International Nurses Day
Give a big thank-you to the hard-working, often under-paid medical professionals who keep hospitals, rehab centers, nursing homes and hospice care running.
Honor healthcare heroes on May 12th with appreciation-driven campaigns targeting gift-givers, employers, and healthcare institutions seeking to recognize nursing staff.
- Share nurse appreciation stories and Florence Nightingale's legacy to inspire gratitude
- Promote gift bundles (chocolates, wine, treats) for hospital staff appreciation
- Partner with healthcare employers on team recognition events and morale-boosting initiatives
- Highlight how brands support frontline healthcare workers year-round
It all began in 1953, when Dorothy Sutherland, an official with the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, contacted President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposing he proclaim a “Nurses’ Day”.
However, he did not approve her proposal at that time. The International Council of Nurses has celebrated on May 12th since 1965. This date is an important date to all nurses, as it is the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, who is widely considered the founder of modern nursing.
In January 1974, this day was finally officially made International Nurses Day. Each year since then, ICN prepares and distributes something called the International Nurses’ Day Kit which contains educational and public information materials, for use by nurses everywhere.
There is a different theme that is attributed to International Nurses Day every year. We would recommend taking a look at the theme, as this will give you a better understanding of the focus and could even help you to decide what you are going to do to celebrate International Nurses Day.
For example, one of the recent themes was “Nursing the world to health.” This theme was designed to focus on the real value that nurses bring to people all over the globe. A lot of the major organizations around the world that embrace this date will use the theme to guide their celebrations and activities.
Show Appreciation
Because this day is all about celebrating nurses’ endless contributions to society, take this opportunity to show a nurse who has taken care of you how much you appreciate her or him! As with most gestures of appreciation, whatever you decide to do need not be grand or cost much money. If you are feeling especially grateful for the way a certain nurse took care of you (fed you, brought you a blanket, let you cry on his or her shoulder, or any of the hundreds of other things nurses do), today is the day to show that gratitude.
Give Gifts to a Special Nurse
So take a trip down to the hospital with a box of chocolates, a nice bottle of wine, or anything else you think that particular nurse might like. Some people, after having spent months in the hospital with a serious condition, decide to order pizza or cake for the entire medical team that was looking after them, a gesture that that team is guaranteed to remember you for forever, if you should decide on it. However, as mentioned before, it’s the thought that counts the most. A nurse’s main goal is to help you get through treatment and get better, so just knowing he or she succeeded is a reward in itself.
Research Florence Nightingale
As the day has been chosen because it is the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birthday, you may want to spend some time researching more about Florence Nightingale and everything that she achieved. There are a lot of online resources, as well as plenty of books that have been published as well. Florence Nightingale is created with being the founder of modern nursing. She served as a trainer and manager of nurses throughout the Crimean War, organizing care for soldiers who had been wounded in battle. This resulted in her being an icon of Victorian culture, giving nurses a favorable reputation. Florence also laid the foundations for professional nursing when she established a nursing school in 1860. This was in London at St Thomas’ Hospital. Today, it is part of King’s College London. Back then, it was the world’s very first secular nursing school, which is quite some achievement! This merely scratches the surface of her achievements. Her social reforms include expanding female participation in the workforce, helping to eradicate prostitution laws that were hard for women, advocating improved hunger relief in India, and improving healthcare for all sections of society in Britain.