For Critical Care Trasport Nurse Erica P., caring for people has never been limited to the time she spends at work with Boston MedFlight.
“This job is more than wearing the blue suit and flying in a helicopter,” she says. “I strongly believe in caring for the community as a whole. That includes caring for each other.”
It’s a philosophy that has shaped Erica’s career, her relationships with patients and colleagues, and the way she chooses to give back.
Erica first became familiar with Boston MedFlight long before she joined the crew. While working as an EMT for Armstrong Ambulance, she helped with ground transfers for Boston MedFlight’s airplane crews traveling between Hanscom Field and Boston hospitals. The experience sparked an interest that stayed with her as she continued building her career in emergency medicine.
More than a decade later, after years working as a paramedic, Erica joined Boston MedFlight as a Critical Care Flight Paramedic in 2011.
While working full-time, she went back to school and earned her nursing degree, graduating summa cum laude while also raising twins. In 2019, she stepped away from Boston MedFlight to gain additional nursing experience before returning in 2021.
Today, Erica is able to work in both nursing and paramedic roles on the crew — something she says has given her an even greater appreciation for the people around her.
“I enjoy working with both the paramedics and the nurses, and I love learning from my peers,” she says. “I feel lucky to work with such a talented group of individuals who bring so much to the table.”
For Erica, though, the most meaningful part of the job is often less about the medicine itself and more about what she can offer a patient or family during an incredibly difficult moment.
“The ability to bring a measured sense of calm and reassurance to someone on their worst day makes it all worth it.”
Some of those connections last well beyond the transport.
More than 10 years ago, Erica met the mother of one of her former patients at Boston MedFlight’s Patient Reunion. Years later, their lives crossed again in an unexpected way: that same mother became Erica’s daughter’s fencing coach.
“We both played an important role in our children’s lives and have a special bond to this day,” Erica says.
That commitment to helping others extends beyond Erica’s work at Boston MedFlight.
She was raised in a working-class family that placed a strong emphasis on helping people in need and speaking up for those who could not always speak up for themselves.
“Those morals are imprinted within me,” she says.
One of her favorite reminders reflects that same outlook: “Someone else is happy with less than what you have. Be kind, remember that everyone is struggling with something and give when you can.”
That background is also part of what inspired Erica to organize Boston MedFlight’s food drive in 2025.
Having seen family members experience food insecurity firsthand, Erica understands how overwhelming that struggle can be. She also sees community service as a natural extension of the work Boston MedFlight does every day.
Last year, she was especially moved by the generosity of her colleagues and how quickly they came together to support the effort.
For Erica, whether she’s caring for a critically ill patient, supporting a colleague or helping families put food on the table, the same values guide her: Be kind. Pay attention to the people around you. And when you have the ability to help, do it.
