Observer Program
FLY ALONG WITH
OUR FLIGHT CREWS.
The LifeEvac Observer Program is essential to the success of LifeEvac's partnerships, relationships, and recruitment across the region and beyond. Our goal is to provide certified healthcare providers, public safety personnel, and those entering the healthcare or public safety field a better understanding of HEMS operations from a clinical and safety perspective.
- Season
- October to June
- Shift
- 8 hours, daylight
- Experience
- 1 year minimum
- Age
- 18 or older
- Application
- Valid 90 days
Eligibility
Who can apply
- Credentials
- Active, career or volunteer
- A credentialed public safety member or healthcare provider.
- With your application: Copies of your credentials
- Experience
- 1 year minimum
- In your field.
- Affiliation
- Within the LifeEvac service area
- A public safety department or agency, or a healthcare facility.
- With your application: Verification of your affiliation
- Age
- 18 or older
- With your application: A copy of your driver's license
- Flu vaccination
- Most recent
- With your application: Proof of your most recent flu vaccination
- Weight at LifeEvac 1 and 3
- 200 lb max
- Weight at LifeEvac 4
- 190 lb max
- In street clothes. You must be able to be safely secured in the aircraft seatbelts. All flight team members are weighed at the start of each shift, with flight suit, helmet, and boots or shoes.
- Orientation
- In person, before your shift
- A short orientation before your scheduled shift.
- Crew family
- Not on the same shift
- Family members of LifeEvac crew members (flight team or communications) cannot be scheduled on the same shift as their family member.
Anyone outside these criteria will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Scheduling
When shifts run, and cancelling
- Season
- October to June
- No shifts July to September. The summer months are avoided for safety and aircraft performance.
A shift day
- 15 min before
Arrive
Meet the crew and prepare for flight.
- Shift start
Shift brief
Join the crew's morning brief.
- 8 hours
Observation
Daylight hours only.
- Shift end
Return varies
A return to the base by any set time cannot be guaranteed. Plan for a late finish.
Attendance and cancelling
- No call, no show
- No further shifts
- Anyone who is a no call, no show will not be considered for additional observation shifts.
- Cancelling, 24+ hours ahead
- Outreach coordinator
- By phone.
- Cancelling, under 24 hours
- 877-902-7779
- Communications Center, by phone.
Preparation
Before your shift, and what to wear
Before your shift
- Rest
- Well rested
- Do not work or volunteer the night before your scheduled shift.
- Breakfast
- Before you arrive
- A healthy breakfast.
- Food and water
- Enough for the full shift
- Each base has a full kitchen you are welcome to use. Some bases have very limited or no delivery options, and you cannot leave for food and return.
- Money
- A small amount
- For a vending machine or a nearby stop on a busy day, depending on where you are dropped off.
- Idle time
- Bring something to do
- Each base has Wi-Fi. Bring charging cables for your phone or computer.
- Medication
- Ask if unsure
- Be mindful of any medications that may interfere with your ability to fly.
- Alcohol
- None within 12 hours
- Recreational drugs
- Prohibited
What to wear
- Clothing
- Dressed for the season
- It is not uncommon to spend an extended period outdoors. Weather-appropriate clothing can be worn to the base and when you leave.
- Footwear
- EMS-style boots
- Highly recommended. Sandals, clogs, and open-toe or open-back shoes are not allowed.
- Flight suit and helmet
- Provided at the base
- The flight suit stays at the base.
- Under the flight suit
- Light cotton
- Cotton shorts or pants and a light cotton shirt, for comfort and safety. Bring a spare set to change into if needed.
On Shift
On the aircraft and at the base
- Patient care
- None by observers
- Regardless of credentials. All patient care is handled by the LifeEvac medical crew.
- Readiness
- Flight ready at all times
- Flight suit on, with boots or shoes on.
- Flight crew
- Follow every instruction
- The crew directs you through every part of each flight and what is expected of you.
- Observer packet
- Complete during the shift
- Phones
- Airplane mode
- Whenever the aircraft is running.
- Photos
- In the air only
- Because of HIPAA, no photography once on scene or whenever a patient is in the aircraft.
- What to carry
- As little as possible
- A small wallet with a little cash, a debit card, and your driver's license, which you must have on you at all times. The crew will tell you if anything else, such as certain jewelry, should stay at the base. LifeEvac and VCU Health are not responsible for lost, missing, or stolen items, so leave valuables at home.
- Water
- Stay hydrated
- Left at a scene
- The crew returns for you
- In rare cases, weight and balance for a patient transfer means an observer stays at a scene or hospital. Make sure a member of the flight crew has your phone number at the start of the shift.
- Left at the base
- Common areas only
- The crew room (living room), kitchen, and bathrooms. All other rooms are off limits to observers for safety and security.
You will be asked to leave if
- The crew feels you are too fatigued to fly safely.
- The crew feels you are impaired in any way.
- You do not follow a crew instruction, and it creates a safety concern.
Apply
Documents and the application
Each participant completes their own application, with all supporting documentation, through VCU's REDCap survey.
Documents to attach
- Copies of your credentials
- Verification of your affiliation
- A copy of your driver's license
- Proof of your most recent flu vaccination
- Valid for
- 90 days
- After that, a new application must be submitted.
- After approval
- Outreach team contacts you
- To schedule a shift.
Observer Application
VCU REDCap survey, in a new tab
Questions: lifeevac.outreach@vcuhealth.org
Program details revised August 2024.