The work of America's 2.6 million registered nurses to save lives and to maintain the health of millions of individuals is the focus of this year's National Nurses Week, celebrated May 6-12 throughout the United States.
"Nurses: Lifting Spirits, Touching Lives" is the theme for 2003. National Nurses Week opens on May 6, the traditional National Nurses Day. This year the American Nurses Association (ANA), in conjunction with its 54 Constituent State Nurses Associations, will be recognizing nurses by drawing special attention to nurse staffing issues.
Annually, National Nurses Week begins on May 6, marked as RN Recognition Day, and ends on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, founder of nursing as a modern profession. During this week, registered nurses throughout the country will be honored by rallies, community health screenings, childhood immunization efforts, dinners, receptions, and organizational events.
Home care agencies can creatively recognize their nurses and the contributions they make by hosting luncheons or beginning/ end of day events that are both fun and foster professionalism. Instead of giving cups and pens, providing a special in-service with an inspirational or comedic speaker, giving each clinician a subscription to a professional journal, and announcing additions to the agency's library and Internet resources can reinforce professionalism. Hosting a coffee or breakfast for a group of nurses from frequently referring physician offices, hospitals, long-term care facilities, or from professionals can show off your clinical staff and let them deepen their professional working relationship.
In honor of National Nurses Week and RN Recognition Day, the ANA is encouraging registered nurses to wear the official "RN Pin." The pin can be purchased by calling 1-800-274-4ANA. In addition to wearing the RN Pin, where applicable, nurses will be asked to dress in uniform on that day.
ANA, through its 54 constituent member associations, advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting economic and general welfare, promoting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and lobbying Congress and the regulatory agencies on healthcare issues affecting nurses and the public.
Traditionally, National Nurses Week is devoted to highlighting the diverse ways in which registered nurses, the largest healthcare profession, are working to improve healthcare. From nursing in hospitals, home care and long-term care facilities to research institutions, state legislatures, and Congress, the depth and breadth of the nursing profession is meeting the expanding healthcare needs of American society.