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 Nurses Week 2025: The Power of Nurses™

Nurses Week 2025: The Power of Nurses™

                 

Each May, we come together as a healthcare community to celebrate Nurses Month — a time to reflect and recognize the extraordinary impact nurses have on patients, staff, providers, and the surrounding communities they serve.

This year’s theme for National Nurses Week, “The Power of Nurses™,” couldn’t be more fitting. From the bedside to the boardroom, from rural clinics to bustling urban hospitals, nurses are the backbone of compassionate, evidence-based care. Nurses advocate for patients, lead innovation, and serve as a steady hand in times of uncertainty. Their skill, dedication, and humanity are the foundation on which healing begins for those across the globe.

“Nurses are not only the largest and most trusted workforce in healthcare, but you can’t do healthcare without nurses.”
Kate Judge
Executive Director of the American Nurses Association Foundation

“Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation as any painter’s or sculptor’s work.”

— Florence Nightingale

The History of Nurses Week

Nurses Week originated in honor of Florence Nightingale, the iconic founder of modern nursing, whose birthday falls on May 12th.

Nightingale, renowned for her pioneering work in caring for injured soldiers during the Crimean War, championed the cause of sanitation, hygiene, and hospital reform. Her visionary approach to healthcare practices revolutionized the nursing profession and transformed the delivery of medical care as we know it today. Her legacy endures, and she remains one of the most influential figures in modern healthcare.

Let’s take a look back at how Nurses Week came to be:

Nurses Week History

1953

Dorothy Sutherland of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare sent a proposal to President Eisenhower to proclaim a “Nurse Day” in October of the following year to officially recognize nurses and their impact. The proclamation never came to fruition.

1954

A National Nurse Week was observed October 11-16 in recognition of the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s groundbreaking work during the Crimean War.

1950s to 1970s

From the 1950s to 1970s several bills were introduced to Congress to formally recognize nurses, but none made it through the legislative process.

1974

In February 1974, a week was designated by the White House as National Nurse Week, and President Nixon issued a proclamation.

1982

In February, the ANA Board of Directors formally acknowledged May 6, 1982 as “National Nurses Day.” The action affirmed a joint resolution of the United States Congress designating as such. On March 25, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation, proclaiming “National Recognition Day for Nurses” to be May 6.

1990s

In 1991 the ANA Board of Directors expanded the recognition of nurses to a week-long celebration, declaring May 6 – 12 as National Nurses Week. In 1993, May 6 – 12 were permanently designated as dates to observe National Nurses Week in all subsequent years.

[bold_timeline_item_button title=”Expand” style=”” shape=”” color=”” size=”inline” url=”#” el_class=”bold_timeline_group_button”]
“Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation as any painter’s or sculptor’s work.”
Florence Nightingale

Let this week, and the entire month of May, be a reminder of your impact and a celebration of your spirit. You inspire individuals around the United States every single day.

Happy Nurses Week!



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Each May, we come together as a healthcare community to celebrate Nurses Month — a time to reflect and recognize the extraordinary impact nurses have on patients, staff, providers, and the surrounding communities they serve.

This year’s theme for National Nurses Week, “The Power of Nurses™,” couldn't be more fitting. From the bedside to the boardroom, from rural clinics to bustling urban hospitals, nurses are the backbone of compassionate, evidence-based care. Nurses advocate for patients, lead innovation, and serve as a steady hand in times of uncertainty. Their skill, dedication, and humanity are the foundation on which healing begins for those across the globe.

“Nurses are not only the largest and most trusted workforce in healthcare, but you can’t do healthcare without nurses.”
Kate Judge
Executive Director of the American Nurses Association Foundation

“Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation as any painter's or sculptor's work.”

— Florence Nightingale

The History of Nurses Week

Nurses Week originated in honor of Florence Nightingale, the iconic founder of modern nursing, whose birthday falls on May 12th.

Nightingale, renowned for her pioneering work in caring for injured soldiers during the Crimean War, championed the cause of sanitation, hygiene, and hospital reform. Her visionary approach to healthcare practices revolutionized the nursing profession and transformed the delivery of medical care as we know it today. Her legacy endures, and she remains one of the most influential figures in modern healthcare.

Let’s take a look back at how Nurses Week came to be:

Nurses Week History

1953

Dorothy Sutherland of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare sent a proposal to President Eisenhower to proclaim a “Nurse Day” in October of the following year to officially recognize nurses and their impact. The proclamation never came to fruition.

1954

A National Nurse Week was observed October 11-16 in recognition of the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s groundbreaking work during the Crimean War.

1950s to 1970s

From the 1950s to 1970s several bills were introduced to Congress to formally recognize nurses, but none made it through the legislative process.

1974

In February 1974, a week was designated by the White House as National Nurse Week, and President Nixon issued a proclamation.

1982

In February, the ANA Board of Directors formally acknowledged May 6, 1982 as “National Nurses Day.” The action affirmed a joint resolution of the United States Congress designating as such. On March 25, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation, proclaiming “National Recognition Day for Nurses” to be May 6.

1990s

In 1991 the ANA Board of Directors expanded the recognition of nurses to a week-long celebration, declaring May 6 – 12 as National Nurses Week. In 1993, May 6 – 12 were permanently designated as dates to observe National Nurses Week in all subsequent years.

[bold_timeline_item_button title=”Expand” style=”” shape=”” color=”” size=”inline” url=”#” el_class=”bold_timeline_group_button”]

“Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation as any painter's or sculptor's work.”
Florence Nightingale

Let this week, and the entire month of May, be a reminder of your impact and a celebration of your spirit. You inspire individuals around the United States every single day.

Happy Nurses Week!

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Author: RQI Partners

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