Teresa Wilbanks, a flight nurse with CareFlight medical helicopter, is taking off on a new adventure – retirement.

A native of Zion, Illinois, Teresa joined the North Mississippi Medical Center team in April 1989 as a laboratory technician. She became a paramedic in the early 1990s and worked for nine years with Ambulance Service.  

In 1996, Teresa earned her associate degree in nursing from Northeast Mississippi Community College. In 1998, she became a flight nurse with CareFlight.   

Even after landing her dream job, Teresa continued her education—earning her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of North Alabama in Florence in 2003 and an associate degree from Itawamba Community College focusing on IT security in 2014. A lifelong learner, she became a Certified Flight Registered Nurse and earned certification in Trauma Life Support, Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course, Pediatric Life Support, Neonatal Resuscitation and Basic Life Support. She is also certified as an instructor for Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Trauma Nurse Core Curriculum and Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support.

“The best part of my job has been seeing patients who I had treated out living life to the fullest,” Teresa says. “I also enjoyed getting to know and work with some awesome people. I will miss being part of a team helping people in critical situations.”

Teresa was recognized in the hospital’s Stars Online twice during her tenure and appeared in several hospital advertisements over the years.

While Teresa says she will miss her work and her NMMC friends, she looks forward to playing volleyball, sleeping (instead of working) at night and watching her “babies” play ball. She loves spending time with her three grandchildren—Holden, 18; Tripp, 15; and Josie, 6.