National Nurses week begins each year on May 6th. This date is special because it is Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Florence is known for professionalizing nursing. In 1860, Florence laid the foundation for nursing by opening up the first nursing school at a hospital in London. In recognition of Florence students take the “Nightingale Pledge” and can also receive a high achievement award referred to as the Florence Nightingale Medal.
In 1953 Dorothy Sutherland proposed to President Eisenhower that “Nurse Day” occur in October, this proclamation was never made. In 1954, National Nurse Week was observed from October 11-16th. This was done in observation of the 100th anniversary of Nightingales mission trip. In 1955, a bill was introduced for National Nurse Week but once again, no action was taken. This occurred again in 1972 until January of 1974, when the International Council of Nurses proclaimed that May 12th (Florence’s birthday) would be International Nurse Day. In February of 1974, President Nixon issued a proclamation making it a weeklong celebration. In 1997, the ANA Board of Directors designated May 8th as National Student Nursing day.
Pinnacle would like to express our sincere appreciation to our amazing nurses. Thank you, Denise and Laurel!
