Each year, May 6 to May 12 marks National Nurses Week. The celebration always concludes on the date of Florence Nightingale's birthday, which is May 12.
This week is a special time for the nursing profession.
Nurses provide highly skilled, expert care with dignity and kindness throughout our nation’s network of hospitals and extended healthcare facilities. Nurses’ compassion extends to patients’ families and to the communities nurses serve.
Nursing is a great profession because of the many different types of opportunities nursing has to offer. Nursing specialties include nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, perfusionist, and my personal favorite: nurse entrepreneur.
Demand for New Nursing Roles
As more hospitals face budget cuts and staff shortages, and HCAHPS scores are becoming more important for reimbursement, nurses’ roles in the hospital setting are expanding. Healthcare systems are increasingly turning to nurses as leading voices for technology implementation and caregiving expertise.
Not everyone is cut out for the hard work of being a nurse. This week is a great time to recognize nurses for all they do in the healthcare community and their role in patient safety. It is imperative that Nurse Educators and nursing students avoid burnout by balancing mind, body, and spirit to keep the flame of care alive.
