Happy National Nurses Month!

“Nursing is a progressive art such that to stand still is to go backwards.” – Florence Nightingale

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Nurses Week is May 6-May 12

Every year Nurses Week is celebrated starting on May 6 and ending on May 12 (to commemorate Florence Nightingale’s birth on May 12, 1820.)

Nurses Month starts Monday, May 1. In 2020, the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife was recognized, and Nurses “Week” (still celebrated May 6-12) was extended to the entire month of May — and it stuck! 

In tribute to nurses everywhere, major nursing organizations and institutions that employ nurses are preparing celebrations for the month of May. Here are the official days celebrating nurses in the month of May:

National Nurses Month: May

National Nurses Day May 6        

National Student Nurses Day May 8

National School Nurse Day (the Wednesday within May 6-12)

International Nurses Day May 12

Certified Nurses Day  May 19

For more information about the history of Nurses Week and how Nurses Week is celebrated in the U.S. and all over the world, and on the origination of the International Year of the Nurse, see the posts: Celebrate National Nurses Week! and 2020: International Year of the Nurse and Midwife.

My celebration of fellow nurses and nursing students is a 20% discount on my monthly or annual paid membership level – the NEE Insider – good through the end of May 2023. Use code:  NURSESMONTH20

Nurses, YOU Make a Difference!

The Nurses Month theme, “’You Make A Difference,’ was selected to encourage nurses, other health care professionals, employers, community leaders, and the public to recognize and promote the vast contributions and positive impact of America’s nurses.” (ANA Nurses Month Resource Toolkit, 2023).

Let me share with you what the ANA is doing to celebrate and recognize Nursing Excellence.

American Nurses Association’s (ANA) Celebratory Events

Each year, in May, the American Nurses Association (ANA) offers weekly free resources available for ALL nurses and nursing students to recognize your service and vital role in healthcare.  These are FREE events that you may be interested in to recognize the nursing profession during Nurses Month and are courtesy of the ANA. You do not have to be a member of ANA to participate.

WEEKLY FOCUS AREAS National Nurses Month is divided into four weekly focus areas — Self-Care, Recognition, Professional Development, and Community Engagement. Take a minute to review each focus area taking place through the month of May. Don’t forget to save each week to your calendar. You are not going to want to miss a thing!

Mary Eliza Mahoney Lecture May 8 Join ANA for the first lecture in the new series, Service for Humanity: The Life of Mary Eliza Mahoney, on May 8, 6-7:30 p.m. ET. This lecture will focus on Mahoney’s personal and professional life with emphasis on her work as a visionary leader, activist, organizer, and the “architect for integration and equality.” Register now. To recognize nurses of color, I found this information on the ANA website about the Nurses You Should Know Project. “The Nurses You Should Know project unites nurses, history, and technology to elevate the stories of nurses of color. Started by nurses, this collaborative campaign raises awareness of the contributions of nurses of color in the nursing profession and health care at large. Read more about these inspirational nurses.” Nursing’s Power to Change the World: National Nurses Month 2023 Celebrate National Nurses Month with critically acclaimed author Sarah DiGregorio and nurse innovators from her new book, Taking Care: The Story of Nursing and Its Power to Change Our World. You’ll participate in a live Q&A, get an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek into our popular See You Now podcast process, and enter a raffle for a chance​ to win a signed copy of the book!  Join the conversation and connect with nurses, nurse innovators, and nursing advocates from across the country as we celebrate the breadth of knowledge, wisdom, and innovation that flourishes across our profession. Taking Care: Register for Free

National Nurses Month Webinar May 17 ANA’s free National Nurses Month webinar Asking and Advocating for What Nurses Need will present a case study on how nurses working collectively at the grassroots, state, and federal levels are effecting substantive changes in preventing workplace violence. Join us on May 17 at noon ET and earn 1.5 CNE. Register now.

 

 

Recognize the Nurse (or Nursing Student) in Your Life!

If you are interested in recognizing the nurse or nursing student in your life with a small token of appreciation, you could Google “national nurses week gifts” for traditional gift ideas and many sites will pop up. ANA has a Gift Shop with nurses month gifts. And, of course, Amazon has just about everything – gifts for nurses week –  included.

You can also give a gift membership to my site. Go to my Membership Plan page for information about the premium resources I offer. And for the month of May, I’m offering a 20% discount on the monthly or annual NEE Insider membership level. Please use the code: NURSESMONTH20 to get the discounted rate.

Thank you all for entering nursing! I hope your institutions, family, and friends continue to support and recognize your commitment and dedication to your patients and their families, your nursing and healthcare colleagues, and to this vital profession!

How to Cite this Blog Post (in 7th ed. APA)*: Thompson, C. J. (2023, May 1). Happy national nurses month 2023: YOU make a difference! Nursing Education Expert. https://nursingeducationexpert.com/national-nurses-month-2023

 

References (7th ed. APA)*

*Hanging indent doesn’t work on my blog posts, so just know that you need to use a hanging indent for your reference page citations when using APA format.

American Nurses Association (ANA). (2020). About year of the nurse. https://anayearofthenurse.org/about-year-of-the-nurse

American Nurses Association (ANA). (2023). About nurses month. https://nursesmonth.org/about-nurses-month/

World Health Organization. (n.d.). Year of the nurse and the midwife 2020. https://www.who.int/news-room/campaigns/year-of-the-nurse-and-the-midwife-2020

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