ALT-2 An Overview of the National Nurses Week
National Nurses Week is celebrated May 6th thru May 12th all over the United States and Canada, while other countries may follow the same week long celebration as well.
For those countries who do not make it a week long event, they do honor their nurses on May 12th, a day that has become known as International Nurses day.
Florence Nightingale, the founder of nursing, is the inspiration behind the celebration, as her birthday is May 12th.
Over the last 60 years, Nurses day has been celebrate on different days, in the 1950's, 1960's and the first part of the 1970's it was celebrated in October.
It wasn't until 1974, that the day of May 12th, in honor of, Florence Nightingale, was made the official International Nurses Day, signed into effect by President Nixon.
While in 1982 in conjunction with the ANA (American Nurses Association), President Regan signed into effect, National Nurses Week, beginning on May 6th and ending on May12th.
A traditional celebration of Nurses Week, in an setting, usually offers a nice buffet meal, complete with a cake, flowers and candy. Often special gifts, that are more personal are given. In a doctors office it's not uncommon for the doctors to give their nurses gift cards, or take them out to a nice dinner.
Some hospitals also hold awards ceremonies, to honor all of their nurses for a dedicated, well done job and offer awards to nurses who go above and beyond the call of duty. Awards are usually plaques, with the nurses name engraved on them.
I feel the women and men in the nursing field, are all well deserving of the recognition of the hard work they perform for society and all of humanity.
Sources: www.nursingworld.org
