, ensuring readiness and serviceability.
• Confirm patients and accompanying persons possess all required travel and medical documentation prior to transport.
• Coordinate with receiving facilities and healthcare providers to establish communication, confirm acceptance, and share flight itineraries and estimated arrival times.

Flight Nursing and Patient Care

• Accompany patients on air ambulance missions, commercial medical escorts, and other medical transport operations regionally and internationally.
• Conduct patient assessment, establish working diagnoses where appropriate, develop and implement treatment plans, and provide patient care in accordance with AMREF Flying Doctors SOPs.
• Deliver advanced life support, stabilization, resuscitation, and other critical interventions during ground and air transport.
• Continuously monitor, reassess, and manage patients throughout transport, ensuring patient safety, comfort, and continuity of care.
• Communicate patient status updates and estimated times of arrival to the Control Room and relevant stakeholders during transport.

Patient Transfer and Handover

• Safely transfer patients between healthcare facilities, ambulances, aircraft, and other transport platforms while ensuring appropriate immobilization and monitoring.
• Facilitate patient admission, discharge, check-in/check-out procedures, wheelchair assistance, baggage handling, and immigration requirements as necessary.
• Conduct formal clinical handovers to receiving healthcare providers, ensuring transfer of all relevant patient records, investigation results, and medical documentation.
• Obtain all required receiving signatures and acknowledgements upon patient handover.

Equipment Management and Infection Control

• Clean, disinfect, sterilize, restock, and maintain all medical equipment, medications, and supplies following missions.
• Complete equipment inventories and checklists, report deficiencies, and ensure replenishment of exhausted stock.
• Report any defects and malfunctioning of equipment

Emergency Response and Special Operations

• Respond to mass casualty incidents, disasters, and emergency deployments as directed, including travel to remote locations with additional medical supplies.
• Provide medical coverage and emergency care at special events, sporting activities, and other assigned operations.

Operational and Administrative Responsibilities

• Operate under a scheduled roster.
• Complete assigned medical evacuation missions through to completion.
• Perform duties in confined spaces and challenging environmental conditions while maintaining professional and safety standards.
• Attend scheduled departmental, clinical, and organizational meetings and trainings as required.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Be a Kenyan Registered Nurse with the Nursing Council of Kenya and maintain validity of the practice license.
• Hold a Higher National Diploma in Intensive Care Nursing.
• Bachelors of Science in Nursing is an added advantage
• 4 years’ experience as a Nurse with 2 years’ experience in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
• Current certifications in: Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) and Paediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) with experience in Pre-hospital emergency patient care.
• Proficiency in computer studies (word, excel, power point, CRM system, outlook, internet.
• Teaching experience and / or Instructor status in a healthcare related certification, Critical Care transport experience (ground or air) is an added advantage

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

• Excellent communication skills – both verbal and written, a good command of the English Language.
• Good interpersonal skills and empathy.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Ability to work in and within a team
• Ability to rise to challenges and stay calm under pressure.
• Ability to maintain high level of integrity and confidentiality.
• Ability to operate safely 
• Ability to solve problems and critical thinking.
• Ability to gather information and keen eye for details.

Work environment

• AMREF Flying Doctors works within a twenty-four-hour work environment due to nature of its operation