Baylor Nursing Graduate Receives Air Force "Nurse Of The Year" Award
Capt. Shane Runyon, a 2001 graduate of Baylor University's Louise Herrington School of Nursing, has been selected by the Air Force as Air Mobility Command Nurse of the Year, an award given to only one nurse who goes "above and beyond" normal nursing duties at the 20 Air Force hospitals in the Air Mobility unit.
"This is the first time I have ever been recognized for something as a nurse," Runyon said. "Nursing can be a thankless job and I am just happy to be acknowledged for the work."
Runyon, who is stationed at Travis Air Force Base in California, said the award represents a year that has brought both successes and hardships. For example, last December, an active airman was involved in a non-combat accident that left him with severe head trauma. Runyon said there was tension between the airman's wife and several family members. He prayed with each family member and talked with many of them about their faith, which ultimately brought the family together before the airman passed away the day before Christmas.
During his spare time, Runyon taught nursing skills for "on-the-field battle" to 120 Army troops. The class included techniques for advanced cardiac life support, which could mean the difference between life and death.
"I knew I wanted to go into the medical field, but it wasn't until my time at Baylor that I knew I wanted to be a nurse," Runyon said. "It has definitely been a rewarding experience."
In addition to receiving the Air Mobility Command Nurse of the Year award, Runyon also has been nominated for the Air Force's Critical Care Nurse of the Year, an award honoring only one nurse out of all of the Air Force's hospitals.