National Nurses Week is an annual celebration of all the hard-working men and women that have devoted their lives to helping others. This festive week is packed full of exciting events that are designed to shed a spotlight on the nursing industry. The event takes place on the same dates every year, from May 6th to May 12th. Marking the calendar in the same place every year helps nursing managers and hospital administrators plan for the event, giving them a chance to start assembling all their materials and planning events well in advances. The dates of event coincide with Florence Nightingale’s birthday, widely considered to be the founder of modern nursing.
A History of National Nurses Week
The first National Nurses Week came about in October of 1955 to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s mission to Crimea. Over the next several decades, the nursing industry tried to convince the House of Representatives in Congress to pass legislation that designates a national nursing holiday, but none were successful. In 1974, President Richard Nixon designated the second week of May as National Nurses Week, with May 12th as International Nurses Day, the same day as Florence Nightingale’s birthday.
This Year’s Nurses Week Theme
The 2018 National Nurses Week centers on the theme of “Nurses: Inspire, Innovate, Influence.” This theme speaks to the impact nurses have on their friends, family members, and, of course, their patients. Nurses tend to have an outsized role when it comes to wielding influence over their patients. They tend to spend the most time with the patient as the doctor has a lot of other responsibilities to deal with.
A nurse can drastically improve a patient’s mood, helping them cope emotionally with the stress of being injured or ill. Seeing a nurse’s smiling face can instantly ease many of the patient’s concerns about their health, giving them the strength they need to power through what can often be a stressful or unfamiliar situation.
The theme also focuses on all the ways the nursing profession has continued to evolve over the years. The rise of new technology has radically changed the industry, helping nurses and other healthcare professionals do more with their time.
Hosting Events in Your Area
If you’re interested in hosting an event in your area as a way of celebrating National Nurses Week, you can download everything you need on the American Nursing Association website. You can purchase official Nurses Week gear and swag, download the official resources toolkit, or sign up for the National Nurses Week webinar where you can hear about how the industry is changing regarding new policies, innovations in healthcare technology and other important nursing trends.
You’ll also find a range of inspirational nursing graphics on their website that you can use to help get your staff members in the mood to celebrate this special occasion. How are you celebrating Nurses Week?
Get everything you need to celebrate this year’s National Nurses Week. Your colleagues or staff members deserve an extra round of applause for all the hard work they put into their job, helping patients all over the world get back on their feet.
