Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association

What Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association does

Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association (ASTNA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit professional association, founded in 1981 as the National Flight Nurses Association and headquartered in Austin, Texas. It serves approximately 2,700 members across 12 countries, including flight nurses, ground critical care transport clinicians, paramedics, and specialty transport professionals working in hospital-based, public service, military, and private air and ground transport programs. ASTNA's mission centers on advancing transport nursing practice through specialty education, certification endorsement (CFRN/CTRN via BCEN), advocacy, and community building.

ASTNA's core product portfolio is built around three proprietary courses — the Transport Professional Advanced Trauma Course (TPATC), Pediatric Advanced Transport Course (PATC), and Critical Care Advanced Transport Course (CCATC) — delivered online and in hybrid formats through a dedicated Learning Management System (learn.astna.org). The product suite is reinforced by a content library including the Critical Care Transport Core Curriculum (2nd Ed., 2022), Standards for Critical Care and Specialty Transport (3rd Ed., 2023, CAMTS 12th Edition-aligned), simulation workbooks, certification review manuals, the bi-monthly peer-reviewed Air Medical Journal, and a Neonatal & Pediatric Reference Card.

The business model combines individual membership dues ($50–$150/year across six tiers), pay-as-you-go course fees ($298–$695 with member discounts), publication sales, journal subscriptions, and continuing education contact hour (CECH) approval fees. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the GlueUp membership platform and self-serve LMS, supplemented by corporate/group purchasing arrangements with volume discounts of 5–15% and by attendance at industry conferences (AMTC, CCTMC). The organization is governed by a volunteer board of clinicians drawn from major U.S. air medical operators (Careflite, Air Methods, LifeFlight of Maine, Life Flight Network, Vanderbilt LifeFlight, UChicago Medicine, VCU Health, UC Health, Children's Mercy, and others).

Name

Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association

Legal name

National Flight Nurses Association

Website

https://astna.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ASTNA is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit professional association that provides specialty education, certification endorsement, and advocacy for approximately 2,700 air and ground transport nurses and clinicians across 12 countries, delivered through membership dues, proprietary courses, and publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nursing Continuing Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nursing & Allied Health Certification Prep (CNA, EMT/Paramedic, Radiology, Sonography, PT/OT) (EDANAIAB)

Keywords

• Transport nursing education
• Critical care training
• Air medical certification
• Continuing nursing education
• Flight nurse training

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from individual nurses (RNs, affiliates, students, service members, retirees) and corporate members. Membership provides access to benefits including discounted courses, publications, journal subscription, and networking.
2. Educational Course Fees: Revenue from online and in-person courses including TPATC, PATC, and CCATC. Both member and non-member pricing tiers. Corporate bulk discounts available.
3. Publication Sales: Sales of textbooks, study guides, and educational materials through the online store including Critical Care Transport Core Curriculum, review manuals, simulation books, and specialty transport guides.
4. Air Medical Journal: Official peer-reviewed journal published bi-monthly, focusing on critical care transport medicine. Available online with optional print version for additional fee.
5. Continuing Education Contact Hours (CECH): Fee-based approval process for external organizations seeking to offer contact hours, with fees based on total contact hours requested.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ASTNA delivers specialty transport nursing education and certification preparation through three proprietary courses (TPATC, PATC, CCATC) plus the peer-reviewed Air Medical Journal and a portfolio of textbooks and standards publications. It operates as a membership association offering networking, advocacy, scholarships, and awards for air and ground critical care transport nurses and clinicians across hospital-based, public service, military, and private providers.

Product overview

Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association (ASTNA) offers a comprehensive suite of professional development products centered around three core educational courses: TPATC (Transport Professional Advanced Trauma Course), PATC (Pediatric Advanced Transport Course), and CCATC (Critical Care Advanced Transport Course). These courses are available in online, hybrid, and in-person formats through their Learning Management System (LMS). ASTNA's product portfolio also includes professional publications such as the Critical Care Transport Core Curriculum, Standards for Critical Care and Specialty Transport, simulation training books (Human Patient Simulation for Transport Environments - Volumes 1-3), Advanced Trauma for the Transport Professional, and Advanced Critical Care for the Transport Professional. The association also publishes the peer-reviewed Air Medical Journal and offers certification exam review materials. Additional resources include position papers, the Neonatal & Pediatric Reference Card, scholarships, awards, and membership benefits through their member portal powered by GlueUp.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transport Professional Advanced Trauma Course (TPATC) Advanced trauma education designed specifically for air and ground critical care transport clinicians, focusing on trauma management in resource-limited, moving environments with transport-specific decision-making and flight/ground transport physiology integration.
• Pediatric Advanced Transport Course (PATC) Comprehensive pediatric and neonatal transport education program available in online (didactic-only) and hybrid (online + in-person hands-on) formats, covering resuscitation, stabilization, and transport of critically ill and injured pediatric patients.
• Critical Care Advanced Transport Course (CCATC) Online course providing foundational knowledge for clinicians newer to critical care transport, covering assessment and management strategies for clinical concerns common to critical care transport including airway management, mechanical ventilation, and special populations.
• Critical Care Transport Core Curriculum, 2nd Edition (2022) Comprehensive textbook covering the body of flight and transport knowledge, focusing on how altitude physiological changes affect illness and injury, used for transport certification exam preparation.
• Standards for Critical Care and Specialty Transport, 3rd Edition (2023) Updated standards publication compliant with CAMTS 12th edition Accreditation Standards, including expanded chapters on quality/safety risk management, legal considerations, and new chapters on Compliance and Ethics, Personnel Health and Well-being, Disaster Preparedness, and Post-incident Preparedness.
• Human Patient Simulation for Transport Environments (Volumes 1, 2, 3) Education books combining simulation-based training fundamentals with over 50 unique simulation exercises covering various patient populations and scenarios, including detailed patient histories, clinical information, timed progressions, and debrief topics.
• Advanced Trauma for the Transport Professional (2023) Resource covering operational and clinical components for managing trauma patients, including transport safety, physiology, stress management, legal considerations, and special considerations for pregnant, pediatric, and burn trauma patients.
• Advanced Critical Care for the Transport Professional (2024) Foundation knowledge publication for clinicians newer to transport care, covering assessment and management strategies for clinical concerns common to critical care transport including hemodynamics, cardiopulmonary respiration, and special populations.
• Critical Care Transport Certification Review Manual Exam preparation manual with over 200 all-new questions with discussions and references, referenced to ASTNA's Critical Care Transport Core Curriculum, for CFRN, CTRN, CCC-P, and FP-C exam preparation.
• Air Medical Journal Official peer-reviewed journal of ASTNA, published bi-monthly, focusing on critical care transport medicine including air medical and ground transport, research, scientific reports, industry news, safety, and operations.
• Neonatal & Pediatric Reference Card Quick reference card for neonatal and pediatric transport guidance, available as a downloadable PDF resource for transport professionals.
• ASTNA Individual Memberships Annual membership program with tiered individual categories (Professional RN $115/year, Affiliate $115/year, Global Professional RN $150/year, Student $90/year, Service $100/year, Retiree $50/year) providing discounted courses, journal subscription, networking, advocacy, scholarships, and awards access.

Quantifiable outcome

• Courses aligned with CAMTS 12th edition Accreditation Standards

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCEN is a key strategic partner providing CFRN and CTRN certification exams that ASTNA endorses. ASTNA members receive reduced testing fees. BCEN has contributed $35,000 to support academic goals of ASTNA members through scholarships for nurses pursuing undergraduate and graduate nursing degrees as well as EMT/Paramedic-to-RN programs.
• International Association of Flight and Critical Care Paramedics (IAFCCP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Critical Care Transport Core Curriculum, 2nd Edition. IAFCCP-affiliated members are eligible for ASTNA member pricing on courses. Jointly developed certification exam review materials.
• I-CAPP (International College of Advanced Practice Paramedics)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerI-CAPP affiliates are eligible for ASTNA member pricing on courses. Contact ASTNA Office with I-CAPP number prior to registration to receive discounted rate.
• Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through the ETHOS (Emergency Transport Healthcare Operations and Safety) database developed in collaboration with AAMS. ASTNA posts available positions and supports member access to the ETHOS database for career resources.
• American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerReferenced as a professional organization for additional information and resources for transport nurses. Listed as a resource alongside ENA for nurses seeking broader professional development opportunities.
• Emergency Nurses Association (ENA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerReferenced as a professional organization for additional information. Listed as a resource alongside AACN for nurses seeking professional development and certification information.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN): BCEN administers the CFRN, CTRN, and other transport-nursing certifications that ASTNA endorses and prepares members for. The two organizations have a co-dependent partnership with shared economics — BCEN has even contributed $35,000 to ASTNA scholarships — making them the most directly comparable peer in the certification-and-prep ecosystem.
• International Association of Flight and Critical Care Paramedics (IAFCCP): IAFCCP is ASTNA's paramedic counterpart organization covering flight and critical care paramedics. They co-developed the Critical Care Transport Core Curriculum 2nd Edition and grant each other's members reciprocal pricing — the clearest peer in the parallel discipline of transport medicine.

Broad incumbents

• Emergency Nurses Association (ENA): ENA is the broader emergency-nursing professional association serving a much larger membership base than ASTNA. ENA offers some emergency transport education but as part of a wider portfolio rather than specializing in transport — the classic broad-incumbent peer overlapping on adjacent emergency-nursing content.
• American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN): AACN is the largest specialty nursing association in the US, covering critical care nurses including those in transport settings. AACN offers CCRN certification and broad critical care CE content, overlapping with ASTNA's CCATC curriculum but serving a much larger acute/critical care audience.
• Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS): AAMS is the industry trade association for the air medical transport ecosystem, covering operators, programs, and personnel. ASTNA partners with AAMS on the ETHOS database and conference discounts — AAMS is a broader incumbent serving the same transport-program customer base.
• National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT): NAEMT is the largest US association for EMS practitioners, including paramedics who work alongside transport nurses. NAEMT offers prehospital education (PHTLS, AMLS) that overlaps with ASTNA's TPATC content — a broader incumbent in the EMS education market.
• American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP): ACEP is the leading emergency medicine physician specialty society. While primarily physician-focused, ACEP's emergency medical services and transport medicine education efforts overlap with ASTNA's broader transport-medicine content ecosystem, making it a relevant broad-incumbent peer.

Others

• Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS): CAMTS sets the accreditation standards that ASTNA's curriculum explicitly aligns to. While not a direct competitor, CAMTS is the regulatory anchor that drives demand for ASTNA's CAMTS-compliant courses and publications — an ecosystem-defining peer.

Emerging players

• Society of Trauma Nurses (STN): STN is a specialty nursing association focused on trauma care across the continuum, including transport settings. STN's TOPIC course and trauma-certification products partially overlap with ASTNA's TPATC curriculum, making it an adjacent specialty peer competing for trauma-nursing education budgets.
• National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP): NAEMSP is the professional association for EMS physicians and provides standards and education for the medical direction of transport programs. NAEMSP's overlap with ASTNA is partial — physician-focused rather than nursing-focused — but both serve the same transport-medicine ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ASTNA2
• Facebookfacebook.com/ASTNA.ORG
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/astna
• Instagraminstagram.com/astnanurses

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Air & Surface Transport Nurses Association