The month of May always holds a special meaning for nurses. It is National Nurses Week, which begins May 6 and ends on May 12, which happens to be Florence Nightingale's birthday. This week is also a time to celebrate who we are as nurses, to honor heroic acts and exemplary courage of a nurse and it is a time to recognize your commitment as a nurse to the nursing discipline and for your years of service to the community within which you practice.

So do you know how National Nurses Week came about? After a little research through the American Nurse Association Web site I found that answer. In 1953, a "Nurse Day" was suggested to President Eisenhower by a Dorothy Sutherland who was part of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. It did not happen. In 1954, a National Nurse Week was observed from October 11 to 16 to acknowledge the 100th anniversary of the mission to Crimea made by Florence Nightingale. Also in 1954, a bill was sponsored by Frances Bolton and was presented to Congress in 1955 for a "National Nurse Week"; nothing happened once again. No progress was made until 1972 when the House of Representatives was presented with a resolution for a "National Registered Nurse Day." Once again it did not happen. In January 1974, May 12 was designated as "International Nurse Day" by the International Council of Nurses, and in February of that same year President Nixon issued a proclamation that there would be a National Nurse Week. Time passed and in 1982 the American Nurse Association formally recognized May 6 as "National Nurses Day" and President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation acknowledging May 6 as "National Recognition Day for Nurses." In the 1990s, the celebration of nurses became a week-long celebration and May 6-12 became the final and permanent dates for "National Nurses Week." If it was not for the perseverance of those before us who knew and recognized the need for and the value of nurses, we would not have this special week set aside for us.

How do you celebrate you? Do you recognize the value you have not only as a nurse, but as a Plastic Surgical Nurse as well? You, as a plastic surgical nurse, have an important role and value in our current healthcare system. You play an imperative role in the safety of your patients and the quality of care provided. Nurses are indispensable and provide care to their patients selflessly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and for 365 days a year. Plastic surgical nurses provide "whole" person care, which takes into account a patient's spiritual, social, and psychological needs. We provide compassion, respectful and humane care, education, and advocacy for our patients.

My take-home message to my fellow nurses is that people will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel. You are valued and needed. I honor our profession and what we offer, I honor you.

Sharon D. Fritzsche, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CPSN

ASPSN President 2011, 2012