Leona Hernandez, RN
Leona Hernandez is a wife, mother, ICU nurse, and author of the book Travel Nurse. She was born and raised in St. Paul, MN, and earned her BSN from the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. For five years, she cared for children in the Pediatric ICU at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital, where she was the first recipient of the patient-nominated Masonic Mission Award for providing exceptional care to children and families. She went on to work as an RN Care Coordinator with the University of Minnesota Physicians in a pediatric pulmonary specialty clinic. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, she was home full-time with her children. Answering the call for more ICU staff, she signed up to be a travel nurse and cared for adults battling COVID in New York City, Miami, and California. She wrote Travel Nurse with her husband, Tony, to give a voice to the voiceless and to share the lessons she learned in Covid ICUs. Leona, her husband, and four children currently reside in Florida.