Why RNs Make Great Flight Attendants

Registered nurses are not only meant to work in hospitals and clinics, they are made to fly also! We are talking about flight attendants who are registered nurses or RNs! Looking at the profile of Filipino flight attendants around the world, many of them are actually RNs, and airlines do actually see them as huge assets! This is why when someone would ask us "can nurses be flight attendants", all we tell them is 101% a resounding yes!

Looking back at history, the first flight attendants were actually registered nurses, and before world war II, it was a requirement that one should be a registered nurse in order to be a flight attendant. 

This started during the 1930s when Ellen Church, who was a registered nurse that time and a pilot at the same time wanted to take a job in the airline. Since during that time, aviation was only restricted to men, Ellen Church thought that nurses inside and aircraft could be a good idea since commercial aviation was fairly new and flying was indeed uncomfortable. Hence, flying nurses could help provide comfort and care to these passengers and the Boeing Trasport Co. liked this idea. She then recruited her other friends who were nurses which gave birth to the flight attendants and stewardess! It is then safe to say that flight attendants are descendants of nurses!

Fast forward to today, the role of flight attendants have changed a lot from the 1950s and 1960s. Their primary role nowadays is to ensure the safety and security of all passengers, next is to provide comfort and a great flying experience. Looking at that role, the advantage of having RNs on board is still huge, though anyone could actually become a flight attendant.

So why do RNs make great flight attendants?

1. They were trained to look after the welfare of their patients, same way as they have to look after the welfare of their passengers. Nurses do have this caring heart, and anything they suspect wrong with a patient becomes a great concern for them. This kind of trait is very important in the airline to ensure their passengers are comfortable and fine.
2. At 40,000ft, anything can happen to a passenger and in the absence of a doctor on board, RNs could provide first aide. We have many cases of passengers giving birth on board or some even falling ill and flight attendants who are RNs have the capacity to check on the passengers and provide necessary action and first aide especially during the absence of a doctor on board.
3. Incase of an emergency situation which requires immediate evacuation, flight attendant RNs can help provide extra assistance to injured passengers after everyone have been evacuated. Of course, their first priority during such situation is to evacuate all passengers right away. Once everyone are out, then thats the time they could voluntarily help out the injured passengers and fellow crew.
4. An RN's training centers around hospitality and care. In fact, becoming an RN is basically like taking up medicine too! They know how to do CPR, they know how to check on someone if there's something wrong, and they know how to provide immediate medical attention to their capacity until a doctor takes over. So in an event that a passengers needs immediate medical attention at 40,000ft and there are no doctors on board, flight attendant RNs are there to provide immediate assistance until the pilot could make an emergency landing somewhere so the passenger could be rushed to a hospital if necessary.
5. Last but not leastis the utmost care they give because to them, every life is precious. RNs give so much importance to life and lives. They care a lot for people, and as flight attendants, their care for the passengers especially for those who feel uncomfortable like those feeling dizzy or quite sick are second to none. 

So incase you are an RN and can't seem to find a job as a nurse somewhere, why not become a flight attendant? You just don't know how much airlines do treasure RNs as their cabin crew.

Something to ponder on. Have you ever wondered about the iconic flight attendant cap and why it is there? Look at it closely and notice it's similarity with a nurse's cap. From there, you will be able to draw the link between nurses and flight attendants.