INDIANAPOLIS (WTWO/WAWV) – WGU Indiana, an online university, is recognizing contributions made by health care workers with its 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. This year, WGU Indiana included night shift nurses at Terre Haute Regional Hospital as part of its campaign.
This annual campaign, which delivers appreciation kits to 1,900 nurses statewide, honors night shifters who work an extra hour during the shift from Daylight Saving Time. Regional Hospital’s 150 night shift nurses and healthcare workers will be recognized this year. The appreciation kits were delivered today.
The appreciation kits, which are filled with snacks, candy, self-care items (like sleep masks) and other novelties (like pen lights for those long nights), are delivered in anticipation of Nov. 1 – when they are directed to open and enjoy during that extra hour on the clock.
“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.
“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.”
