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National Nurses Day,
also known as National
RN Recognition Day,
is always
celebrated on May 6th
and opens National
Nurses Week. National
Nurses Week begins each
year on May 6th and ends
on May 12th, the birth
date of Florence
Nightingale.
National Nurses Week is
one of the nation's
largest health care
events, recognizing the
contributions and
commitments nurses make
and educating the public
about the significant
work they perform. The
American Nurses
Association (ANA)
supports and encourages
National Nurses Week
through state and
district nurses
associations,
educational facilities,
and independent health
care companies and
institutions. The
week-long celebration
is designed to accommodate the variety
of schedules nurses are
required to work.
Activities during
National Nurses Week
typically include
banquets and recognition
dinners, state and city
proclamations,
continuing education
seminars, and other
community events. Nurses
are typically honored
with gifts, dinners, and
flowers by friends and
family members,
coworkers such as
doctors and
administrators, and
patients who want to
show their appreciation.
The history of Nurses
Day can be traced back
to 1953 when Dorothy
Sutherland of the U.S.
Department of Health,
Education, and Welfare
sent a proposal to
President Eisenhower to
proclaim a "Nurse Day"
in October of the
following year. The
proclamation was never
made, but the following
year National Nurses
Week was observed from
October 11 – 16, marking
the 100th anniversary of
Florence Nightingale's
mission to Crimea.
In 1974, President Nixon
proclaimed a "National
Nurse Week." In 1981, a
resolution was initiated
by nurses in New Mexico
to have May 6th
declared
"National Recognition
Day for Nurses." This
proposal was promoted by
the ANA Board of
Directors and in 1982,
with a joint resolution,
the United States
Congress designated May
6th
to be "National
Recognition Day for
Nurses." The proposal
was signed by
President Reagan, making
May 6 the official
"National Recognition
Day for Nurses." It was
later expanded by the
ANA Board of Directors
in 1990 to a week-long
celebration (May 6-12)
known as "National
Nurses Week."
National Student Nurses
Day is celebrated each
year on May 8th. At the
request of the National
Student Nurses
Association, the ANA
Board of Directors
designated May 8th as
National Student Nurses
Day beginning in 1998. And as of 2003, the ANA
has declared that
National School Nurse
Day is celebrated on the
Wednesday within
National Nurses Week.
International Nurses Day
is celebrated around the
world on May 12th of
each year. The
International Council of
Nurses (ICN)
commemorates this day
each year with the
production and
distribution of the
International Nurses'
Day Kit which includes
educational and public
information materials
for use by nurses
everywhere. The ICN has
celebrated International
Nurses Day since 1965.
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Florence Nightingale
Pledge
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I solemnly pledge
myself before God and in the presence of this
assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice
my profession faithfully. I will abstain from
whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will
not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug. I
will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the
standard of my profession, and will hold in
confidence all personal matters committed to my
keeping and all family affairs coming to my
knowledge in the practice of my calling. With
loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his
work, and devote myself to the welfare of those
committed to my care.
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This modified "Hippocratic Oath" was composed in 1893
by Mrs. Lystra E. Gretter and a Committee for the
Farrand Training School for Nurses, Detroit,
Michigan. It was called the Florence Nightingale
Pledge as a token of esteem for the founder of
modern nursing. Source:
The American
Nurses Association |
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