As I write this today, we are marching through National Nurse’s Week. This week there have been lots of fun things at work-free food, free gifts, bowling, and other things to do. It’s a chance for we nurses to be recognized and remembered for what we do for others.
Nurse’s week started in the 1950’s but was originally begun as a one-day celebration of recognition. Later, the ANA adopted the week of May 6 - 12 as Nurse’s Week, and it is permanently celebrated on these dates.
Nurse’s week is more than just a time to get free food and gifts, though. I find it to be a good time of retrospection. It feels like an affirmation of sisterhood (or brotherhood!). To me, having time where we are recognizably appreciated by management and media helps shine a light on our profession, and hopefully shows others that as nurses we are hard-working professionals within our profession.
If you are a nurse or soon to be a nurse, take some time to reflect this week on your reasons for going into the field. Use this time as a chance to reconnect with your initial feelings about nursing and to remember why you chose to become a member of this challenging, busy, tiring, fulfilling and awesome profession. Take a few minutes to relax and reflect; you deserve it!
For a great gift for a special nurse or for yourself, click here.
Tags: nurse gifts, nurses station, Nurses Week, nursing, nursing profession
Entries (RSS)
May 19th, 2008 at 10:28 am
I agree that nursing is a profession like no other and that many nurses are called to be a nurse. I stumbled upon this profession out of fascination with the human body.
I agree that nurses should use nurse’s week to reflect on their profession and what it means to them to be a nurse. I however find nurses week to be an insult and not a celebration or a show of respect for nurses. Its original intention to celebrate nurses and the work we do has been stolen and is now used as a tool by our administrations to pacify and keep us quite.
The administrations at hospitals nation wide are enjoying profits and bonuses for the cost cutting measures that have so badly impacted patient care and the quality of our profession. I see things like the trinkets and bobbles they hand out and the ice cream socials as a bribe for the lack of real respect that we deserve. A sign of respect for our profession would be better staffing, better ratios, better retirement and better benefits all around. The raises this year only met a third the rate of inflation, while our corporate CEO last year received over a quarter million in bonuses. If I sound bitter it’s because I am and I am also disappointed in my peers that openly take what is offered them and don’t demand more for the best profession in the medical field. We are the primary care givers and we save lives every day. Doctors would see the dollar store gifts that are handed out each year as an insult and we should as well. I can not be bought that cheap!!
No disrespect to you intended.
Michael Chapman RN
May 18th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
I too was very appreciated by my workplace and associates. Nurses week means alot to me after I worked so hard to get my degree. It is an honor to wear my uniform with pride.
May 11th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Great post. Nursing is a special profession and those involved in it need to remember that more often. BTW this is a great looking nursing blog, one of the best I’ve come across.