Michael Gooch

Dr. Michael D. Gooch is board certified as an acute care, family, and emergency nurse practitioner. He is also board certified as an emergency, flight, transport, and trauma nurse. He is originally from Pulaski, TN and has more than 30 years of emergency and transport experience. He has been with Vanderbilt LifeFlight since 2002 and has completed over 1,700 patient transports. Michael also practices as a nurse practitioner in Vanderbilt’s regional operations control center. He obtained his associate’s degree in nursing and paramedic education at Columbia State Community College. He received his MSN from Vanderbilt University and his DNP from Loyola University Chicago. Dr. Gooch is an Assistant Professor of Nursing with Vanderbilt University School of Nursing.

Michael is a founding member of the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners and serves as the Southeastern Regional Director. He currently serves as an APRN liaison to the board of directors for the Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association and serves on their publications and education committee.

Dr. Gooch is a Fellow of the Academy of Air and Surface Transport Nurses, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and the Academy of Emergency Nursing. He was honored with the Distinguished Certified Registered Flight Nurse (CFRN) Award by the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN) in 2025. A nationally recognized speaker and published author on emergency and transport topics, he also serves as a column editor for the Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal. His clinical interests include airway management, toxicology, and pharmacology.