How to Celebrate National Nurses Week

Nurses Week, which will be celebrated nationwide May 6-12, is a chance to honor those wonderful men and women who spend long hours on hard linoleum floors, tending to the sick and injured. If you have a nurse in your life -- and even if you don't -- you might want to celebrate Nurses Week in order to show your gratitude. Anyone who has ever been to a hospital, a doctor's office or a clinic knows how hard nurses work and how little they are ultimately appreciated.

National Nurses Week has been a national event since 2003, when National Student Nurses Day (May 8) was extended into a week-long celebration. Although Nurses Week isn't as well-known as President's Day, Black History Month or even Pearl Harbor Day, it is still a great opportunity to put nurses in the limelight for their selfless contributions to society. Although nurses are paid for their work in medical facilities nationwide, they often work more hours than the doctors they assist and deserve recognition. Following are a few ideas for how to celebrate National Nurses Week:

Organize a Reception. National Nurses Week presents a unique opportunity to publicly recognize nurses for their valiant efforts. One idea for celebration is to organize a reception for nurses who deserve recognition for heroic acts in the community, years of service, outstanding commitment or anything else that seems out of the ordinary. While it might not be possible to recognize each nurse in your community individually, a reception allows you to choose those nurses who have provided exemplary service.

Host a Fundraiser. National Nurses Week also gives us an opportunity for an act of philanthropy. In the name of nurses in your community, host a fundraiser to benefit a hospital, clinic or other medical institution of your choice. Walk-a-thons and bake sells are two of the most common types of fundraisers for this purpose.

Raise Political Awareness. Many people don't understand the stressful and often heartbreaking situations that nurses must endure each day on the job. To raise political awareness about healthcare, invite a local politician to spend a day with nurses in your community to witness their day-to-day lives. Not only might this show politicians how important the nation's healthcare truly is, but it will also generate powerful media coverage that will extend to voters.

Wear an RN Pin. If you don't have the time or ability to organize an event, show your support for nurses by wearing an RN pin during National Nurses Week. This will show everyone that you support the nurses in your community and will invite questions about National Nurses Week so that more people are aware of it. If you would like to order an RN pin, you can do so by calling 1.800.445.0445, though you must pay with a credit card.

Set Up a NNW Display at the Library. Go to your local library and suggest setting up a special display for National Nurses Week. Display books about nurses, articles about the heroic acts of nurses and give away RN pins or key chains to show your support. The more people who know about National Nurses Week, the better.

Get With Your Newspaper. There are probably thousands of people in your community whose lives have been touched by a nurse. Talk with your local newspaper about soliciting stories from readers about their experiences with nurses. This would be a great tribute in the paper during National Nurses Week and will give the readers a chance to tell everyone how their lives have been touched by nurses.

To learn more about National Nurses Week, visit NursingWorld.com. If your family members haven't heard about National Nurses Week, let them know, and if you have a friend or relative who is a nurse, show them you care between May 6 and May 12.