Shortcuts, Snake Oil, and Saving Lives: Why “Bare Minimum” Coaching Is More Dangerous Than a One-Legged Cat in a Sandbox

A humble paramedic’s thoughts on shortcuts, safety, and what it really takes to save lives at 10,000 feet

Well, bless your heart. I just saw something on social media that got my mustache twitching something fierce, and I reckon it’s time we have ourselves a little heart-to-heart about what it means to truly prepare for a career in flight medicine.

Here’s the post that’s got me all worked up:

“Don’t complicate this.

I see people going out and getting both ER and ICU, trying to only work for level 1 trauma centers, getting multiple certifications, and spending longer than the 3 years it takes to get there.

FLIGHT COMPANIES ARE NOT LOOKING FOR TIME AND EXPERIENCE.

Here is what they are looking for….

WHO you are, WHAT you value, and the TEAM PLAYER you are.

To set yourself up for creating success in Flight, you want to map out your plan earlier on, start doing ride alongs and making connections with Flight companies, and prep confidently for flight interviews.

You want to start doing all of these things as soon as nursing school.”

Now, I’ve been around the block more times than a mail carrier with a broken GPS, and let me tell you something: this kind of thinking is more dangerous than a barbecue fork at a lightning convention.

The Problem with “Don’t Complicate This”

You know what’s complicated? Trying to intubate a pediatric patient in the back of a helicopter during turbulence while managing a tension pneumothorax and coordinating with ground crews. You know what else is complicated? Explaining to a family why their loved one didn’t make it because the flight crew wasn’t prepared for the complexity of critical care medicine.

This “coach” seems to think that getting extensive ER and ICU experience, working at Level 1 trauma centers, and earning multiple certifications is somehow… too much? That’s like saying an athlete shouldn’t practice fundamentals because they might get too good at them. It just doesn’t make a lick of sense.

Experience Matters More Than Your Sunday Best

When this coach says “FLIGHT COMPANIES ARE NOT LOOKING FOR TIME AND EXPERIENCE,” well, if that’s true, then we’re in more trouble than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Because let me tell you what happens when experience walks out the door:

Mistakes walk right in.

I’ve seen it happen. New flight medics who thought they could charm their way through a cardiac arrest, only to realize that when someone’s life is hanging by a thread thinner than my patience for this kind of advice, your personality and team spirit don’t restart a heart. Your knowledge, experience, and muscle memory do.

The truth is, if flight companies really aren’t prioritizing experience and clinical competency, then we need to have a serious conversation about patient safety standards in this industry.

The Real Recipe for Flight Medicine Success

Let me share what I’ve learned in my years of responding to calls where every second counts:

Build Your Foundation Like You’re Building a Cathedral

Get that ER experience. Get that ICU experience. Heck, get both if you can. Work at Level 1 trauma centers where you’ll see things that will challenge every fiber of your clinical being. These aren’t “complications” – they’re the building blocks of competence.

Certifications Aren’t Just Wall Decorations

Those multiple certifications? They represent hours of study, practice, and dedication to excellence. They’re proof that you’ve committed to continuous learning. In a field where new protocols, medications, and techniques are constantly evolving, that commitment isn’t optional – it’s essential.

Time Creates Wisdom

There’s no substitute for time under pressure. Every difficult case, every successful save, every patient you couldn’t help – they all teach you something. You can’t fast-track wisdom, and you sure can’t charm your way to competence.

The Networking Game vs. The Competence Game

Now, don’t get me wrong – relationships matter. Being a good team player matters. Knowing how to communicate and work well with others is absolutely crucial in flight medicine. But these qualities should complement your clinical skills, not replace them.

Think of it this way: if you were lying on a stretcher after a terrible accident, would you want the flight medic who networked their way into the job, or the one who’s seen every type of trauma, managed countless critical cases, and has the experience to handle whatever comes next?

A Better Path Forward

Here’s what I’d tell any aspiring flight medic, and I’d say it with all the love in my heart:

Take your time. Get the experience. Work in challenging environments. Learn from seasoned professionals who’ve been where you want to go. Earn those certifications not because you have to, but because you want to be the best possible clinician you can be.

Network ethically. Build relationships based on mutual respect and shared commitment to excellence, not just career advancement. The flight medicine community is smaller than you think, and your reputation for competence (or lack thereof) will follow you.

Prepare thoroughly. Don’t just prep for interviews – prep for the job. Because once you’re on that helicopter, the real test begins.

The Bottom Line

Flight medicine isn’t about finding shortcuts or doing the bare minimum. It’s about being prepared for the most critical moments in people’s lives. It’s about having the skills, knowledge, and experience to make split-second decisions that mean the difference between someone going home to their family or not.

If we start accepting that experience doesn’t matter, that time and training are unnecessary complications, then we’re failing our patients before we even take off.

So to that “coach” out there telling folks to skip the hard work and focus on networking: I respectfully disagree. In fact, I disagree so strongly that if disagreeing were an Olympic sport, I’d be standing on that podium with a gold medal and a really confused expression.

Why This “Bare Minimum” Coach Has No Business in Healthcare

Now, I don’t like to be harsh on folks, but sometimes you’ve got to call a spade a spade. Anyone coaching healthcare professionals to do the bare minimum has fundamentally misunderstood what this profession is about. Here’s why this kind of “coaching” is more dangerous than a porcupine in a balloon factory:

They’re prioritizing career advancement over patient care. When your primary concern is getting people hired faster rather than making sure they’re properly prepared to save lives, you’ve lost the plot entirely. This isn’t about selling widgets or closing deals – this is about human beings at their most vulnerable moments.

They’re creating a culture of mediocrity. Medicine thrives on excellence, continuous learning, and the relentless pursuit of better outcomes. When we start telling people that “good enough” is actually good enough, we’re not just lowering the bar – we’re burying it underground.

They don’t understand the weight of responsibility. A coach who thinks personality matters more than clinical competence has clearly never had to look a family in the eye and explain why everything that could be done, was done. They’ve never felt the weight of knowing that their knowledge and skills are all that stands between someone’s tomorrow and someone’s never again.

They’re setting people up for failure. Sure, maybe their “shortcut” approach gets someone hired. But what happens when that person is faced with a complex medical emergency they’re not prepared for? What happens when their lack of experience becomes someone else’s tragedy?

This kind of coaching belongs nowhere near healthcare – not in EMS, not in nursing, not in medicine, and certainly not in flight medicine where the stakes are highest and the margin for error is smallest.

Because at the end of the day, when the rotor blades are spinning and someone’s life is in your hands, your charm won’t save them. Your experience will.

Stay safe out there, and remember: there are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going.