By Julie Cullen, Managing Editor, American Nurse Today

We’ve seen some incredible events recently. In fact, 2017, was a year full of them. And at almost all of these events, from hurricanes to mass shootings, nurses have stepped up to help. Sometimes putting their lives on the line and other times putting their personal needs aside, but always putting their patients first.

During the hurricanes in 2017, many nurses stepped up to work at emergency shelters, help evacuate hospitals, and keep patients and families calm as they waited out the storms. Several nurses shared their stories with us last year, and they’re all amazing. One nurse described her first volunteer experience, another told us how her facility orchestrated a nearly flawless evacuation, and one talked about the support she received from her colleagues when she lost her home.

In doing some research recently, I came across a story I hadn’t hear before. During the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting in October, nurse Lorisa Loy, though injured herself, helped evacuate concertgoers to local hospitals, comforted shooting victims, and triaged patients.

These nurses, and so many others, quietly performed outstanding care during incredibly difficult times. I know they’re able to do this because of clinical skills and knowledge, but also because nursing almost exclusively calls to people who selflessly give of themselves no matter the circumstances.

Julie Cullen, managing editor of American Nurse Today and a curator of online content for the American Nurse Today website, is most definitely not a nurse, but she admires what all of you do everyday. In her Off the Charts blog she shares some of her experiences as a patient and family member of patients, thoughts and ideas that occur to her during her work editing nursing content, and information she thinks you might find interesting. Julie welcomes your feedback. You can submit a comment on the website or email her at jcullen@healthcommedia.com.