Johanna “Hanna” Thompson will never forget the first day of her volunteer trip with Haiti Air Ambulance on August 14, 2021—the same day Haiti was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.

At the time, she was also a student in Northern Kentucky University’s online Health Science program.

“I was the first volunteer in the history of Haiti Air Ambulance to achieve 50 patient transports and a set of wings,” she says.

Thompson started out as a certified nurse assistant in Hayward, Wisconsin, in 2004. At the advice of a friend, she later became an emergency medical technician (EMT) and worked in that role for several years before applying for her paramedic license in 2010.

Thompson needed three years of ground experience as a paramedic in order to be hired for helicopter EMS service, so she worked for Sawyer County Ambulance until she was ready. And in July 2014, she became a critical care flight paramedic for Life Link in Hibbing, Minnesota.

Thompson quickly realized she had found the job that was meant for her—taking care of patients in the air. Meanwhile, she also served as an adjunct EMS instructor at a local community college.

After losing her mom to cancer in 2021, Thompson started reconsidering her goals.

“I started evaluating some things in my life, and so I made two goals,” she says. “The first goal was I wanted to go back to school. I wanted to get a bachelor's degree because I already had my associate degree. And then I also decided I wanted to do some type of medical mission trip of some sort, which ended up being with Haiti Air Ambulance.”

When Thompson began looking for universities that offered affordable online programs in nursing, health science or health care administration, Northern Kentucky University was at the top of her list.

“What really sold me on NKU was that it was all online and affordable for me,” she says. “I needed something that was conducive to my life with a full-time job. I was able to do one class at a time and chip away at my degree. Then, the icing on the cake was the customer service. Everybody was just so wonderful. When I expressed interest, it was almost like NKU interviewed me: ‘What are your goals? What are your fears?’ It was so important to me as an adult learner. Being in my early 40s and going back to school was absolutely terrifying.”

Those fears were quickly handled by the faculty and staff at NKU, and Thompson jumped right into the health science program. Out of all the classes she took, her favorite was HSC 480: Global Perspectives in Healthcare.

“That really ignited my fire or passion for public health and global health,” she says. “After looking back on it, I think that was always sitting there inside of me. I think that course is really what made me realize this is something that I really enjoy doing, and I think that course has really helped me develop into the clinician I am today.”

Thompson received her Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences in December 2024.

Since then, she’s been working as a flight paramedic, clinical educator and logistics specialist for Life Link, which has 11 bases throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin. She doesn’t have a full-time flying rotation anymore, but she still picks up shifts regularly and volunteers with Haiti Air Ambulance.

“I'm very proud of the team that we have at Life Link,” she says. “Our culture and safety standards exemplify excellence in the industry. We're the first air medical company ever to get an Association of Nursing Beacon Award. I’m just extremely proud of the work that we do.”

Thompson is a member of the Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association, the National Association of EMS Educators, the Wisconsin EMS Association and the International College of Advanced Practice Paramedics.

Doors have opened for Thompson since she received her degree, she says.

She recently joined a group of air medical professionals who are creating a maternal-fetal transport credential through the International Board of Specialty Certification. She also joined the Wisconsin Association of Perinatal Care as a volunteer for a pilot program. She’s been invited to speak at conferences across the country and is also an educator and content writer for FOAMfrat.

Thompson is considering master’s programs in public health, global health or healthcare administration when the time is right. However, for now, she’s focusing on carrying the lessons she learned at NKU with her in every aspect of her career.

“What I learned at NKU really set me up for success,” she says. “It really goes back to the leadership course that I took and thinking about what my legacy is. I don't have to be a manager to be a leader at my company. It's just a matter of leading by example, setting the tone and what I'm going to be leaving behind. I think that is very important—not just what I'm leaving behind for the people that I work with but what I'm leaving behind for the patients that we take care of and the communities that we serve.”