NEMSPA is proud to announce the winner of the 2011 Pilot of the Year Award – Mr. Douglas Stephan of Reach Air Medical Services. Each year, NEMSPA accepts nominations for this award from the nationwide air medical transport community so that we may recognize an individual who stands out in terms of professional achievement and contributions to the safety of air medical operations.

Doug Stephan began his flying career as a Coast Guard pilot and carried his initial high standards for safety and mission accomplishment into his civilian career path. He is known for the high respect that he demonstrates for his fellow team members as well as for the patients that he carries. This is demonstrated by performing at the highest level as pilot in command while fully engaging his crews in aeronautical decision making. And his personal commitment to customer service is further demonstrated in the hospital environment as he willingly responds to questions from family members and hospital staff

regarding the aviation aspects of the flight to the receiving facility. This service on his part allows more time for the medical team to attend to their duties.
His technical expertise is demonstrated by his being the “go-to guy” at his base for his knowledge of the General Operations Manual and Standard Operating Procedures. He is known not only for knowing the contents of the manuals, but for clarifying their application and for teaching team members the rationale behind the practices. This allows for the highest level of understanding and cooperation between team members.

Doug is a natural leader and educator. He demonstrates this on a daily basis during his briefings as he goes above and beyond what most would consider the norm. One of Doug’s passions is teaching AMRM along with several other topics in support of his organization’s new-hire and recurrent training programs. In addition, he also involves himself in his organization’s tenet teams in support of the quality and delivery of exceptional customer service. As a result of his skills and passion for teaching, he has become a sought after speaker on human factors and critical thinking, thus extending his influence beyond the boundaries of his own program.

One of Doug’s strongest attributes is in the area of safety – he is consistently the most aggressive performer of conducting the required monthly reviews of emergency procedures with clinical crew members. He is also one of his organization’s strongest advocates for the continuous improvement of their safety management system (SMS), with emphasis on a non-punitive self-disclosure reporting system along with all other elements of the Just Culture concept.

NEMSPA is proud to recognize Doug Stephan as the recipient of the 2011 Pilot of the Year Award. Doug will receive his award at the Air Medical Transport Conference in St. Louis in October.