INDIANAPOLIS – Because of the pandemic, our state’s night shift workers have been on the frontlines of some of the most stressful cases in our lifetime, yet they continue to serve as our healthcare heroes day in and day out. In response, WGU Indiana staff and leaders are launching their eighth consecutive Night Shift Nurses Week campaign, which aligns with the return to Standard Time when night shift workers add an extra hour to their normal schedule on Nov. 1.
The university will deliver carefully curated appreciation kits to nearly 1,900 night shift workers at hospitals throughout the state leading up to and on the ending of Daylight Savings Time. In addition, WGU Indiana will award its annual Night Shift Nurse scholarship to students in healthcare professions. The campaign has been a mainstay in WGU Indiana’s efforts to support healthcare workers since 2013.
“This year especially, this campaign means a lot to WGU Indiana as it acknowledges the dedication and drive of Indiana’s night shift nurses,” said WGU Indiana Chancellor Alison Bell. “With a large number of our nursing students being night shift nurses, we hope the appreciation kits provide them with a reminder of how much they matter and that they’re supported.”
More than 10 WGU Indiana employees volunteered to put together kits and assist in the delivery of the appreciation kits, which will reach night shift nurses at 180 hospitals and health care units across Indiana. Each kit contains a collection of pick-me-ups like snacks, novelty gifts like sleep masks, pen lights for those long nights, and more.
“Healthcare workers cannot properly care for patients if their own needs aren’t taken care of first,” said WGU Indiana State Director of Nursing, Mary Lawson Carney, DNP, RN-BC, CCRN, CNE. “I’m fortunate to work for an organization that recognizes the importance of self-care and who are willing to place an emphasis on workforce management, development and increased recognition of our state’s night shift workers.”
To encourage night shift nurses to pursue their dreams of going back to school, WGU Indiana is offering the WGU Night Shift Nurses Scholarship, worth $3,000, to night shift nurses returning to school in their College of Health Professions. Applications are due Dec. 31, 2020.
