Celebrate National Nurses Week, May 6-12

The work of America's 2.9 million registered nurses (RNs) to save lives and to maintain the health of millions of individuals is the focus of this year's National Nurses Week, celebrated annually May 6-12 throughout the United States. This year, the American Nurses Association (ANA) has selected "Nurses: Making a Difference Every Day" as the theme for 2008.

Annually, National Nurses Week begins on May 6, marked as RN Recognition Day, and ends on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, founder of nursing as a modern profession. During this week, registered nurses all over the country will be honored.

In honor of National Nurses Week and RN Recognition Day, registered nurses around the country are encouraged to wear the official "RN Pin." The pin can be purchased by calling 1-800-445-0445. In addition to wearing the RN Pin, nurses will be asked to dress in uniform on that day.

Traditionally, National Nurses Week is devoted to highlighting the diverse ways in which registered nurses, the largest healthcare profession, are working to improve healthcare. From bedside nursing in hospitals and long-term care facilities to the halls of research institutions, state legislatures, and Congress, the depth and breadth of the nursing profession is meeting the expanding healthcare needs of American society.

Did you know...?
There are nearly 2.9 million registered nurses in the United States. And 2.4 million of them are actively employed.

RNs top the list of the 10 occupations with the largest projected job growth in the years 2002-2012.

Schools of nursing were forced to reject more than 147,000 qualified applications to nursing programs at all levels in 2005. Meanwhile, nursing colleges and universities denied 32,617 qualified applicants in 2005, resulting primarily from a shortage of nurse educators.

There are over 240,400 advanced practice nurses in the United States. Of these, approximately 144,200 are nurse practitioners, 69,000 are clinical nurse specialists, 14,600 are both nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists, 13,700 are nurse midwives, and 32,500 are nurse anesthetists.

Research indicates that advanced practice registered nurses can provide 60 to 80 percent of primary care services as well as or better than physicians and at a lesser cost.

The nation's nurses rank first for their honesty and integrity, with 82 percent of Americans rating them "high" or "very high," according to a 2005 Gallup Poll.

If hospitals increased RN staffing and hours of nursing care per patient, more than 6,700 patient deaths and four million days of care in hospitals could be avoided each year.

Suggestions for Celebrating National Nurses Week

• Hold a special celebration or reception to recognize nurses in your community for heroic acts, years of service to the community, exemplary courage, or their commitment to the nursing profession over the years.
• Place an article in your state or local newspaper(s) about National Nurses Week and the value of nurses.
• Invite a politician to accompany nurses at their place of employment for a day or part of a day. Healthcare remains an issue of tremendous importance to voters. Politicians should be visible and accountable for their positions on healthcare. This is a win-win situation and it offers good media coverage potential.
• Host a press conference about an important healthcare issue in your community; release the findings of a local survey; or honor a registered nurse for a heroic act.
• Host a hearing before the city council or hold a town meeting on recent trends in healthcare (nurses being replaced by unlicensed assistive personnel, safety and quality of care issues, restructuring, safer needle devices, etc.)
• Invite a local celebrity (one who has spoken about healthcare in the past; one who has personally been a patient of a nurse; or one whose family member has been a patient) and request his/her sponsorship of National RN Recognition Day and/or National Nurses Week. Hold an event and ask him/her to speak about a personal experience in which he/she was cared for by a nurse.
• Request a proclamation from your mayor/governor declaring May 6 as National RN Recognition Day and/or May 6-12 as National Nurses Week.
• Ask your state or local newspaper to solicit stories from readers who would like to pay tribute to a nurse who provided exemplary care.

Source: American Nurses Association

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