7. Flight Nurse — $95K – $130K
Flight nurses work critical care transports on helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, moving trauma, cardiac, and pediatric patients between facilities. It is one of the most competitive nursing specialties to enter and one of the most consistently well-compensated once you are in.
The typical requirements are three to five years of ICU or ED experience, CCRN, CFRN, CEN, and ACLS/PALS. The Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing administers the CFRN, which most flight programs treat as the entry ticket for the role.
Air Methods, Global Medical Response, and hospital-based flight programs post pay ranges of $95K to $130K per Vivian Health and Indeed, with overtime and hazard differentials pushing top earners higher. Schedule is typically 24 or 48 hour shifts, which changes the hours-worked math meaningfully.
