Nurses are an essential part of the healthcare team. Professional nurses go through extensive education and training, and they work closely with both patients and physicians to help ensure the highest possible level of healthcare. Nurses are known for their compassion and their caring natures, and healthcare would be severely lacking without the nursing profession.
In fact, nursing is the largest healthcare profession, and it is consistently rated as one of the most honest and ethical professions by the public. More than 80% of people rated the honesty and ethical standards of nurses as very high/high for the past 13 years.
National Nurses Week gives the public, as well as medical professionals, the opportunity to show thanks and appreciation for all of the incredible work that nurses do.
Each year, National Nurses Week takes place from May 6th, National Nurses Day, through May 12th, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Florence Nightingale, also known as “The Lady with the Lamp”, founded modern nursing.
The first National Nurses Week was observed in 1954 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s work caring for wounded soldiers in the Crimean War. However, this National Nurses Week Celebration took place in the month of October rather than May.
President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation designating May 6th as National Nurses Day in 1982. Eight years later, the American Nurses Association declared May 6th – May 12th National Nurses Week.
The importance of the nursing profession cannot be stressed enough. Nurses do so much to improve the health of communities and to directly improve the healthcare that patients receive.
It’s common practice to give gifts for nurses through National Nurses Week. Of course, there are additional ways to show your appreciation for nurses. Let the nurses in your life know how much you appreciate their invaluable contributions to healthcare, and thank them for a job well done! MANA is fortunate to have some of the best nurses in Northwest Arkansas. We will be honoring our amazing nurses this week with celebrations and tokens of our appreciation. Thank you so much for all that you do!