While You Were Sleeping:Night Nurses Engage in Interprofessional Relationships to Promote a Healthier Work Environment

George, Souby

Saturday, 16 November 2013

Souby George, RN, MSN
Department of Women's Infants and Children, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX
Amy R. Carroll, RN MSN
Department of Women's, Infants and Children's Nursing, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX
Elvia Gomez, RN BSN
Department of Surgery, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to describe the impact of nurse clinician leadership on the development and evolution of a night nursing council.

Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to discover how nurse clinicians working at night engage interprofessional leadership to expand health promotion programs and professional development activities.

The Night Nursing Council, an arm of the nursing shared leadership council structure held its first meeting in January, 2012. Night nurse clinician leaders mentored by a clinical nurse specialist developed a structure and process to engage night nurses to have a voice in the workplace. The Council serves as the hub of information sharing between night and day nursing councils. Council goals included promoting a healthier work environment and increasing accessibility of professional development programs. As a part of an overall wellness plan, the Council was concerned about the lack of organized physical activity and healthy food choices during their work hours of 7pm-7am.

To address a healthier workplace, the council partnered with Employee Health and Wellness (EHW) and developed expanded programming which was supported by health system and nursing leadership. The Health Promotion team, a department of EHW, along with the Night Nursing Council committed to sponsoring one event per month during the hours of 6pm-8:00pm. The first “Caught in the Stairs” event in September, 2012 rewarded 120 employees for walking the stairs with a bottle of ice water and a tee shirt. Administration and senior leadership supported this initiative by installing new vending machines which offered a variety of affordable healthy snacks to employees, patients and their families.

A second opportunity identified was the accessibility of presenter-offered continuing nursing education (CNE). As a standing item on the night council agenda, a CNE activity is now offered monthly. Through multiple other avenues, the number of CNE programs available to night shift clinicians doubled.

All employees working at night found these activities enhanced team work, physical, social and psychological wellbeing.

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