Why do the flight crew spend so much time on the ground at some scenes, even after the patient is extricated?
This is an excellent question as it is frequently an area of confusion for some people. Albany Med FLIGHT is NOT just a quick ride to the hospital! In some cases, the flight crew performs skills and administers medications that some hospital emergency departments do not even perform or administer. The Med FLIGHT crew often utilizes time at the scene to perform these skills or administer medications prior to transport that may help stabilize the patient. THESE ARE THE SAME SKILLS THAT WOULD BE PERFORMED IN THE TRAUMA ROOM OF THE ER. Hospitals by themselves do not save lives. It is the specialized training, skills and care provided by the staff of these hospitals that save lives. Albany Med FLIGHT brings this quality of care directly to the accident scene. The best example of the how well Med FLIGHT may stabalize patients in the field is the fact that occassionally, Med FLIGHT patients are taken directly to CT Scan, the Operating Room or the Cardiac Catheterization Lab immediately upon a
