From Classroom to Cockpit
What does it take to run a medical transport nonprofit that flies critically ill and injured patients to safety every day?
A group of Bentley undergraduate and graduate students learned the answer to that question during a recent visit to Boston MedFlight, New England’s leading critical care transport provider. The students traveled to the nonprofit’s headquarters in Bedford, Massachusetts, for a behind-the-scenes look at how the organization delivers life-saving support, by air and by ground, to more than 6,000 patients annually.
The visit was organized by the Center for Health and Business (CHB) as part of its “On-site Insights” series, which brings students to local health companies.
“Bentley is fortunate to have a strong network of alumni working locally in health-related fields,” says Danielle Blanch Hartigan, Chester B. Slade Professor of Psychology and executive director of the CHB. “Site visits like these offer current students a way to connect with alumni and expand their professional networks while gaining valuable insights about job opportunities in the industry.”
Among those alumni: Boston MedFlight CEO Maura Hughes, MBA ’91, who spoke with students during their visit. While Boston MedFlight bills insurance providers for its services, Hughes says the nonprofit provides roughly $7 million in free care each year to uninsured and underinsured patients. To fill those gaps and maintain operations, Boston MedFlight relies on financial support from individual donors and the hospitals and medical centers it serves.
Bentley students learned more about these financial and operational complexities as they toured the facilities with fellow Falcon Charles Blathras ’91, Boston Medflight’s director of partner engagement and business development. They also enjoyed a close-up look at the nonprofit’s full fleet of transport vehicles: nine ground ambulances, seven Airbus helicopters and a Cessna jet, all of which are fully equipped mobile intensive care units (ICUs). And they discovered how a diverse workforce — ranging from accountants and aviation mechanics to pilots and paramedics — comes together to provide critical medical care whenever and wherever it’s needed.
Here, two Bentley students share highlights from their experiences:
“We explored Boston MedFlight’s communications center, walked through hangars where we saw helicopters, ground vehicles and even a jet, and checked out their simulation area, where clinical staff train and prepare for emergencies. It was amazing to see the amount of planning and teamwork that is implemented into every aspect of their operations.
We also spoke with Boston MedFlight’s CFO, COO and other company leaders. They shared how their business experiences shaped them into who they are today and help them succeed as leaders of a nonprofit organization. It made me realize the finance and accounting skills we’re learning at Bentley today can really make an impact — and even save lives — in the future.”
Aarnav Dommata ’27
Corporate Finance and Accounting major, Health and Industry minor
“The visit to Boston MedFlight offered a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of health care, nonprofit management and aviation.
We learned that medical transport logistics are very complex and require a lot of cooperation and preparation. We also saw how they use advanced medical technologies to train their staff. One of the coolest things we saw were mannequins used to simulate medical operations. They mimic human responses and can vomit, cry and scream.
Opportunities like these are important for Bentley students. Beyond the opportunity to explore potential career paths and network with alumni, we’re able to see things we’ve learned in class play out in real-world scenarios.”
Denzel Kong ’27
Corporate Finance and Accounting major
