Top Nurse Organizations Share Their Plans To Celebrate Nurses

During the first week in May, Boston-Leary said some of their sponsors from the ANA’s Healthy Nurses, Healthy Nation campaign will be providing nurse appreciation gifts and are planning other activities to recognize nurses and the importance of self-care. The second week of the campaign, which runs May 8-14, will focus on nurse recognition, a way to say, “Thank you, nurses,” and to honor nurses who are innovators or leaders in healthcare. The third week, May 15-21, will focus on nurses’ professional development, while the final week, May 22-31, will highlight community engagement and volunteer activities that nurses are doing in their communities. Perhaps the most prominent event the ANA will be hosting during Nurses Month is the “You Make a Difference — Live Nurses Event,” a free virtual celebration and story-telling session on May 18. The online event, which will be led by award-winning documentary filmmaker Carolyn Jones, will include opportunities for nurses to share their stories and celebrate the nursing profession. Boston-Leary said the ANA and other nursing organizations will also seek to draw attention to important issues facing the nursing profession during the month, including the nationwide nursing shortage, incidences of workplace violence, and physical and mental health issues affecting nurses. “All of these things were issues before COVID, but they were exacerbated during the pandemic, and it’s really put a spotlight on what’s impacting the profession,” she said. Racism in nursing and the need to address the concerns of nurses of color are another focus issue during Nurses Month and throughout the year, according to Boston-Leary. A recent survey by the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing found that more than 60% of nurses said they had personally experienced or witnessed an act of racism in nursing, either by patients or fellow staff members. She said the commission is expected to release some of its recommendations in May to address racism in the nursing workplace. “It’s an important issue, and it can’t wait so we need to be willing and able to take it on,” said Boston-Leary.

Global organizations also are putting a spotlight on nursing issues in May. Howard Catton, CEO of the International Council of Nurses, said the theme for International Nurses Day this year is “Nurses: A Voice to Lead — Invest in nursing and respect rights to secure global health.” Each year, ICN leads celebrations on International Nurses Day, May 12, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Catton said this year’s campaign recognizes the need for countries around the world to include more nurses in more leadership positions, not just in health care, and give them a greater voice on other important policy issues such as climate change and COVID-19. “We hope we’re moving to the end of the pandemic and all countries are looking to build back strongly from the pandemic and that includes investing in the nursing workforce,” he said. Another major focus of this year’s international campaign is on protecting nurse rights and respect for nursing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Catton said there were many examples of nurses and healthcare workers’ rights not being respected or protected, such as a lack of adequate PPE, gross inequities in access to vaccines, and nurses being subjected to physical or verbal attacks by anti-vaxxers.

The recent war in Ukraine where nurses and healthcare workers are in danger from Russian bombings of healthcare facilities is another example of the need to protect nurse rights and safety, according to Catton. Nurses’ rights are also being violated in other countries such as Afghanistan and Myanmar, according to ICN. “That call for nurses’ rights and human rights is really something we want to reflect in our campaign,” he said. “Without a doubt, nurses rights and healthcare worker rights are human rights.” Catton said the international community is hosting a number of events and activities in May to raise awareness of the importance of nursing. Westminster Abbey will host an annual celebration with the Florence Nightingale Foundation on May 11 to celebrate nursing, midwifery, and other healthcare workers, which will be attended by ICN president. And for the first time, Aster Healthcare will be awarding a $250,000 prize for nursing innovation to an outstanding performer in the field of nursing during its Global Nursing Awards in Dubai on May 12. The ICN has also launched a compilation of case studies submitted by nurses across the world to highlight some of the incredible work nurses do every day. Catton said the BBC is producing a series of short films on the project, one of which is expected to be broadcast on International Nurses Day.