On May 2, BCEN was proud to announce our 2024 Distinguished CFRN Award winner:
Tyler Reeves, RN, NRP, CFRN, CEN
Flight Nurse/Paramedic, Base QA Coordinator, Clinical Coach
EagleMed
Great Bend, KS
What does this award mean to you?
I am incredibly blessed, thankful and humbled not only by receiving the nomination, but ultimately being selected for this award. I take great pride in obtaining such a distinguished honor. It is easily the pinnacle of my career up to this point and a symbol of the hard work, commitment and support of my family, girlfriend, mentors and partners. They have made the difference in the clinician I am today regarding my knowledge base, work ethic, desire to learn and morals.
How does earning and maintaining the CFRN credential make a difference in your practice and roles?
I obtained the CFRN within seven months of my career as a new flight nurse. I had heard many stories related to the difficulty of the test, which served as a great motivator to expand my knowledge base. It encouraged me in a new area of practice to absorb all of the possible information I could get my hands on and highlighted the differences from the area in which I had gained my nursing experience—the emergency department. Preparing for this new challenge made me a stronger flight nurse and provided a better understanding of disease processes and treatment that I hadn’t been exposed to in the rural ER setting. The CFRN has greatly benefitted my patient care in numerous ways by offering additional approaches to best practice standards and the most up-to-date medical knowledge.
What difference has being a CFRN made for your patients and their families?
I believe the knowledge I have gained from studying for the CFRN, continuing education through the company I work for, and attending conferences has significantly improved the care that I provide and have been able to share with my fellow clinicians. While visiting with patients and their families, they will occasionally glance at our name badges to see the advanced certification alphabet soup, and typically will ask what it means. When discussing this, I can see the relief on their faces when they see that our EagleMed crews have dedicated a substantial amount of time in our careers to providing the best possible care to their loved ones. The goal is always to give some peace of mind in the scariest time of their life by delivering quality care and bringing the most up-to-date medical practices, from metro areas to rural communities. It is through continuation of self-education that we are able to accomplish and maintain this goal.
How does the CFRN advance flight nursing and flight care?
I believe achieving CFRN status improves the quality of flight clinicians. It not only requires dedication and determination to receive initially, but renewal demands further education and self-discipline. The more education and higher standards we expose ourselves to, the better clinicians we become and the better care we provide to our communities. Overall, I think it elevates the bar for providers who wish to pursue a career in flight nursing and shows that expertise in our nursing environment is the norm.
Kyler Jones, NREMT-P, FP-C, and base medical manager for EagleMed 10 shared:
“Tyler is a motivated, hardworking flight nurse, who is dedicated to serving his patients and his community. He is a valuable team member and is always working on bettering himself and his fellow coworkers.”
Here’s what Amanda Waller, with Westley Medical Center Trauma, had to say in nominating Tyler:
“It is obvious to all of those who know and have had the privilege to work alongside Tyler that he has such a wealth of knowledge and the deepest passion for flight nursing. I like to refer to Tyler as a ‘walking encyclopedia.’ He is always eager to guide and teach others how to be their best so they can feel more confident as they prepare to provide patient care. His peers and colleagues reach out to him regularly seeking his professional opinion and advice because they have noticed how he performs as a clinician.
He puts 1,000% into every call he responds to and every patient’s room he enters. Flight crews often walk into chaotic situations with overwhelmed providers who may not see frequent traumatic injuries or be exposed to critical patients as often as larger hospitals do. When they call for transport and Tyler walks in the room, the staff feels a sense of relief because they know everything will be okay and under control. Tyler could be presented with the most complex critical patient, and from the moment he resumes care and prepares for transport, he weaves an intricate plan of care. Every one of his patients is packaged up perfectly, loaded into the aircraft, and within seconds, the inside of the helicopter transforms into a critical care wonderland.
Tyler Reeves is the epitome of clinical excellence. His skill—mixed with his love and passion for flight nursing, application of knowledge for saving lives, and willingness to go above and beyond what is expected of him—is the perfect combination for what it takes to create a clinical masterpiece and a distinguished flight nurse.”
Read about all of BCEN’s 2024 Distinguished Award honorees here.
