National Nurses Day 2023: Florence Nightingale, or “The Lady With the Lamp” as she is more commonly known, founded modern nursing at the close of the 19th century. In caring for wounded soldiers during the Crimean War, Nightingale and her assistants reduced the mortality rate from 42% to 2% by strictly adhering to hand-washing and sanitation practises. This marked the beginning of modern nursing. National Nurses Day is observed on May 6 to acknowledge the vital role nurses play in our lives.
WHEN IS NATIONAL NURSES DAY 2023?
National Nurses Day is observed on May 6 to honour the healthcare industry’s fulcrum. Nurses are truly rockstars, as they are frequently the first and last people a patient encounters during a hospital stay.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL NURSES DAY
National Nurses Day begins National Nursing Week, which ends on Florence Nightingale’s birthday, May 12. However, the week was first celebrated in the United States in October 1954 to commemorate the centenary of Nightingale’s pioneering work in Crimea.
Dorothy Sutherland of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare requested that President Eisenhower declare a “Nurse Day” in October of the following year to coincide with the anniversary. Despite the President’s inaction, the celebration was observed due to a bill sponsored by Representative Frances P. Bolton. The following year, a new bill was submitted in Congress advocating for the celebration’s official recognition.
In February 1974, twenty years later, President Nixon proclaimed National Nurse Week to be held annually in May. In the ensuing eight years, numerous nursing organisations, including the American Nurses Association (ANA), rallied to support proposals for a “National Recognition Day for Nurses” on May 6, which was eventually declared by President Ronald Reagan in 1982.
With over 3 million active nurses in the United States, nurses constitute the largest proportion of the country’s healthcare workforce. Nurses are more likely than construction workers to incur a back injury during a shift, and they walk an average of 5 kilometres per shift because caring for others’ health is such an active job!
If you believe that nurses are only located in hospitals, you are mistaken! The majority of registered nurses (59%) work in settings other than hospitals, such as nursing homes and home visits. National Nurses Day is the ideal occasion to express your appreciation for their significant contributions to maintaining the happiness and health of people across the globe.
The customs of the day
On National Nurses Day, the nursing staff, which has always played a vital role in hospitals, is celebrated and honoured. The most prevalent custom for expressing appreciation to registered nurses is hosting a party for all shifts. The celebration is hosted by the medical faculty and staff, some of whom even have nurse-themed pastries and cupcakes as decorations.
Volunteers are also active today, putting themselves in the position of a nurse in order to appreciate their work. Social media bloggers and storytellers also document the experiences and stories of nurses who spend long hours at the hospital.
The hospital staff and patients express their appreciation for the nurses’ hard work with gifts and donations. On a larger scale, healthcare management and executives present nurses with awards and certificates as a sign of appreciation.
BY THE NUMBERS
- 300 A.D. is the earliest recorded date for the first mentions of nurses.
- 4–5 miles are walked by nurses during each shift.
- 50% – the proportion of healthcare students who are also nursing students.
- The position of nurse practitioners on a list of the “25 best jobs of 2019” is number four.
- As of 2016, the number of nurses in the United States was 3 million.
- There are 19 million nurses in the world.
- The percentage of registered nurses employed in hospitals is 41%.
- Male registered nurses make up 10% of the total labour force.
- The anticipated increase in the number of registered nurses by 2022 is 3.24 million.
- The median hourly pay for a nurse is $35.24.
Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsdag) 2023: Date, History, Activities and Facts
NATIONAL NURSES DAY ACTIVITIES
Gratitude to the nurses in your life
Nursing is commonly perceived as a “behind-the-scenes” occupation. A straightforward “thank you for all you do” could brighten a nurse’s day by demonstrating that you appreciate their efforts. With more than 3 million registered nurses in the United States, there is likely at least one nurse who would be delighted to receive your appreciation.
Give caffeine as a gift
Nurses frequently work lengthy, thankless shifts, standing for 12 hours or more per day. There is nothing better than a caffeine boost in the midst of a shift for a busy nurse. National Nurses Day is on May 12, so visit your local clinic or hospital with plenty of coffee and inform the receptionist you’re there to honour the nurses.
Learn about the woman accountable for everything
Everyone has heard of Florence Nightingale. But do you know her claim to fame? In honour of National Nurses Day, study this pioneering woman who paved the way for contemporary nursing. Better yet, view a documentary about “The Lady with the Lamp.” Extra credit if you can then recite the Florence Nightingale Pledge!
Five FACTS CONCERNING FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE
She was fluent in six languages
Florence was proficient in English, French, German, and Italian, and she also possessed a solid command of Latin and Ancient Greek.
She educated the nation’s first nurse.
Linda Richards attended Bellevue Training School before travelling to London to receive nursing training from Florence Nightingale at her School of Nursing.
She was named after her location of birth.
Like her older sister, Parthenope, Nightingale’s parents gave her the name of the Italian city in which she was born.
Her parents opposed breastfeeding.
Back then, it was viewed as a profession for the lower classes and was associated with prostitution, so convincing Mom and Dad was difficult.
She possessed a plush owl.
Nightingale rescued her adored owl from a group of children playing in the street and had it stuffed after it passed away.
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL NURSES DAY
Nurses are the foundation of health care.
Doctors may diagnose us, prescribe our medications, and perform our operations, but their duties would be impossible without nurses. Every day, nurses are on the front lines, administering injections, conducting physical exams, treating wounds, and, in many instances, caring for terminally ill patients when the doctor is absent. Nurses are there for us when we are at our most vulnerable.
Nurses are consistently rated as the most reputable profession.
The likelihood is that nurses know you better than anyone else in your life. They are aware of your weight (and keep it secret! ), have seen you nude, and are familiar with your vitals. But they are trustworthy. More than 80% of Americans believe nurses have “high” or “very high” ethical standards, according to surveys.
Even when they are not working, they are caring for family and friends.
If you are fortunate enough to have a family nurse, you will never have to fret about your health. Even during Thanksgiving dinner, nurses are always available to provide medical advice, administer medication, and fix us up if something goes awry, even when they are not on the clock.
NATIONAL NURSES DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | May 6 | Saturday |
| 2024 | May 6 | Monday |
| 2025 | May 6 | Tuesday |
| 2026 | May 6 | Wednesday |
| 2027 | May 6 | Thursday |
