The air medical crew: is a flight physician necessary?

The configuration of the air medical crew has been debated since the inception of hospital-based programs in the 1970s. Today, the majority of programs use non-physician crew members with a nurse/paramedic mix as the most common team. The medical literature contains little scientific basis to support or reject the use of physicians as crew members. The key to an effective air medical team, despite the configuration, is adequate training and ongoing flight experience. Unless future studies define the role of physicians on the medical team, the air medical crew configuration will be determined by each flight program based on their perception of individual needs and available resources.