Wendy Hankins, RN, and daughter Brandi at the White House.
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After a devastating illness and its resulting debt changed everything for Wendy Hankins, RN, and her husband, she found travel
nursing to be more than just a way of life.
We lost everything we ever had," explains Wendy Hankins, RN, an ER nurse traveling with American Traveler, a Boca Raton, Florida-based
mobile staffing firm. Her husband, Robert, had just gone through a long, painful period of illness, and the couple incurred
more than $1 million in medical debt. "Our cars, our house, our furniture—everything was gone to pay off the debts," she says.
After 15 years of marriage, the Hankinses had to start over. They moved to a tiny apartment over a garage, and she entered
nursing school so she would be able to support the family.
Hankins' mother is a travel nurse, so she knew about the opportunities available. And after only one year of staff nursing,
she and her husband decided it was silly to keep living in a cramped apartment when they could travel and see the country.
Their two children, Michael and Brandi, were grown. Nothing was keeping them from leaving. So they packed their bags and headed
across the country to California.
"It really felt like we were starting over," Hankins says. "I took an assignment at Redlands Community Hospital, in Redlands,
California, and quickly learned how pampered I was at my home ER. The other doctors and nurses welcomed me warmly, and I felt
excited to go to work each day." Frequent visitors
Hankins' whole family loves to travel, and the children enjoy the fact that now they always have a cool place to vacation
for free. "The kids visit as often as they can," she says.
Although Robert Hankins is unable to work ever again, he enjoys keeping the house and taking care of the dogs on the three
days a week Wendy Hankins works. Then they have four days to explore their surroundings. Hankins loves to hike with her co-workers.
When they visit national and state parks, her husband is often able to join in by renting a motorized wheelchair.
Staying close to family
Hankins was amazed at how close she is able to be with her family, even while traveling far and wide. "One of my favorite
memories was my contract at Inova Fairfax hospital in Falls Church, Virginia," she recalls. "Brandi and I hadn't had much
time together while she was in school. But she was able to take two whole weeks off and come to visit. We had 14 days of mother/daughter
bonding. We visited all the Washington, D.C., monuments, had our picture taken in front of the White House, took a boat ride
around Annapolis, and ate crabs by the water. We reconnected in a way that hadn't been possible before.
"When I told my co-workers Brandi wanted to be a radiology technician, they invited her to come in with me and hang out in
the department to see what it was like," Hankins continues.
Like a bad penny
Staff members at Mission Memorial Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, joke that Hankins keeps showing up in their ER like
a bad penny. But it's one of her favorite places to work, and they always welcome her back. This summer will be her fourth
contract with Mission Memorial. "I love the people there, and the ER is so organized and well-run that it's easy to go to
work every day," she notes. "Plus, it's close enough to home that I can scoot down on weekends to see my grandchildren. And
the kids can come up to visit me frequently. It's the closest thing to really being home, but I still get all the benefits
of traveling."
Hankins says she'd like to go back out West, perhaps to Arizona or Wyoming. "I love wide-open spaces," she says. "I don't
know how long I'll keep traveling. I just want to lie back and see where life takes me. I feel very blessed right now. As
difficult as Robert's illness was, we both believe it was a blessing in disguise because now we have the most wonderful life.
That just wouldn't be possible without traveling."
