Give Meaning to National Nurses Month Beyond May 2023

What better way to make National Nurses Month matter than to focus on professional development, whether it’s taking action steps toward excelling in your own career or helping colleagues in their nursing journeys?

If that sounds a little daunting, fear not. The American Nurses Association (ANA) and the American Nurses Foundation, ANA’s charitable/philanthropic arm, have multiple resources to assist if you don’t know where to start.

ANA suggests setting a goal of making a commitment to yourself to attend at least two professional webinars in the coming months, many of which are free. Learning how to expand your skills in areas such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving can do wonders toward advancing your career, not to mention improving the care you provide patients each day. A good place to start is checking out ANA’s free webinars titled the Navigating Nursing Series.

ANA also suggests considering certification to advance your career, as getting certified can open doors to leadership positions by making you more marketable and increasing your self-confidence. The ANCC Certification Program, for example, allows nurses to show their expertise in various specialties to employers by validating the knowledge they use daily while caring for patients.

If you’re already a seasoned leader and are looking to help others, ANA’s mentorship resources can make a one-to-one connection for you with newer nurses thirsty for guidance. The online networking and career development opportunity is rewarding and unique and free for ANA members. The resources provided at www.mentorship.nursingworld.org reflect the organization’s commitment to facilitating professional development among its membership.

Nurses should consider registering for your National Provider Identifier, suggests ANA, which notes, “You provide quality care to your patients day in and day out, and this (NPI) will help to evolve reimbursement to reflect the true value of nursing.”

Kate Judge, executive director of the American Nurses Foundation, which also provides education and scholarships to help nursing careers, says National Nurses Month was more important than ever in 2023.

“Nurses have earned our unending admiration for their heroics in delivering hard and heart-breaking care during the three years of the pandemic and navigating post-pandemic challenges,” says Ms. Judge. “Each of us has needed the care of a nurse at some point in our life, and right now nurses need us to ensure they can recover from the exhaustion and anguish they’ve experienced.”

“There has never been a more ubiquitously challenging time for nurses. The fact the public continues to place their trust in nurses and hold them to a higher standard, is truly indicative of the core professional values that each nurse embodies.” OSM