As clocks turned back this weekend, most people got an extra hour of sleep — except for dedicated health care workers on the night shift.
Health care professionals across Washington worked an extra hour last weekend due to the end of daylight saving time, and Kent-based Western Governors University (WGU Washington) staff delivered care packages to show their gratitude for these frontline workers.
Staff from the online nonprofit university loaded up care packages for those workers to open and enjoy during their extra-long shifts on Saturday night, Nov. 5; these include sleeping masks, pens, lip balm, cocoa, coffee, and other treats.
Packages were delivered to hospitals across the Puget Sound area, including Valley Medical Center in Renton, St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way and St. Elizabeth Hospital in Enumclaw.
Overall, 3,160 hospital staff members in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Idaho and Utah received packages.
Tonya Drake, WGU Washington chancellor and regional vice president, said the acknowledgement of local health care workers is both an honor and a call to action.
“We are thrilled to honor our night shift nurses as we roll back the clock and they work an extra hour,” Drake said prior to the deliveries. “Our health professionals have helped us all through the pandemic, and this our small way of expressing our gratitude. They are our local heroes, and we applaud them for all they do for us.”’
WGU nursing graduates make up 2% of all the registered nurses with an active license in the nation.
In 2021, WGU, one of the state’s leading education providers for nurses and other health care professionals, produced a whopping 17% of the nation’s registered nurses earning a bachelor of science in nursing.
Many students in WGU’s nursing degree programs are also on the night shift, and the university created a special Night Shift Workers Scholarship for all such workers — not just nurses — who may be considering completing or advancing their college education around their busy schedules.
About WGU Washington
WGU Washington is an online, competency-based university designed to expand access to higher education for Washington residents. In 2011, the Washington State Legislature created WGU Washington in partnership with nationally recognized Western Governors University. Learn more at WGU Washington
About WGU
Established in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors with a mission to expand access to high-quality, affordable higher education, online, nonprofit WGU now serves more than 130,000 students nationwide and has nearly 280,000 graduates in all 50 states.
