Student Feature

Erica Alexander with Angel One

Erica Alexander stands by Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s Angel One helicopter.

Senior respiratory care student, Erica Alexander, has just completed a patient transport rotation on Angel One, the helicopter used by Arkansas Children’s Hospital to transport critically ill neonatal and pediatric patients in the region to the hospital for treatment.

Senior respiratory care students choose rotations and preceptors for their final clinical internship which is eighteen 12-hours shifts during the last six weeks of the spring semester, just prior to commencement.  In the past, seniors have gained experience in clinical rotations as far away as Boston Children’s Hospital, St. Luke’s Presbyterian in Chesterfield, MO and LSU Medical Center in Shreveport, LA.  Clinical sites and experiences are often chosen because the student wants 1) to apply for employment there upon graduation, 2) to gain additional experience in a specialty area or 3) to gain experience in a unique area, such as transport or interventional pulmonology which was not offered as part of the traditional clinical program.

Erica sent these photos because she wanted to share her experience from her transport rotation.  “I have had so much fun and it has been a great opportunity,” she said.  She has flown with the team to St. Louis, Texarkana, Calico Rock, Atlanta, Dallas, Mountain Home, Conway, and to UAMS and Baptist Medical Center here in Little Rock.

She has really appreciated the help she has received from her preceptors.  According to Erica, “They are very nice and easy to talk to.  I am really going to miss them.”

It is no accident that the Angel One transport team is composed of many UAMS respiratory care program alums.

Click on the photo to the right to see a larger version.