Your World


By Holly Wheeler Nurses’ night out


Second citywide nurse bingo night


More than 250 guests attended the Indiana Nursing Workforce Development Center bingo night, and the group plans to make the 2012 nurses’ night out even bigger.


Details will be updated at www.indiananursingworkforce.org.


Indiana University Hospital nurses India Owens (left) and Julie Ruschhaupt chat during bingo night at the Northside Knights of Columbus.


■ Friday, Feb. 25, was a night of laughter, celebration, hellos and goodbyes. It was a time to support a cause and honor colleagues.


The second citywide nurse bingo night


featured drinks, scratch-offs, door prizes, a silent auction and lots of number-calling to support the Indiana Nursing Workforce Development Center. For many, this year’s event was a big night.


Two chief nursing officers — Linda Everett, PhD, RN, IU Health, and Janet Bingle, MS, RN, Community Health — were celebrating a birthday and a retirement, respectively. Nursing staff from both health systems wore


custom T-shirts to honor their leader while trying to out-cheer the other group. Bingle’s retirement gave the nurses the


opportunity to recognize her work preparing professionals to care for patients. A founder of INWDC, Bingle was integral in addressing the local and national nursing shortage. “(INWDC was) just


Bingle


awarded a large recognition to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for


being a collaborative, a Regional Action Coalition,” Bingle said. “A lot of people are


20 Indiana Nursing Quarterly • indystar.com/nursing • Spring 2011


lulled into the fact that ‘we have enough nurses.’ But with the economic downturn, people are being pretty careful about the number of hospital-based nurses they hire. The explosion for the need for nurses will happen very quickly as health care reform takes over.”


RNs are BFFs | According to Bingle, the Indianapolis nursing community shares a level of camaraderie not found elsewhere. In the city and across the state, nurses find a highly collaborative environment, Bingle said. As one example, six local nurses


CHARLIE NYE / The Star


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