Celebrating Nurses’ Monumental Impact

There is a myriad of ways to participate in National Nurses Week, which is celebrated May 6-12, from honoring your staff RNs with a gift or event to taking steps to let the broader community know about the impact nurses make in your community.

The week is actually celebrated throughout the month of May, according to the American Nurses Association (ANA). This year’s theme to honor the more than five million RNs is “Nurses Make the Difference” to highlight how nurses embody the spirit of compassion and care in all healthcare settings.

ANA encourages health care professionals, employers, community leaders and the public to recognize and promote the vast contributions and positive impact of nurses worldwide.

“Nurses contribute to health in multifaceted ways – as educators, activists, innovators and caregivers – the list could go on and on,” says ANA President Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN. “We are all indebted to nurses, and we hope all will join in celebrating nurses during this special time of recognition, awareness and celebration.”

In addition to celebrating nurses’ achievements, ANA is calling attention to key nurses’ health and workforce issues that matter to nurses and opportunities to provide support. The group says nurses should take care of their minds and bodies with a self-care program that focuses on physical activity, nutrition, rest, quality of life, safety and mental health. Stress- and burnout-prevention activities are also recommended. From an on-the-job perspective, ANA recommends attending webinars, getting or becoming a mentor, getting certified, and registering as a National Provider Identifier.

“We know that nurses have the power to create a better world and during Nurses Week, we recognize both the challenges nurses face and the power they possess,” says ANA Chief Nursing Officer Debbie Hatmaker, PhD, RN, FAAN.

AUA Surgical Center in Amarillo, Texas, is holding an annual luncheon for its nurses next week, says Clinical Manager Beth Austin, BS, RN. Each nurse will also get a drinking glass with a lighthearted message noting that people lean on nurses for medical advice, even when they’re away from their surgery centers.

The glasses are inscribed with the phrase, “It’s not work hours, but sure, I’ll take a look.”

“Nurses are the cornerstone of the medical system, without whom there would be no ‘outstanding doctors,’ no ‘great outcomes’ for patients and certainly no ‘top-rated’ health systems,” says Ms. Austin. “They are the eyes and ears of doctors advocates for the patients and generally just decent, kind humans.”

ANA events this month include the #NursesLightUpTheSky event with several skyscrapers in major cities participating, the American Nurses Foundation’s Thank a Nurse gift matching program and the Mary Eliza Mahoney lecture series. For more information on these and other happenings, visit https://osmag.net/4aVkiCV.

Everyone is encouraged to use social media to recognize nurses who have made a difference in their lives by snapping a photo of them and sharing the story on social media. Nurses can do the same by shouting out their team members or sharing a story of their journey that led them into nursing. OSM