Emergency and Critical Care Transport

Students looking at the medical helicopter flight simulator.

Are you a developing nurse, paramedic, or allied health professional hoping to practice in the transport environment? Have you reached a point in your career where you are looking for that high-level simulation or critical care experience to stretch your boundaries? 

The Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve Universities has the opportunities you seek.

The School of nursing prepares advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) for critical care transport environments through two centers: The Dorothy Ebersbach Academic Center for Flight Nursing and the Callahan Family Critical Care Transport Simulator.

Two centers, one vision

The vision of a comprehensive emergency and critical care transport center of excellence has been realized thanks to the philanthropy of two donor gifts from Dorothy Ebersbach and the Callahan family. Created from these funds were two centers that provide specialized, high-fidelity learning opportunities in research, initial licensure and continuing education, as well as advanced simulation for the advanced nurse practitioner in ground and helicopter transport environments.

As an addition to the Adult Geriatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program, the flight specialty certificate prepares advanced practice nursing students for the critical care transport environment. These students develop the necessary critical thinking and advanced procedural capabilities necessary for the management of the acute, emergent and critically ill or injured patients in out-of-hospital environments.

Students in this one of a kind program have access to the School of Nursing's cutting-edge technology—including use of a medical helicopter simulator, ambulance simulator, simulation labs and access to nationally ranked hospitals.

As a student you will

  • Prepare to implement advanced practice nursing knowledge and skillsets in unstructured, pre-hospital transport environments.
  • Research opportunities are available for interested students to enhance or develop new evidence in Advanced Practice Nursing in the pre-/inter-hospital transport environment.
  • Gain the necessary knowledge and skills to function independently, using structured protocols, in out-of-hospital transport environments
  • Be given the option to obtain an additional certificate in the transport environment or have an opportunity to earn a post-master's certificate in pediatric acute care.