Amy Dunn is a third generation nurse.
Dunn, of Louisville, is a registered nurse for the American Red Cross.
“The career I’ve chosen was a gift from God,” she said, adding she thinks nursing is her ministry to the community. “I’m pretty passionate about what I do and I enjoy it. I like giving back to the community; taking care of people.”
It is something Dunn has enjoyed doing since she was a little girl. At age 12 she volunteered at a Louisville area hospital.
Dunn has been with the American Red Cross for two years.
Prior to going to work for the organization, she worked in pediatrics and in emergency medicine. She chose to leave nursing in a hospital setting and go to work for the American Red Cross for several reasons.
“I wanted to keep providing excellent care for the community and I had been previously working in emergency rooms so I know how much blood products get used and this was a change and different pace for me, and it still allowed me to give back to the community,” she said.
Dunn donates blood whenever she can, which is usually once about every eight weeks.
“Blood is one thing that we cannot produce synthetically. It has to come from a lab donor,” she said. “People don’t realize how much everybody needs it. I mean, if you are in an emergency situation, if you are in a car accident, you had a stroke, you had a heart attack, chemotherapy patients, premature babies, I mean the need for blood is really large. Less than 5 percent of the population donates.”
The hours she works with the American Red Cross differ from the shifts she worked in a hospital setting.
Typically, nurses who work in hospitals will work three 12 hour days. The number of days she works per week with the American Red Cross, she said, varies from week to week, but typically it is 40-plus hours per week.
With the American Red Cross, Dunn travels all across the state and into Indiana overseeing blood drives. She recently managed a blood drive at Western Kentucky University’s Glasgow Campus.
Her favorite part of her job, she said, is “seeing different people throughout Kentucky and Indiana and helping the community at large.”
Over the years, Dunn has managed to stay in touch with former patients.
“There are people I keep in contact with that I took care of in the hospital, because I did pediatrics for a long time and I did emergency medicine and floor medicine,” she said. “Actually, one of them goes to Western Kentucky in Bowling Green.”v
Features
Related Photos
-
GINA KINSLOW
Discussion
Nurse enjoys blood work with Red Cross
- Features
-
- ROTARY REPORT: Barren ROTC to be topic Thursday
-
SLIDESHOW: Sports figures react to Joe Paterno's death
Players, coaches and sports journalists took to Twitter on Sunday morning to react to the death of former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno.
-
Viral video: Announcer goes nuts after full-court shot wins game
One college basketball play-by-play radio host likely needed some throat lozenges when he woke up Sunday morning, a day after his shocked, screaming reaction to a game-winning basket.
-
Viral video: Groom surprises bride with Justin Bieber dance
The choreographed wedding dance is a staple of a healthy viral video diet, right up there with cute kittens and babies laughing at everyday sounds. Still, it's hard not to smile when you watch one as well-executed as this groom's Justin Bieber tribute to his new bride.
-
Viral video: Anchor has Ron Burgundy moment on live TV
A morning meteorologist at a TV station in Green Bay, Wis., had a real-life Ron Burgundy moment this week thanks to a prank by one of his co-workers.
-
Christmas sights
A dog at the entrance of a house on North Race Street got a festive touch for the holidays.
-
Viral video: Woman makes amazing hockey goal, wins truck
Some folks are calling it a "miracle on ice." A 59-year-old woman who had never held a hockey stick made a nearly impossible goal, sending a puck into a tiny opening to win a brand new truck.
-
Viral video: FedEx guy tosses computer monitor over fence
During the holidays more than any other time, shoppers rely on delivery services to bring important packages to their doorsteps safe and sound. But a YouTube video gone viral shows that sometimes, packages aren't exactly handled with care.
-
Viral video: Senior citizens stage flash mob
Flash mobs aren't just for teenagers anymore. A group of senior citizens proved it recently after staging a song and dance inside the Christmas decorations department of the Target store in Lawrence, Kan.
-
Guide to this year's hottest gift: The tablet
Tablet computers and e-readers are extremely popular and are expected to be strong sellers this holiday season despite a weak economy. But the array of models and brands can confound many potential gift-givers. Check out this guide to tablet-giving on any budget.
- More Features Headlines
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC
Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion'
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
