Mayo One Flight Nurse Named International
Medical Crew Member of the Year

Monday, November 16, 2009

ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) in Washington, D.C., has named Jeffrey Stearns, a flight nurse for Mayo One, the International Medical Crew Member of the Year for 2009. Stearns was recognized at the association's Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC) held Oct. 26–28, 2009 in San Jose, Calif.

The Medical Crew Member of the Year Award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to enhance the development or promote the improvement of patient care in the emergency medical transport community.

"I am a product of my environment. My work is only as good as the team around me," Stearns told an audience of several hundred gathered at the awards banquet. "The support of my wife and family allows me to work at a job I love and to also take on special projects, such as research, for which I have a passion."

Paul Drucker, director of Air Operations for Mayo Clinic Medical Transport (MCMT), says Stearns "continually searches for opportunities for improvement in the care and safety of Mayo patients and staff." He also cites Stearns' work on research projects such as Mayo One's use of night vision goggles; base locations in reference to response times and survival rates of patients; and triage level of medical transport mode dispatched to the patient.

Stearns also participates on a Medical Direction Process Committee for MCMT, which oversees patient care and is responsible for any changes in medical protocols or guidelines.

In 2008, Stearns represented MCMT at the Air-Med International Conference in the Czech Republic, where he presented data on triaging levels of air medical transport. Stearns currently serves as AAMS vice chair for a subcommittee on research, a position he has held for two years.

During this time, he has been dedicated to improving the quality of research submitted and displayed at educational conferences such as AMTC.

"We're proud of Jeff's accomplishments and his being duly recognized by the air medical transport community," Drucker says. "Jeff brings an interest, energy and commitment to ensuring we are always doing everything we can to improve safety and quality to our patients. He also has the expertise to help us make evidence-based decisions as they relate to improvements in technology and patient care. For years, there has been a deficit of data to support what we do in air medicine. Jeff is creating change in that arena, not only for Mayo, but for the air medical community at large."

Stearns began flying with Mayo One in 1997. Stearns and his wife, Tammy, have three children and live near Eau Claire, Wis.

Mayo One operates aircraft from bases in Eau Claire, Wis.; Mankato and Rochester, Minn. and provides emergency medical care and transport to patients within a 150-mile radius of the base. Mayo One is a service of Mayo Clinic Medical Transport, an integrated patient care and medical transport system that also includes Mayo MedAir fixed-wing air ambulance, Gold Cross critical care ground transport, Mayo Emergency Communications Center dispatch and emergency medical travel support, coordination and training offered by Mayo Clinic Preferred Response.

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Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. Doctors from every medical specialty work together to care for patients, joined by common systems and a philosophy of "the needs of the patient come first." More than 3,700 physicians, scientists and researchers, and 50,100 allied health staff work at Mayo Clinic, which has campuses in Rochester, Minn; Jacksonville, Fla; and Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz.; and community-based providers in more than 70 locations in southern Minnesota., western Wisconsin and northeast Iowa. These locations treat more than half a million people each year. To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. For information about research and education, visit www.mayo.edu. MayoClinic.com (www.mayoclinic.com) is available as a resource for your health stories.