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The Nursing Careers

Flight nurse requirements checker

Compare your RN years, ICU or ED time, and certifications with common air medical screening floors. Programs set their own rules.

ASTNA typical expectations · CAMTS CFRN timing · Inputs stay in your browser

Who this is for

Check common flight program hiring minimums

Adult critical-care hours also feed CCRN eligibility. Trauma course tracking lives on the TNCC provider tracker.

Common hiring floors

Check flight nurse screening criteria

Three years of RN and ICU/ED time is a common floor, not a national license rule. CFRN is treated as recommended because many programs allow two years after hire.

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Published requirements

Answer for your current situation. Do not include projected experience unless the question explicitly allows it.

Readiness overview

Your requirement checklist will appear here

Complete every field to compare your scenario with the issuer's selected published criteria. Inputs stay in your browser.

Employer-specific, not a national estimate

Calculate a confirmed transport differential

There is no national flight-nurse pay premium in BLS. Use only a differential your employer confirmed.

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Potential annual value

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Based only on the employer values you entered

Looking for ICU, ED, or transport jobs?

Build the critical-care hours first, then browse openings that list flight, ICU, or ED experience.

Browse nursing jobs

How the check works

How the flight nurse check works

  1. 1

    License and critical-care years

    RN license plus a common three-year ICU/ED floor. ICU/ED years cannot exceed total RN years.

  2. 2

    Life-support cards

    BLS, ACLS, and PALS are treated as usual hire requirements. Trauma courses and CFRN are flagged as common gaps.

  3. 3

    Programs set the rules

    Hiring check, not a license or a single national standard.

Primary sources

ASTNA and BCEN / CAMTS context

Typical experience ranges from ASTNA public FAQs. CFRN timing from BCEN program overview describing CAMTS practice. Verified August 12, 2026. Next review November 12, 2026.

ASTNA FAQsBCEN CFRN overview

Common questions

Flight nurse FAQ

What is a flight nurse?

A flight or transport nurse is an RN who provides critical care during rotor-wing, fixed-wing, or ground transport. It is a job title, not a separate U.S. nursing license.

How do you become a flight nurse?

Become an RN, build several years of recent ICU or ED (or equivalent critical care) experience, keep BLS/ACLS/PALS current, and then apply to a transport program. Many CAMTS-accredited programs require CFRN or CTRN within two years of hire.

How many years of ICU experience do flight nurses need?

ASTNA describes 3-5 years of critical care or emergency experience as typical. Individual programs set their own floors. This checker uses three years as a common screening value, not a national rule.

Is CFRN required to get hired?

Often not on day one. BCEN notes that CAMTS-accredited programs require a transport-specific board credential such as CFRN within two years of hire. Some employers want it at hire.

Do flight nurses need TNCC?

Trauma coursework such as TNCC or TPATC is commonly required at hire or during orientation. Confirm the accepted course with the program.

Does this checker hire me or clear me for a program?

No. It compares your entries with common published expectations. Only the employer and applicable boards decide hiring and practice authority.

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