History of National Nurses Week

1953 Dorothy Sutherland of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare sent a proposal to President Eisenhower to proclaim a "Nurse Day" in October of the following year. The proclamation was never made.

1954 National Nurse Week was observed from October 11 - 16. The year of the observance marked the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale's mission to Crimea. Representative Frances P. Bolton sponsored the bill for a nurse week. Apparently, a bill for a National Nurse Week was introduced in the 1955 Congress, but no action was taken. Congress discontinued its practice of joint resolutions for national weeks of various kinds.

1972 Again a resolution was presented by the House of Representatives for the President to proclaim "National Registered Nurse Day." It did not occur.

1974 In January of that year, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) proclaimed that May 12 would be "International Nurse Day." (May 12 is the birthday of Florence Nightingale.) Since 1965, the ICN has celebrated "International Nurse Day."

1974 In February of that year, a week was designated by the White House as National Nurse Week, and President Nixon issued a proclamation.

1978 New Jersey Governor Brendon Byrne declared May 6 as "Nurses Day." Edward Scanlan, of Red Bank, N.J., took up the cause to perpetuate the recognition of nurses in his state. Mr. Scanlan had this date listed in Chase's Calendar of Annual Events. He promoted the celebration on his own.

1981 ANA, along with various nursing organizations, rallied to support a resolution initiated by nurses in New Mexico, through their Congressman, Manuel Lujan, to have May 6, 1982, established as "National Recognition Day for Nurses."

1982 In February, the ANA Board of Directors formally acknowledged May 6, 1982 as "National Nurses Day." The action affirmed a joint resolution of the United States Congress designating May 6 as "National Recognition Day for Nurses."

1982 President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation on March 25, proclaiming "National Recognition Day for Nurses" to be May 6, 1982.

1990 The ANA Board of Directors expanded the recognition of nurses to a week-long celebration, declaring May 6 - 12, 1991, as National Nurses Week.

1993 The ANA Board of Directors designated May 6 - 12 as permanent dates to observe National Nurses Week in 1994 and in all subsequent years.

1996 The ANA initiated "National RN Recognition Day" on May 6, 1996, to honor the nation's indispensable registered nurses for their tireless commitment 365 days a year. The ANA encourages its 53 state and territorial nurses associations and other organizations to acknowledge May 6, 1996 as "National RN Recognition Day."

1997 The ANA Board of Directors, at the request of the National Student Nurses Association, designated May 8 as National Student Nurses Day.

Suggestions on How to Celebrate National Nurses Week

Hold a special celebration or reception to recognize a nurse or several nurses in your community. These nurses could be honored for heroic acts, years of service to the community, exemplary courage, or their commitment to the nursing profession over the years.

Promote a positive, realistic image of registered nurses by sponsoring health fairs, conducting preventive screenings in underserved areas, organizing a walk-a-thon, etc.

Place an article in your state or local newspaper(s) about National Nurses Week and the value of nurses.

Invite a politician -- local, state or federal -- to accompany a nurse or several nurses at their place of employment for a day or part of a day. Health care remains an issue of tremendous importance to voters. Politicians should be visible and accountable for their positions on health care. This is a win-win situation and it offers good media coverage potential.

Ask every nurse in America to wear an "RN Pin" and/or nurse's uniform during National Nurses Week. The official "RN Pin" is available by calling 1-800-335-1560 (credit card orders only).

Sponsor a community-wide event, such as a coloring contest or poem-writing contest for school children. The children could acknowledge their favorite nurse, a famous nurse, or family member who is a nurse - past or present - in a colorful drawing. The drawings could be displayed in local schools, hospitals, nursing homes, etc.

Purchase promotional items for National Nurses Week (i.e., RN Pins, key rings, t-shirts, mugs, buttons, etc.).

Work cooperatively with hospitals, schools, and libraries to set up a special display for National Nurses Week using promotional materials, such as, pins, t-shirts, posters, etc.

Host a press conference. Discuss an important health care issue in your community; release the findings of a local survey; honor a registered nurse for a heroic act; or bestow an "honorary" nurse title to a deserving politician or civic leader.

Organize a free cholesterol and/or blood pressure screening in your local community and promote via radio announcements, flyers, posters, etc.

Host a hearing before city council or hold a town meeting on nursing's concerns about the recent trends in health care (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 health care 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.

Host a fund-raiser (i.e., walk-a-thon) and donate money to a local charity. Emphasize the importance of registered nurses in our nation's health care system; pay tribute to a local nurse; or recognize all registered nurses who are indispensable and provide care selflessly 24-hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Request a proclamation from your mayor/governor declaring May 6 as National RN Recognition Day and/or May 6-12 as National Nurses Week.

Host an editorial board meeting with leading state or local newspapers. Discuss the importance of registered nurses at the bedside and the nursing profession's concerns about current issues, specifically those related to safety and quality of care.

Organize a candlelight vigil on National RN Recognition Day (May 6) in honor of the hard work and commitment of the nearly 2.7 million registered nurses in America.

Suggest that your state or local newspaper solicit stories from readers who would like to pay tribute to a nurse who provided exemplary care.

Recognize all registered nurses who are in your state legislature and hold an event at the state capitol. Take the opportunity to educate state legislators about the role and value of registered nurses in the health care system.

Write and distribute a press release announcing National RN Recognition Day and/or National Nurses Week.

Obtain support from other nursing and health care organizations in your area by asking them to sponsor National RN Recognition Day and/or National Nurses Week and to hold a joint event with your organization.