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Ground support

Carolyn Schjaerve, RN, represents another aviation-related career, albeit a ground-based one.

Schjaerve, 61, is a nurse manager for the medical clinic at San Francisco International Airport, which provides health care services to airport/airline employees, nearby companies and airline passengers.

The SFO Medical Clinic has eight examination rooms and sees 40 to 50 patients a day. The clinic is always staffed by at least one doctor and registered nurse, as well as an X-ray technician, medical assistant and four receptionist/administrative assistants. The clinic is run by St. Mary’s Medical Center, a division of Catholic Healthcare West.

“You never have the same day twice; it’s full of surprises,” said Schjaerve, who has been at the clinic for 25 years. “You always have different patients walking in.”

Along with pilot physicals and physicals for people applying for permanent residence visas, the clinic sees employees who have taken sick or been injured on the job.

The clinic also treats passengers who become sick or injured during a flight, and provides counseling, medicine and shots for people preparing to travel outside the country.

Schjaerve said passengers often come to the clinic suffering from vomiting and diarrhea or injuries from climbing in and out of the courtesy van. Other common problems are bladder infections, blocked ears and heart problems. Schjaerve even has delivered a baby on the waiting room floor. “You name it, we’ve seen it,” she said.

High morale

Morale at the clinic is high, she said, and people hired to work there tend to stay for many years.

“There’s no attrition in this clinic,” she said. “When they get here, they stay here. They love it.”

Schjaerve said to work in the SFO Medical Clinic, nurses must be certified to conduct breath-alcohol tests, administer drug tests and be qualified in audiometry and spirometry. They also have to pass a basic life-support class and advanced cardio life-support class.

Many airlines employ occupational health nurses and run their own clinics.

Lynn Zonakis, RN, a certified occupational health nurse, is a general manager for Delta Airlines responsible for overseeing six Delta clinics and planning and delivering health care to Delta employees.

Zonakis, 48, said nurses who work for Delta and other airlines have to have more than clinical skills. They also need to be able to manage programs, educate employees and managers on health care issues, act as a liaison between the two and provide case management via telephone.

“An occupational health nurse who sees him or herself solely as a clinician—and there are many who do—is not nearly as effective in the corporate arena,” she said.

Nurses conduct FAA-mandated hearing and drug tests and manage work-related injuries. But their focus is more on corporate wellness and helping employees return to work after an injury or illness, rather than clinical treatment of patients, Zonakis said.

Zonakis said occupational health nurses who work for airlines make between $42,000 and $65,000 annually, and salaries for nurse managers begin at about $50,000 and exceed $70,000 at the upper end.

Little travel is involved in the job, she said, and Delta screens out employees whose primary goal is to get a job with good travel benefits.

“The challenge to management is to identify applicants that first and foremost are occupational health nurses and occupational health case managers,” Zonakis said, “and secondarily enjoy the environment and benefits of working in the aviation industry.”

Contact Scott Williams at ScottWilliams21@msn.com.