National Nurses Week: A Time to Thank Nurses
Once viewed as lowly doctors’ assistants, nurses have been recognized as highly specialized professionals with a wide range of skills.
National Nurses Week honors these medical professionals’ contributions and sacrifices to keep us healthy.
Each year, we celebrate nurses’ contributions between May 6th (National Nurses Day) and May 12th (Florence Nightingale’s Birthday).
The nursing profession has been supported and promoted by the American Nurses Association (ANA) since 1896. Each ANA’s state and territorial nurses’ associations promotes the nursing profession at the state and regional levels. Each conducts celebrations on these dates to recognize the contributions that nurses and nursing make to the community. How this became a nationally celebrated week has a long history:
A Brief History of National Nurses Week
1953 Dorothy Sutherland of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare sent a proposal to President Eisenhower to proclaim a “Nurse Day” in October of the following year. The proclamation was never made.
1954 National Nurse Week was observed from October 11 – 16. The year of the observance marked the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s mission to Crimea. Representative Frances P. Bolton sponsored the bill for a nurse week, but no action was taken.
1972 Again, the House of Representatives presented a resolution for the President to proclaim, “National Registered Nurse Day.” It did not occur.
1974 In January of that year, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) proclaimed that May 12 would be “International Nurse Day” to coincide with the birthday of Florence Nightingale.
1974 In February of that year, a week was designated by the White House as National Nurse Week, and President Nixon issued a proclamation.
1978 New Jersey Governor Brendon Byrne declared May 6 as “Nurses Day.”
1981 ANA and various nursing organizations rallied to support a resolution initiated by nurses in New Mexico to have May 6, 1982, established as “National Recognition Day for Nurses.”
1982 In February, the ANA Board of Directors formally acknowledged May 6, 1982, as “National Nurses Day.” The action affirmed a joint resolution of the United States Congress designating May 6 as “National Recognition Day for Nurses.”
1982 President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation on March 25, proclaiming “National Recognition Day for Nurses” on May 6, 1982.
1990 The ANA Board of Directors expanded the recognition of nurses to a week-long celebration, declaring May 6 – 12, 1991, as National Nurses Week.
1993 The ANA Board of Directors designated May 6 – 12 as permanent dates to observe National Nurses Week in 1994, and all subsequent years.
1997 The ANA Board of Directors, at the request of the National Student Nurses Association, designated May 8 as National Student Nurses Day.
The advent of modern nursing is credited to Florence Nightingale, who laid the foundation for professional nursing through her tireless work during and after the Crimean War. As a nursing manager on the frontlines, Nightingale introduced hygiene protocols and other measures that drastically reduced infections and deaths in battlefield hospitals.
In the U.K., nurses celebrate with an annual ritual based on Florence Nightingale’s nighttime visits to injured soldiers, which earned her the nickname “Lady with the Lamp.” On May 12, a ceremonial lamp is passed along a line of nurses from the Nurses’ Chapel at Westminster Abbey to the abbey’s High Altar, symbolizing the passage of knowledge.
Say thank you to a nurse you know during National Nurses Week. Send them a surprise meal or spa session or write a heartfelt thank you note to let them know you see and appreciate their efforts.
A big thank you goes out to our Nurse Planner at MPHI, Sue Montei, who assists our CES team in providing Nursing credits for our trainings.
References:
National Nurses Week History – https://www.nursingworld.org/education-events/national-nurses-week/history/
National Today – https://nationaltoday.com/national-nurses-week/
Written by:
Linda Holton
Administrator – MPHI Continuing Education Solutions
Event Planner – MPHI Education & Training Services
