Happy National Nurses Month
2020 was the year of the nurse and one in which nurses arose to overcome
the many challenges they were faced with. Nursing is a lifestyle and not just a career,
a lifestyle of dedicating your life to the care of others.
Thank you for everything you do to care for those around you.
You Make a Difference.
- Christina Taylor, MSN RN SCRN
VP of Nursing, Sotera Wireless
You Make a Difference is the theme of this year's Nurse's Month.
You can download a free American Nurses Association Nurse's Month 2021 Toolkit with all sorts of resources to celebrate and participate this month. Here's a brief summary with some great links.
Week 1: Self Care
MAY 1–7 Focus on the emotional and physical wellbeing of yourself and others by engaging in healthy activities that focus on both your body and mind.
- Participate in online seminars with experts speaking on key topics affecting the nursing community, such as mental health awareness, managing stress, implementing self-care habits into your daily routine, and safety in the workplace.
- Watch for Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation™ communications and micro-challenges that aim to help you improve your health and well-being now and into the future. Follow this link for more details.
- Do a self-care assessment on yourself. What activities are you doing to benefit your health and reduce your stress? How do you care for your emotional well-being? Once you’ve defined these areas, plan a course of action or join the Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation™ Grand Challenge, an initiative to help you improve health in five areas: physical activity, nutrition, rest, quality of life, and safety.
Week 2: Recognition
MAY 8-14 Raise visibility of the critical work nurses do and foster a greater understanding of the diversity of the nursing profession by honoring exemplary nurses and engaging with your community.
- Recognize one or more nurses who excel, lead, and innovate through their exemplary courage, community service, advocacy, research and innovation, and years of commitment to the profession.
- Request a proclamation from your mayor/governor declaring May 6 as National RN Recognition Day and/or May as Nurses Month. (A sample proclamation is available in this toolkit.)
- Take the opportunity to educate state legislators about the role and value of registered nurses in the health care system. Write a letter or share a video from nurses.
- Place an article or opinion piece in your state or local newspaper(s), or in a community blog, about Nurses Month and the contributions of nurses.
- Host a video news conference or informal virtual media roundtable and discuss nurses’ responses to major events and other important health care issues in your community.
- Honor a registered nurse for a heroic act or bestow an “honorary nurse” title on a deserving elected official or civic leader.
Week 3: Profesional Development
MAY 15-21 Focus on how you can excel and lead in your nursing career or inspire and help others in their professional nursing journey.
- Commit to participating in professional webinars.
- Look for webinars on current topics and those that will expand your skills like communication, listening, empathy, teamwork, problem-solving, and flexibility.
- Sign up for ANA’s free webinar, “Redefining Nursing—Reaffirming Our Practice,” based on the 4th Edition of Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice. It premieres on May 19 at 1:00 p.m. EDT.
- Volunteer as a professional mentor in your organization or nursing college.
- Look for creative ways to share your nursing experiences, such as through videos or social media, and motivate the next generation of nurses.
- Identify nurses from other specialties, nurse educators, nurse innovators, or a nurse leader in your community to share their professional development stories and advice.
Week 4: Community Engagement
MAY 22-29 Help promote nurses’ invaluable contributions by engaging with your community and educating them on what nurses do.
- Emphasize the importance of registered nurses in the nation’s health care system, pay tribute to a local nurse, or recognize all nurses who provide care every day, year-round.
- Partner with other nursing and health care organizations in your area to sponsor a joint Nurses Month event for 2021, like a virtual fundraiser for local community organizations, a blood drive, or online workshops aimed at reducing stress and building resilience.
- Organize a candlelight vigil, if permitted, to honor the dedication and commitment of the nation’s registered nurses and those nurses who have fallen due to the COVID-19 virus.
- Discuss current and ongoing health care issues with elected officials at the local, state, or federal level.
- Elected officials should be visible and accountable for their positions in health care. This also offers good media coverage potential.
Download the Toolkit