Celebrating the Invaluable Impact of Nurses

May marks National Nurses Month, and the theme for this year is, ‘You make a difference.’

It’s National Nurses Month 2023, and the American Nurses Association (ANA) is in the midst of a monthlong recognition of the unparalleled impact members of the most trusted professional make on the healthcare system every day.

ANA’s theme for this year, “You make a difference,” is designed to capture all the varying roles played by nurses across the country. They’ve broken the month into four weekly focus areas — self-care (week of May 1), recognition (week of May 8), professional development (May 15) and community engagement (May 22).

For nurses like Andrea Dyer, MSN, RN, CNOR, the training manager of satellite operating rooms at Boston Children’s Hospital, Nurses Month is an opportunity for those on the frontlines to recognize one another for all that they do. “Nurses Month is a time to celebrate the most incredible colleagues who have become an extension of my family. This month the world gets to honor and salute those of us who take care of patients unconditionally while going above and beyond to make them feel safe and secure,” says Ms. Dyer, who also serves as the board of directors for the Boston Chapter of AORN. “I believe healers are born, not made.” When asked what this month — and being a nurse — means to her personally, Ms. Dyer is quick to recite a popular quote that gets to heart of the unconditional care she referred to: “Nurse: Just another word to describe a person strong enough to tolerate anything, soft enough to understand anyone and courageous enough to unconditional care for every patient.”

For each week of the Nurses Month celebration, ANA offers suggestions on how to commemorate the occasion. In the self-care arena, it suggests joining its Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation program, which focuses on six areas: physical activity, nutrition, rest, quality of life, safety and mental health. There is a Healthy Nurse Survey site to help with working toward fitness and wellness goals. Apps and resources are available at the American Nurse Foundation’s Well-Being Initiative and ANA has a nine-part gratitude podcast with tools to help being grateful a daily practice. The ANA Nurses Month Resource Toolkit contains links to all these resources.

To recognize outstanding nurses, ANA suggests requesting a proclamation from you local elected officials or state government that declares May as National Nurses Month. (A sample ballot is contained in the link to the toolkit.) Consider hosting a media event to highlight the roles you play in the community. (Tips on dealing with media representatives are in the toolkit as well.) You could also bestow an honorary nursing title to a deserving community leader, as well as recognize a peer for a heroic act they performed in the last year.

ANA asks nurses to consider helping other nurses advance their careers in addition to thinking about how to continue to excel in their own. Perhaps commit to participating in two professional webinars this year, such as ANA’s Navigating Nursing series. You could also consider getting additional certification from organizations such as the American Nursing Credentialing Center or checking into some of the many mentorship resources ANA offers. Finally, registering for your National Provider Identifier will help reimbursements evolve for the better. OSM