Training of residents for their role as flight physicians: A survey of emergency medicine training programs

Objective: To determine the number of emergency medicine (EM) residency programs in which residents serve as helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) crew, the extent of training provided for this role, and how HEMS residents are evaluated. Methods: Accredited EM residency programs were contacted by telephone to determine which programs had residents serving as HEMS physicians. A self-administered survey was then mailed to the medical directors of the HEMS programs. Descriptive statistics were determined for each question. Results: Surveys were returned by 18 of the 20 residency programs (90%) where residents served as HEMS physicians. In the majority (94%), residents work with one other crew member, typically a nurse or paramedic. The amount of flight hours for a resident ranged from 25 to 500. The number of flights ranged from five to 225. The amount of HEMS training was highly variable. Four programs (22%) did not require any orientation flights with patients; 12 (67%) did not require any proficiency testing; direct attending supervision was rare (6%); and written feedback occurred in only 28% of programs. Conclusions: The training of residents for their role as flight physicians is highly variable, considering the amount of air transport time they perform. Direct faculty supervision, proficiency testing, and written feedback are rarely utilized.