Crew Resource Management for Healthcare Leaders

From the cockpit to the C-suite. A leadership offsite at a working heliport, facilitated by a former medic and flight-medicine clinician who became a helicopter CFII and a healthcare executive.

Why this facilitator

Walter's path: medic → flight medicine → CFII → healthcare executive

Walter Dusseldorp started his career as a medic and moved into flight medicine, where the helicopter was a tool of the job before it became the job. He went on to earn his helicopter ratings through CFII (Helicopter), then spent years as a healthcare executive, earning an MBA and the FACHE credential from the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Today he owns North Country Heli Flight at Harris Airport, flies every flight as chief pilot and Chief Instructor, and facilitates leadership offsites as The Dutch Mentor. He has sat in the briefing before a flight and in the huddle before a difficult shift, and he has seen the same failures and the same fixes in both.

Walter Dusseldorp at the controls of the Robinson R44
Why CRM maps to patient safety

Four cockpit habits your units already need

Crew Resource Management was built for crews who cannot afford a silent copilot. The parallels to clinical teams are direct, and your people will recognize them within minutes.

Briefing

A crew briefs before every flight: who does what, what could go wrong, what we do if it does. Your team will brief their own flight with the pilot, then compare it with how a pre-procedure huddle actually runs on their unit.

Closed-loop communication

Say it, hear it read back, confirm it. In the aircraft it is the difference between a clear radio call and a runway incursion. In a hospital it is the difference between the right dose and a near miss.

Speaking up

The most junior person in the cockpit is expected to call out a problem. Your debrief looks at why that is hard on a hospital floor, and what leaders can do so it happens anyway.

Decision-making under pressure

Weather, fuel, time: pilots decide with incomplete information and a clock running. The session walks through how crews structure those decisions and how the same structure fits a bed-capacity crunch or a code.

This is a leadership offsite, not a continuing-education course. No continuing-education credit of any kind is offered or implied.

Packages

Same three formats as every corporate offsite

Each package pairs private 30-minute flights for groups of 3 with facilitated CRM content mapped to your organization's priorities.

Crew Brief

Up to 9 guests · about 2.5 hours
from $295per person · minimum 6 guests
  • 30-minute private flight for each group of 3
  • 45-minute keynote and debrief in the hangar
  • Flight, facilitation and hangar included
Request a proposal

Mission Day

Up to 24 guests · full day
from $495per person · minimum 12 guests
  • Flights for every group of 3
  • Extended workshop and an action-planning close
  • Flight, facilitation and hangar included
Request a proposal

Prices include the flight, the facilitation and the hangar. Lunch is extra; catering is arranged on request. A written proposal within 24 hours confirms the final number for your headcount and format. Heated hangar for winter sessions. All flights weather permitting; if the weather doesn't cooperate we rebook at no charge.

Sample half-day agenda

  • 9:00Coffee and welcome in the hangar
  • 9:15Safety briefing, then the "How crews brief" leadership module
  • 9:45Flight rotation begins. Ground stations for everyone not in the air: a preflight walk-around with the pilot, the weight-and-balance team challenge, and your team's own working session
  • 12:15Lunch (catering arranged on request)
  • 12:45Facilitated debrief: situational awareness, speaking up, decision-making under pressure — mapped to your team's priorities
  • 1:30Action plan and a group photo with the aircraft
Logistics

Frequently asked questions

What is the weight limit?
Weight limit: 285 lb per seat, and no more than 540 lb total for all passengers combined. The pilot makes the final call on every flight depending on weather and flight length. Guest weights are collected privately at booking; nobody is weighed in front of the group.
What happens if the weather is bad?
We rebook at no charge. Corporate dates are booked with flex built in, and the pilot makes the final weather call. If flights can't go, the hangar session still runs and the flights move to a new date.
Is the hangar accessible?
Tell us about any mobility or accessibility needs at booking and we'll plan the day around them. Boarding the R44 means stepping up into the cabin from the skid step, and the pilot assists every passenger in and out.
Where do we park?
On-site parking at Harris Airport (83K), 10915 St. Rt. 149, Fort Ann, NY 12827 — 12 miles from Lake George Village, about 45 minutes from Albany and about 30 minutes from Saratoga.
Are there restrooms?
Yes. Restrooms are available on site at the hangar.
Can you handle catering?
Lunch is not included in the package price, and catering is arranged on request — tell us in the proposal form and we'll quote it alongside the package.
Can we get a certificate of insurance?
Yes. North Country Heli Flight carries $1,000,000 in aviation liability coverage and a certificate of insurance is available on request.
Do you accept invoicing or a purchase order?
Yes. Invoicing and purchase orders are accepted; the written proposal states the terms.

See the full corporate offsite page →

Proposal request

Request a proposal for your leadership team

Tell us about your team, your dates and your goals. You'll have a written proposal within 24 hours.

Prefer to talk? Call (518) 634-6375 or email info@flyheliadk.com. We respond within 24 hours.