May 12 is a special day in the lives of the OneStaff team members. Each year, we celebrate International Nurses Day in honor of all of the wonder travel nurses that we get to work with every day. International Nurses Day is part of the larger National Nurses Week, which takes place from May 6 to May 12 each year.
To honor our nurses, we wanted to put together a special thank you for all of the hard work that they do for us and everyone that they care for.
History of National Nurses Week and International Nurses Day
The first National Nurses Week was celebrated in 1954. At the time, the celebration was held from October 11 to October 16. The first celebration also marked the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s mission to Crimea.
The dates for National Nurses Week changed decades later in 1974 when the International Council of Nurses (ICN) made May 12 International Nurses Day to coincide with Nightingale’s birthday, since she is so well known for the care she provided to her patients.
The start of National Nurses Week, May 6, is also National Student Nurses Day, which provides another unique opportunity to celebrate and encourage student nurses across the United States.
May is also National Nurses Month.
2020 National Nurses Week
Each year, the ICN comes up with a theme for National Nurses Week. In 2020, the theme is Nurses: A Voice to Lead—Nursing the World to Health, which focuses on the true value of nurses to the people of the world. The 2020 celebration also coincides with The Year of the Nurse and Midwife as designated by the World Health Organization (WHO), because this year marks the 200th anniversary of Nightingale’s birth.
This year’s theme validates how critical nurses are in the world of health, while inspiring both nurses and the public to celebrate the value nurses bring to all of our lives. The ICN also wanted 2020 to highlight that nurses make invaluable contributions to the health of millions of people every year, especially be they tend to work with people from birth to death.
This theme could not be more fitting during the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Right now, nurses all over the world are on the front lines helping those with coronavirus get through their treatments and back on their feet.
Thank You to OneStaff Nurses
While we wish every day was International Nurses Day, we would like to take this opportunity to extend a special thank you to all of the nurses who work with us to help clinics, hospitals, and other medical facilities throughout the United States fill positions that allow medical professionals to provide the best medical care possible to millions of people every year.
To celebrate the lovely nurses that choose OneStaff, we are sending out gifts throughout National Nurses Week between May 6 and May 12 as a thank you. While these gifts can truly express the level of gratitude that we feel for our nurses, we hope that each one feels special this week.
Here are a few thoughts from our staff that we wanted to share during National Nurses Week:
“All of the nurses out there deserve additional recognition this year, during National Nurses Week 2020, for all that they are battling on the frontlines during an unprecedented pandemic. This is such a historical time in the world, and you all are truly in the front lines. Everyday superheroes. Sincerely, thank you all for everything you have done and continue to do.” – Jack Swinney, CEO
“While most of us have been going into hiding in fear of this virus, the nurses we work with have been charging straight towards the front lines. I’ve heard on the reg from the travelers I work with that they feel called to go help with all of this because it’s in their nursing DNA. True heroes day in and day out, but especially in a time like this! HUGE Thank you to the real MVPs out there, the nurses!” – Kayla Cash | Senior Recruiting | Nursing
“Thank you to all of the nurses I’ve been fortunate enough to work with this past year. I’ve been changed for the good because of each of you. I would like to give an extra shout of gratitude to Kristin Farmer! On her current assignment, she showed true dedication and passion in her position, accepting over 200 hours of call in one month and remained flexible and positive every day. To borrow a quote from Emerson, “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, that is to have succeeded.” I truly believe all nurses have succeeded!” – Jae Laska | Senior Recruiter | Nursing