I am proud to bring you our series celebrating Unique Holidays: April 2022 Nurse’s Week – first full week of month. Did you know my Uncle Chuck was a Nurse in Oklahoma City and over all the nurses in the Surgical Ward? If Chuck was here, you could bet your bottom dollar I would thank him for all he does for his patients and the staff.
From assisting with life-threatening ER crises to delivering babies and caring for the elderly in their last moments, nurses perform some of the most difficult and heartbreaking tasks. As workers who perform the most essential healthcare tasks, nurses serve as the first point of contact for most patients.
National Nurses Week honors the nurses’ contributions and sacrifices and reminds us to thank the medical professionals who keep us healthy. Nurse’s Week is celebrated between May 6th, National Nurses Day, and May 12th, the birthdate of celebrated nurse Florence Nightingale.
Nurse’s Week – first full week of month
HISTORY OF NATIONAL NURSES WEEK
Nurses were once viewed as lowly doctors’ assistants. Now nurses are recognized as highly specialized professionals with a wide range of skills. Today, becoming a nurse requires four years of study using extreme focus and dedication. The versatile career of nurses comes with dozens of specialties which is a crucial link between patients and doctors.
The advent of modern nursing is credited to Florence Nightingale, who laid the foundation for professional nursing through her tireless work during and after the Crimean War. Florance Nightengale was a nursing manager on the frontlines, Nightingale introduced hygiene protocols and other measures that drastically reduced infections and deaths in battlefield hospitals.
Today, Nurses work in a wide range of specialties and settings, from school nurses who administer vaccines to highly specialized oncology nurses who assist in life-saving treatment decisions.
To acknowledge the contributions of nurses and call attention to their working conditions, the International Council of Nurses established May 12th as International Nurses Day in 1974. The celebration was extended to a week a few years later, and National Nurses Week was officially born in 1994. Sponsored and promoted by the American Nurses Association, the week-long event highlights the crucial contributions that nurses make to the community.
In the U.K., Nurses celebrate with an annual ritual based on Florence Nightingale’s nighttime visits to injured soldiers, which earned her the nickname “Lady with the Lamp.” On May 12th, a ceremonial lamp is passed along a line of nurses from the Nurses’ Chapel at Westminster Abbey to the Abbey’s High Altar, symbolizing the passage of knowledge.
NATIONAL NURSES WEEK ACTIVITIES
- Nurses work long hours with few breaks and nurses deserve a treat. If you know a nurse, send them a surprise meal or spa session to show your appreciation!
- If you are eligible, donating blood is an easy way to help ensure our healthcare system has the resources it needs to save lives.
- Today is a perfect day to write a thank you note to a nurse telling them you see and appreciate their efforts.
5 FACTS ABOUT NURSING
- In the Middle Ages, all-male religious orders cared for the sick and dying and women began playing a larger role in religious hospitals in the 1600s.
- Did you know on average, a nurse walks 4 to 5 miles on every 12-hour shift? Which amounts to a 5k every day!
- Nursing is consistently rated as one of the most trusted professions in public polls.
- Nurses from the Philippines make up 50% of all foreign Nurses in the U.S.
- Almost half of nurse’s work in other locations including schools, hospice facilities, or private homes.
WHY EVERYONE LOVES NATIONAL NURSES WEEK
- Nurses perform some of the most important daily tasks in healthcare. National Nurses Week recognizes nurses tireless and often thankless work.
- Did you know most nurses work 12-hour shifts with few breaks, often taking on extra work when the need arises? Since healthcare is a 24/7/365 operation, nurses often find themselves working through holidays and family events.
- Because Nurses spend the most time with a patient, nurses have a comprehensive understanding of a patient’s condition, and treatment.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
