National Nurses Week – Plan Now!

This Friday, National Nurses Day, is the kickoff to 2016’s National Nurses Week, May 6 -12. Plan now to celebrate these caring, healing professionals and start the week off right.
If you’re a health care organization with nurses on staff, plan to recognize them during National Nurses Week, but don’t forget the others on your health care team! Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s (VUMC) post, “Tips for Success: Celebration Ideas,” notes:

“Nurses in some areas have taken the opportunity during National Nurses’ Week to honor valued team members such as care partners, medical receptionists, etc.  At the same time, non-nurse team members have reciprocated with local events honoring their nurses.”

Here are some fun ways to recognize your nursing team:
Come up with some award categories and have nurses vote for winners. You can even design your own National Nurses Week ballot box. Announce the winners at a celebratory gathering with lunch or snacks and give small prizes.
VUMC’s award suggestions include:

• Most Likely to Swap a Shift
• Our Greatest Cheerleader
• Most Likely to Have Something Nice to Say
• The Calm in the Storm

Have your winners stand for a round of applause and ask attendees to raise their hands to say a few words about each one. Be sure your leadership takes the stage to thank all nurses for their vital service to patients!
Read on for more easy and affordable ways to celebrate National Nurses Week in your organization!

7 Affordable Days of Celebration

You love your nursing staff. Show them you really care by celebrating them all week. Here’s a great plan from Advanced Healthcare Network detailed in “Celebrating Nurses Week (on a Budget):“

Day 1 – Gift rolls of Lifesavers, with notes saying, “You’re a Lifesaver.”
Day 2 – Post pictures of your team with captions below with each nurse’s name describing one of his or her best qualities.
Day 3 – Ask other departments to stop by and say thank you to your nursing team.
Day 4 – Give nurses National Nurses Week buttons to let others know it’s a special time.
Day 5 – Ask a local elementary school or daycare to have students write thank yous and draw pictures celebrating nurses. Post the notes and pictures in your break room or common area.
Day 6 – Set up a poster or bulletin board and ask nurses to write down what they appreciate about each other.
Day 7 – During the week, photograph your celebrations and create a slide show. Watch it together on a big screen as you share popcorn and lemonade. Include a sincere thank you message from leadership as the concluding slide.
On its National Nurses Week 2016 page, the American Nursing Association offers multiple resources for celebrating this special week. There’s a whole toolkit you can download, logos, information on the celebration’s history, and more.

All Businesses Can Celebrate National Nurses Week

For all types of businesses, if your employees’ health care comes from a certain network of providers, consider thanking the nurses on those teams. Take the opportunity to thank the whole team for their inspiration and workplace wellness efforts on your organization’s behalf.
Whether you employ nurses or not, there are bound to be some who have made a difference in your life and your employees’ lives. Be sure to express your gratitude to them too!

Free Resource: Your Day-to-Day Employee Engagement Calendar

Looking for easy ways to thank employees year-round? Check out our 2022 Day-to-Day Employee Celebration Calendar! This one-of-a-kind resource gives you the tools and inspiration to build a culture of appreciation every day of the year. Download yours today, absolutely free.

“In life, one has a choice to take one of two paths: to wait for some special day — or to celebrate each special day.” – Rasheed Ogunlaru, coach and author

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