TARYN FLYNN, BSN, RN, CEN
Adult Emergency Department
Medical University of South Carolina
After college, Taryn Flynn spent several years in South America as a translator and group leader at a medical clinic in rural Honduras. She worked closely with three volunteer nurses from the U.S.
“Watching how they cared for patients and worked as a team left a huge impression on me,” she said. “By the end of those two weeks, I knew that nursing was what I wanted to pursue.”
For 11 years, she has cared for critically-ill patients in the emergency department as a bedside nurse and charge nurse. The roles have shaped her ability to deliver care and provided vast rewards.
“From the outside it looks chaotic, with panic alarms, radios going off and people running around,” she said. “No matter what challenges arise on any given shift, people step up to do what’s best for patients. Some of my closest friendships have come from this work; the experiences shared during those long shifts together are unlike anything else.”
As she nears completion of a doctoral nurse practitioner program, Flynn is finalizing a hospital-wide mass casualty preparedness project that includes education, simulations and debriefings.
“When we are already short-staffed or out of beds, I find myself thinking about treating even more patients who need immediate care,” she said. “This project has shown me how powerful and necessary interdisciplinary collaboration is when it comes to mass casualty preparedness. It’s not achieved through policies alone—it requires frontline engagement, continuous practice and teams working together across the entire health system.”
