National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6 and ends May 12, which was Florence Nightingale’s birthday.
As of 1998, May 8 was designated National Student Nurses Day, to be celebrated annually. And as of 2003, National School Nurse Day is celebrated on the Wednesday within National Nurses Week each year, according to the American Nurses Association.
Nightingale is known as the founder of modern nursing. The legendary nurse lived to be 100 years old, and she introduced sanitation protocols in hospitals where the mortality rate was seven times higher than the battlefield. With Nightingale’s efforts, mortality rates in hospitals were reduced by more than half.
History of National Nurses Week
National Nurses Week has been a mainstay of our country to recognize and celebrate the efforts of nurses everywhere.
Here are some years that proved vital to the formation of National Nurses Week, according to the ANA:
» 1954: National Nurses Week was observed Oct. 11-16. This year marked the 100th anniversary of Nightingale’s famed mission to Crimea.
» 1974: In January, the International Council of Nurses proclaimed that May 12 would be International Nurse Day. In February of that year, a week was designated by the White House as National Nurses Week, and President Richard M. Nixon issued a proclamation.
» 1982: In February, the ANA Board of Directors formally acknowledged May 6, 1982, as National Nurses Day with a joint resolution of Congress designating May 6 National Recognition Day for Nurses.
How You Can Celebrate
The 2018 National Nurses Week is being branded with the tagline Inspire, Innovate, Influence. Here are some ways you can celebrate the special week:
Get Social
Are you a nurse or do you know someone who is? Take a selfie and post it to the ANA’s social media feeds.
There you will find other nursing-focused posts to celebrate nurses across the world. Make sure to tag your post with #NationalNursesWeek to help connect with others who are celebrating.
Join a Rally
Research your local community calendar to see if there are any nursing happenings planned. Many cities will host rallies or events to publicly celebrate the profession.
Click here for a full toolkit of ideas, useful information and resources.