Question:
I know Nurses Week is coming up, but I’m unsure about what that means. Will there be special events at the hospital or in the community? I just started nursing school this year at a community college. Will the school be doing anything?
Answer:
National Nurses Week 2012 is from May 6-12. May 12 is the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who many people feel was the founder of modern nursing. May 6 is designated as National Nurses Day. The American Nurses Association has established the theme of Nurses: Advocating,Leading,Caring. The ANA president has this message for nurses:
From ANA President Karen A. Daley, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN
“As a nurse, you strive for excellence in all you do. You provide patients and their families with skilled, compassionate care, and help them navigate a complex and oftentimes overwhelming health care system. Regardless of your role or title, you educate, counsel, advocate, and lead. Your work makes a difference to countless patients, families, and communities who benefit from your dedication and professionalism. Amid the fast pace of your life, you may not take time to reflect on all the good you do. This week, May 6-12, 2012, is the time to acknowledge and celebrate the difference you make.”
Here are a few ideas for celebrating Nurses Week.
1. Take the time to say thanks to the nurses you know.
We all know nurses. They are our neighbors, family members, friends, as well as those nurses who care for us in a variety of health care settings. Send a card, a small gift, an email or text, or just say thanks in person. As a nursing student, you can let your faculty and clinical preceptors know that you appreciate them for their role in nursing education.
2. Take care of yourself
If you are an LPN, RN or a nursing student, you know the demands of the job. This is the week to treat yourself to whatever it is that charges your batteries: a massage, sleeping in on your day off, a pedicure, a good book, a walk in the woods, a visit to the lake shore. You deserve it.
3. Do some networking
Outside of your own practice setting, it’s refreshing and stimulating to know what other nurses in your field are doing and what challenges they face. Join a journal club, a nursing organization, or attend a state wide conference. You can pick up new ideas, be able to join forces, learn about opportunities, and be able to share your experiences.
4. Be your own advocate
Nurses are patient advocates on a daily basis, but this week think about how you can be an advocate for yourself and your colleagues. Are there media opportunities this week to showcase the contributions that nurses make in your community? How might you make the contributions of nurses more visible in your workplace? Too often nurse are the invisible providers. Talk with patients and professionals about why you chose to be a nurse, and what you love about your work.
5. Get involved on legislative issues affecting nurses
Your state nurse’s association is a good place to start. You can learn about the process, how to work effectively with legislators, and what issues are front and center in your state.
Hopefully your hospital and school are planning to honor nurses as well in the coming week. Use whatever opportunities you find to be good to yourself and other nurses this week and to advance respect for the work nurses do.