INDIANAPOLIS — Some of the most stressful jobs are in the hospitals and right now, nurses in the Intensive Care Units are working 12 hour days.
IU Health is offering a new, free service for these healthcare workers and it’s based on mindfulness.
John Shepard is the Mindfulness Program Manager at IU Health and the man behind the yoga classes at IU Health Methodist Hospital.
When it started in early December, only a few people participated. Nowadays, Shepard said there are nearly a dozen yoga nurses or doctors every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Shepard said he knows how invaluable this program is.
“For thirty minutes when I would get home, I would just kind of shut the door and just stretch out and breathe and just kind of reflect back on my day and check in to see how I’m doing,” said Shepard.
He worked in the Intensive Care Unit for 14 years.
“It probably extended my career by a couple of years in the ICU because it is really hard work and not just the ICU but all of our nurses, regardless of the setting, nursing is hard work," Shepard said. "You've got to fill the cup if you want to provide the type of care we want to provide.”
Caroline Cornett has worked as a Registered Nurse at IU Health for four years.
“It’s already here, you almost feel bad if you don’t go. It just makes it easy and yeah if I leave here and I am on my way home, I’m not likely to stop at the gym. I just go straight home anyways,” said Cornett. “It makes me feel like there are people here that care about the nurse’s wellbeing, like us as people. They don’t just care about us coming in and doing a job. Like they care about taking care of us as a whole.”
It’s mindfulness-based practices in a clinical setting that’s helping release the stress of those who help us heal and stay healthy.
These free yoga class for staff are growing so much in popularity, Shepard said medical staff are asking for more yoga class times.
If you’re interested in working as a nurse at IU Health, they’re always looking to hire.
There will be on the spot interviews on Jan. 18 from 4-8 p.m. at IU Health Fairbanks Hall, 340 W. 10th St. in Indianapolis. You can learn more here.
On Wednesday, Jan. 25, IU Health is holding a virtual RN interview event.
It’s super easy to sign up and be interviewed, and they’re looking to fill multiple types of nursing positions in several locations. For more information and to sign up, click here.
