National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6th and ends on May 12th, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. These permanent dates enhance planning and position National Nurses Week as an established recognition event. As of 1998, May 8 was designated as National Student Nurses Day, to be celebrated annually. And as of 2003, National School Nurse Day is celebrated on the Wednesday within National Nurses Week (May 6-12) each year.
The nursing profession has been supported and promoted by the American Nurses Association (ANA) since 1896. Each of ANA’s state and territorial nurses’ associations promotes the nursing profession at the state and regional levels. Each conducts celebrations on these dates to recognize the contributions that nurses and nursing make to the community.
The nursing profession has been supported and promoted by the American Nurses Association (ANA) since 1896. Every state and territorial nurses’ association within ANA works to advance the nursing profession in their respective regions. Each conducts celebrations on these dates to recognize the contributions that nurses and nursing make to the community.
In 2026, the ANA celebrates its 130th anniversary by designating the year as “The Year of The Power of Nurses,” featuring a new, bold “N” logo. This theme and branding symbolize a commitment to elevating the crucial role of nurses in healthcare, policy, and innovation, moving beyond just clinical care to active, empowered leadership.
Meaning of the 2026 Theme: “The Power of Nurses”
The theme highlights the essential role nurses play in advancing health, strengthening communities, and shaping the future of healthcare. It signifies a shift toward giving nurses more authority, resources, and influence to make the greatest possible impact on health. Ensuring safe work environments, fair compensation, and proper staffing ratios. Providing opportunities for nurses to lead, innovate, and have a voice in policy.
Nurses are essential healthcare professionals who provide care, educate patients and families, advocate for patient needs, and coordinate treatment. They administer medication, monitor health, perform tests, support emotionally, document care, and work with other medical staff to create effective care plans. Their duties vary by specialty, from wound care and IV insertion to managing chronic diseases, requiring critical thinking and patient-centered approaches.
Making a career choice can be a daunting prospect. What you do for a living has a significant impact on your health, happiness, and your family, so it is important to find what’s right for you. A nursing career offers unique benefits over other fields. Flexibility. Security. Satisfaction. Nursing provides all of these and what makes nursing such a distinguished career choice.
Do you “hear the call” to be a nurse? A key consideration in choosing your career is how easy it is to find a job in a dynamic growing field. According to the latest projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of Registered Nurse positions in the United States is expected to increase. Employment opportunities for Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners are predicted to grow by over 80% from now through 2032. The substantial growth of nurses is much greater than the predicted U.S. job growth average for all other occupations at the rate of 0.3% per year. Consider additional healthcare opportunities related to nursing that are experiencing comparable growth rates, significantly surpassing the national average. Over 3.1 million Registered Nurse jobs are available in the US, creating opportunities for new nurses. A nurse is there when there is a need for a gently touch, a soothing look, and a quick mind evaluating a patient’s needs. Nurses are powerful. Talk to nurses, talk to nursing
programs, and ask to shadow a nurse, if possible, for a day. Carefully review different nursing programs, call different programs, ask questions, and decide your nursing career path today.
We are taught that a “good nurse” is one who is tireless, stoic, and infinitely resilient. But there is a silent truth that the healthcare industry is finally beginning to face: You cannot pour from an empty cup. In the world of nursing, we are often defined by our capacity to give. We are calm in the center of the storm, the advocates for the vulnerable, and the steady hands during a crisis.
For too long, the culture of nursing has treated mental wellness as an afterthought—a luxury to be addressed only when the shift is over and the chores are done. We have been conditioned to believe that the trauma we witness and the exhaustion we feel are simply part of the job description, and that our own needs should always come last. However, as we look toward the future of our profession, we must acknowledge that nurse wellbeing is not a “soft” benefit; it is a clinical and safety imperative.
We need to look to the future of the nursing profession and focus on the individual who pursues nursing as a career. It is more than a job; it is a way of life. Nursing is exciting, it is demanding, it is rewarding, it is never dull, and it is unpredictable. Being a nurse means you will never be bored or lack something to do. Being a nurse means you survive on compassion to make the broken whole. A nurse can identify issues by observing a patient and knows when to communicate with unspoken words. Sometimes the only thing nurses can do is to hold a hand in silence, provide a soothing touch with eyes filled with compassion. Nurses are adaptable to computer programs, charting systems, surroundings and policies and procedures and code situations. All nurses are considered colleagues regardless of the location or workplace, recognizing the responsibilities associated with a nursing role despite never having met.
As nurses, we pay tribute by standing guard and honoring a nurse when they pass honoring their nursing profession. A Nurse Honor Guard (NHG) Tribute is available to Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs). RNs and LPNs should make their wishes known with their loved ones to arrange an NHG Tribute at their passing. There is no fee; however, donations are welcomed. NHG Groups belong to their individual state NHG and the National NHG, that has volunteer nurse groups in every state in the United States (US). The NHG is comprised of active and retired RNs and LPNs, as they honor and pay tribute to nurse colleagues who dedicated their lives to helping others as nurses. NHG volunteers will stand guard during visitation and present the tribute at the memorial service.
A NHG also offers a Living Tribute (LNT) for nurses who are in Hospice Care. The l\LNT is like a living military honor guard ceremony and symbolically releases the nurse from their nursing duties and supports the nurse during their hospice care. This information helps recognize the power of nurses.
If you are an active or retired nurse and would like to volunteer with a NHG Group, please contact one of our NHG Group Leads: Susan McCarty (517-285-0056)/mccartys53@gmail.com; Connie Williams (765-404-9072)/conniesues54@mymetronet.com; Marcia Hiles (815-955-4550)/mhiles406@gmail.com; Tammy Lewis (815-383-0504)/ctlewis5@comcast.com; Theresa Kellems (815-922-4112/tck70pchef@yahoo.com
