Birmingham, Ala. (July 24, 2024) —5,000 will always hold a special meaning for Critical Care Transport Flight Nurse Mark Rogers. On Friday, June 7, 2024, Rogers and some of the Critical Care transport team members were dispatched to a hospital in Alabama to bring a sick child back to Children’s of Alabama. Rogers has done this many times during his 30 years here at Children’s. But on this Friday, this transport was different. This transport will forever be etched in his memory and make history.
“I have the most trips of anybody on the team,” said Rogers. “I became the first member to cross the 5,000-transport mark. Those trips include ground, jet, and helicopter transports of children here to Children’s or other facilities if needed.”
After graduating from Corner High School in Dora, Rogers developed a passion for emergency medical services. He initially worked as an ambulance driver, but his curiosity drew him to what was going on in the back of the ambulance and how he could help. This led him to enroll in nursing school.
“I started actually as a clinical assistant at Children’s while I was in nursing school,” said Rogers. “After I finished school, I transitioned into an RN role, worked in the emergency department for about five years, and then transitioned to the Critical Care Transport team.”
Rogers has been on the Critical Care Transport team for several years now. The team was formed in 1983 to meet the specific needs of transporting critically ill and injured children. Rogers has completed an average of 200 ground, jet, or helicopter transports annually and has impacted the lives of more than 4,000 patients.
“I have a passion for what I do,” said Rogers. “To be able to help children and take the level of care from Children’s to every corner of the state and help those families get back here for definitive care.”
Members of Rogers’ team have recognized his passion for helping families. Jason Peterson, the director of the Critical Care Transport team, says it is an honor and privilege to work alongside him.
“He has a true passion for caring for children and their families,” said Peterson. “Seeing him reach this milestone warms my heart to think of the direct impact, as well as the extended family impact, he has made on so many patients. I look forward to continuing to serve the children of Alabama with Mark.”
Rogers says even though he is the first team member to reach this milestone, he does not see it as an individual achievement but one for the entire team.
“What I have done is no different than what the person who is on our team with the fewest number of trips,” said Rogers. “We are a team; the number one mission is for us to go home, and if we can help get a child here safely, help provide better care for them, that’s our goal.”
For more information on the Critical Care Transport team, click here.
