• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Incredible Health

Empowering healthcare professionals to find and do their best work.

  • Nurses
    • Get Hired
    • Career
      • Job Search Guides
      • Licensure Guides
      • For New Grads
      • Specialty Guides
      • Nursing Degree Guides
      • Resume Guide
      • Cover Letter Guide
      • Interview Questions
      • Conferences
    • Free Nursing Continuing Education Courses
    • Salaries
      • Salary Estimator
      • Highest-Paying States
      • Highest-Paying Cities
      • Highest-Paying Jobs
    • Discounts
    • Resources
      • Nurses Blog
      • Nurse Advice Q&A
      • Nurse Specialty Quiz
      • Personal Finance
      • Employer Overviews
      • Hiring Locations
  • Employers
    • Employers Blog
  • About
    • Reviews
    • Inside Incredible Health
    • Press
    • Careers
    • Contact
  • Browse Jobs
    • ER Nurse Jobs
    • ICU Nurse Jobs
    • OR Nurse Jobs
    • Labor & Delivery Nurse Jobs
    • Browse All Jobs
  • Sign In
  • Sign Up
nurse holding stethoscope

National Nurses’ Week

WRITTEN BY Incredible Health Staff
DATE

Mar 18 2022


CATEGORIES Nurse Wellness

When Is National Nurses’ Week?

National Nurses’ Week takes place between Saturday May 6 and Friday May 12, 2023. May 12 is significant as it marks the revered Florence Nightingale’s birthday.

It takes place annually and this is going to mark the 203rd year of celebration.

Nurses have sacrificed so much for the community. It’s only fitting that there’s a week dedicated to giving back to them. Accordingly, in this blog, we will take a look at:

  • What Is National Nurses’ Week?
  • What Can You Do to Celebrate National Nurses’ Week?
  • The History of National Nurses’ Week
  • Incredible Health Celebrates National Nurses’ Week

What Is National Nurses’ Week?

National Nurses’ Week is an annual celebration of nurses worldwide for the work they do for others. The week allows people the chance to acknowledge the nurses in their lives. It also provides an opportunity to thank nurses within the industry as a whole for the work they’ve done.

Though the week seeks to honor all nurses, there are specific days dedicated to certain nurses. May 11 is National School Nurse Day, May 8 is for student nurses on National Student Nurses Day and May 12 is International Nurses Day.

During COVID-19, nurses worked tirelessly on the front lines to ensure that people who need help are cared for. The pandemic took a toll on nurses’ morale and mental health. 

Nursing, in general, is stressful and COVID-19 only amplified that. Therefore, it’s even more critical to use National Nurses’ Week to reach out and celebrate the nurses around you and throughout the world. We need to keep nurses emotionally engaged with their work to continue providing excellent care to their patients.

incredible health logo

Earn your CEUs free

Our easy online CE courses are ANCC-accredited and 100% free for nurses.

Get started

What Can You Do to Celebrate National Nurses’ Week?

There are many ways to honor nurses. If a nurse helped you, you could provide them a thank you note or even a gift. 

Or, if you prefer video, you can create a thoughtful or fun video to share with a nurse who has touched your family.

You can send the note, gift, or video to the facility or hospital you received care from.

As a nurse, there are several freebies and discounts you can take advantage of all year and additional ones that are available only during National Nurses’ Week.

Administrators can also celebrate nurses on their staff. Below are a few ideas for administrators to thank their nurses.

Host an awards ceremony

Recognizing nurses for their achievements goes a long way toward boosting morale.

Send letters of appreciation

Letting a nurse know they are appreciated goes a long way. Handwriting a letter to express your gratitude could provide extra motivation for a nurse to continue moving forward.

The good news about writing a thank you note is that it generally doesn’t cost much. All you need is nice stationery, a pen, an envelope, and sincerity. Set aside time to key into why their efforts mean a lot and what they bring to the team.

Create ways for nurses to recognize each other

Nurses need to hear from their peers how much they are appreciated as well. Creating a sharing forum is a great way to build team chemistry and foster a sense of camaraderie.

The History of National Nurses’ Week

Dorothy Sutherland of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare sent a proposal to President Eisenhower in 1953 to create an official nurse day. About 20 years later, President Nixon created a week in February 1974 to acknowledge the nursing profession. In 1978, New Jersey’s governor, Brendon Byrne, declared May 6 as National Nurses Day.

In 1981, there was an assassination attempt on President Reagan. He received care from a team of nurses who dislodged a bullet inches from his heart. After his recovery, Reagan tracked down the nurses and sent them words of encouragement and thank you notes.

 In 1982, Ronald Reagan signed an executive order making it official on May 6, 1982.

Furthermore, the International Nurse Council declared International Nurses Day on May 12 after Florence Nightingale. After a few years, the ANA determined that the profession needed an entire week of celebration. Now we have National Nurses’ Week!

Learn how Incredible Health Celebrates National Nurses’ Week!

Tired of applying for nursing jobs?

With Incredible Health, hospitals apply to YOU.

Join free
Learn how it works

Written by Incredible Health Staff

At Incredible Health, it's a team effort to achieve our vision: Help healthcare professionals live better lives. Many are licensed practitioners themselves; others are simply passionate writers and leaders dedicated to providing valuable resources to nurses.

Read more from Incredible Health

Footer

NURSES

  • Browse jobs
  • Discounts
  • Free nursing CEUs
  • Interview questions
  • Job search guides
  • New nurse graduates
  • Nurse advice Q&A
  • Nurse specialty quiz
  • Nurses blog
  • Nursing degree guides
  • Personal finance
  • Resume guide
  • Salaries

BROWSE JOBS

  • Atlanta
  • Baltimore
  • Boston
  • Dallas
  • Fort Worth
  • Los Angeles
  • Miami
  • New York
  • Philadelphia
  • Richmond
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Washington, DC
  • See all

EMPLOYERS

  • Why Incredible Health
  • How it works
  • Employers blog
  • Pricing
  • Free consultation

COMPANY

  • About
  • Inside Incredible Health
  • Reviews
  • Press
  • Careers
  • Contact & support
[email protected]
​+1 888 410 1479
San Francisco
California

 

Download on the App Store
Get it on Google Play

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Terms
  • Privacy

Copyright © 2023 · Incredible Health