Clinical Experience and Learning Style of Flight Nurse and Aeromedical Evacuation Technician Students.

BACKGROUND: The clinical experience and preferred learning style of U.S. Air Force flight nurses and aeromedical evacuation technicians are unknown. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional survey design, we gathered data regarding the clinical experience, level of comfort providing clinical care, and preferred learning style of 77 active duty (AD), Air Force Reserve (AFR), and Air National Guard (ANG) nurses enrolled in the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine Flight Nurse course, and 121 AD, AFR, and ANG medical technicians enrolled in the Aeromedical Evacuation Technician course. RESULTS: Nurses and medical technicians reported 7.6 +/- 5.5 and 3.9 +/- 4.5 yr of experience, respectively. AD, AFR, and ANG nurses had comparable years of experience: 5.8 +/- 3.2, 8.3 +/- 6.6, and 7.9 +/- 4.2 yr, respectively; however, AD medical technicians had more years of experience (5.6 +/- 4.4 yr) than AFR (3.1 +/- 4.8 yr) and ANG (1.9 +/- 2.8 yr) medical technicians. Both nurses and medical technicians reported infrequently caring for patients with various disease processes and managing equipment or devices that they will routinely encounter when transporting patients as an aeromedical evacuation clinician. Nurses and medical technicians preferred a kinesthetic learning style or a multimodal learning style that included kinesthetic learning. Nearly all (99%) nurses and 97% of medical technicians identified simulation as their preferred teaching method. DISCUSSION: These findings confirm faculty concerns regarding the clinical experience of flight nurse and aerospace evacuation technician students.