Celebrating Annual National Nurses Week in May
Date: November 27, 2023
Every year in the U.S., May 6–12 is celebrated as National Nurses Week. Markedly, May 6 is National Nurses Day.1 Dedicated to recognizing the significant contributions made by nurses, the observance celebrates the work and sacrifices of these professionals. Chiefly, said commemoration also raises awareness about the vital role nurses play.
In general, Nurses Week is a meaningful time for many schools, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, and institutions as they honor Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Moreover, the celebration commemorates Nightingale’s birthday on May 12, 1820.
National Nurses Week
“The Lady with the Lamp” Florence Nightingale is remembered for tending to wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. By and large, this English woman founded the first nursing school in Saint Thomas’s Hospital in London in 1860.
Florence Nightingale was born into an upper-class British family and was named after the city where she was born, Florence, Italy.2 At an early age, Florence showed high intelligence and promise. People say learning came easy to her, and she excelled in mathematics and science. It’s a lesser-known fact, but Nightingale was also a writer and a statistician.
At 24 years old, Florence received her calling. Despite her parents’ distress over her vocational decision, she refused to marry. Instead, she devoted herself entirely to helping others through medicine. Eventually, her father allowed her to study for three months at a hospital and school for deaconesses in Germany.2 After finishing the program, Nightingale went to Paris to train with the Sisters of Mercy.2 In 1853, she returned to England and became the superintendent and manager of a hospital for “gentlewomen” in London.2
However, Nightingale made her most prominent contributions during the Crimean War (1853–1856). For the war effort, Nightingale was asked to lead a group of 38 nurses to the military field hospital at Scutari.3 There, she helped fight malnutrition, ordered and distributed supplies, and implemented clean conditions through sanitary practices. For her watch, the hospital’s death rate dropped substantially.3 It is said that Nightingale’s workday never ended.3 At night, she walked the wards comforting the wounded, sometimes writing letters to home on their behalf.3 Besides being known as the Lady with the Lamp, others called her “the Angel of Crimea.”3
A Legacy
Historically, Nightingale is fondly remembered for her “Nightingale Pledge.” Traditionally, nursing students recite the pledge on their graduation day. We believe it’s her humanitarian legacy that our students inherit when they take the oath written by her so many years ago.
During a typical ceremony, future nurses light candles. With flickering reflections of flames on their cheeks, future nurses recite the pledge after their respected nurse instructor. Everyone’s heart stops briefly. It is a moment to be remembered forever and carried throughout their lives, professionally and personally.
The Pledge
While the Nightingale Pledge has been revised several times, the 1893 Pledge is as follows:
“I solemnly pledge myself
Before God and, in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life
in purity and to practice my profession faithfully.
I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous and
will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug.
I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession and
will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family
affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling.
With loyalty, I will endeavor to aid the physician in his work and
devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.”4
We Respect Our Nurses
In conclusion, National Nurses Week is an annual celebration honoring the contributions of nurses across the nation. It serves as a time to recognize the compassion, expertise, and commitment demonstrated by these healthcare professionals and the long legacy that brought about this profession. To all our nurse heroes—THANK YOU!
Do you want to learn more about Gurnick Academy’s B.S. in Nursing Program? If so, go here.
Citations
1 Practitioner, Joleen Sams Family Nurse. “What Is National Nurses Week?” Nurse.org, May 8, 2023. (Accessed November 20, 2023.)
2^a, b, c NWHM Fellow, Kerri Lee Alexander. “Florence Nightingale.” National Women’s History Museum. (Accessed November 20, 2023.)
3^a, b, c, d, e Tousignant, Marylou . Florence Nightingale’s Tireless Work Brought Respect to Nursing. The Washington Post. May 4, 2022. (Accessed November 20, 2023.)
4 The Truth About Nursing. “The Florence Nightingale Pledge.” Truthaboutnursing.org, The Truth About Nursing, Inc., 2014. (Accessed July 16, 2023.)
