Donna Sellars

Many children dream of becoming a nurse, and for Klamath Falls, Oregon native Donna Sellars, that dream began at age six. It expanded in eighth grade, during a field trip to a local ground school, where she discovered aviation. The idea of combining medicine and flying sparked an interest that would eventually shape her entire career.

With a smile on her face, Donna recalls, “It was a no brainer! I said, ‘Sign me up!’ Combining my calling [as a nurse] with my fascination for flying has been a blessing.”

Her journey in nursing did not begin in the air. Donna started her career in the intensive care unit (ICU), earned her critical care registered nurse (CCRN) certification in 1990, and spent 25 years strengthening her clinical abilities. She quickly realized that she needed deeper experience in two essential areas of flight medicine: on-scene care and trauma. These were the skills she focused on developing, and they are the same skills she now encourages aspiring EMS professionals to pursue.

“For nurses, get a strong background in ICU and ER,” Donna advises. “ICU nurses are the maintainers, but ER nurses put out the fires. Both skills are required to be a flight nurse. If you only have one, you can do the job, but if you have both, it will be easier.”

She offers similar guidance for paramedics: “Get experience in a busy 911 call center and find a program that does in-depth critical care.” If interested in being a flight nurse specifically, Donna suggests doing this prior to switching to in-air. She elaborates, “Knowing how a ventilator works, sepsis protocols among other things, will make you make you a stronger clinician.”

Donna first learned this when she met Dr. Helenka Marcinek, a resident at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, Oregon and future medical director of AirLink Critial Care Transport (CCT) and Bend Fire Department. Under Dr. Marcinek’s direction, she added the trauma provider advanced trauma course (TPATC) to her repertoire.

It was Donna’s commitment to learning, willingness to improve and dedication to the craft that eventually opened doors for her. She became a flight nurse in 2010 and officially joined AirLink CCT in 2014. She’s operated aboard AirLink CCT’s fixed-wing aircraft based at the Crater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport ever since, including a period as the base manager. She also earned her certified flight registered nurse (CFRN) certification in 2016.

Today, Donna is a familiar face around the local hospitals and within her community. She concludes, “I love it when my community stops and tells me I flew them or their family. So many times, we fly patients, and I still think and pray about them and hope we made a difference in their lives during the short period of time we were able to serve them.”

Donna’s story reflects the impact she has made on AirLink CCT and the patients she serves. Her training, clinical expertise, and dedication define her as an exceptional EMS professional. We are honored to celebrate her 15 years in flight nursing and the meaningful contributions she continues to make.