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Since 1954, the United States has dedicated a week every year to celebrating and honoring the nurses who treat and protect individuals every day, throughout holidays, weekends, and global pandemics.
This year, May 6 - 12 is National Nurses Week, with each day celebrating a different classification of nurses. Here’s our tips for some ways you can honor the nurses in your life and around the world.
Health
- Organize a health fair for your nurses where they have access to free health screenings, educational materials, and personal protective equipment (PPE).
- Promote healthy snacking by bringing healthy treats to your office for nurses to enjoy while they work tirelessly.
Gifts
- Create goodie bags with treats or handwritten notes nurses would appreciate that you can hand out to them throughout the week.
- Provide free gifts like pens, badge holders, or keychains in a central location where they can choose their own gift.
Relaxation
- Give your nurses an extra break in these difficult and stressful times - even an additional 10-15 minutes could make a world of difference.
- Organize a stress management seminar for your nurses to attend during the week so they can learn new techniques to help manage stress in their high-pressure jobs.
Activities
- Nurses can often get so busy with work or life that they forget to make time to eat - make a nurse’s day by providing free meals throughout the day for them to easily take advantage of.
- Honor the amount of time your nurses have worked at your facility by holding a ceremony and presenting them with pins displaying their years of service.
Community Service
- Hold a canned food drive at your practice and donate the collected food to a local food bank or pantry in the nurses’ name.
- Hold a “Jeans Day” for the nurses where they pay $1 to participate, and then donate all the money collected to a charity of their choice.
No matter how you choose to show your support, especially right now when nurses are risking their lives providing care throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial that we celebrate these brave members of the healthcare community.
