National Nurse’s Week is observed each year from May 6 through Florence Nightingale’s birthday on May 12. The week was established to honor nurses who spend their time meeting the health and mental health care needs of our nation. In honor of the dedication, commitment, and tireless effort of the nearly 2.9 million registered nurses nationwide to promote and maintain the health of this nation, the American Nurses Association (ANA), the MDOC Bureau of Health Care Services, and MDCH Corrections Mental Health Program are proud to recognize nurses everywhere on this particular week for the quality work they provide seven days a week, 365 days a year.  Various activities are being planned throughout MDOC. 

The first National Nurse’s Week was observed from October 11-16, 1954.  The year marked the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s mission to Crimea.  It was not until 1993 that the ANA Board of Directors designated May 6 - 12 as the dates to observe National Nurses Week then in 1994 established them for all subsequent years.

Traditionally, National Nurse’s Week is devoted to highlighting the diverse ways in which registered nurses, the largest health care profession, are working to improve health care. From bedside nursing in hospitals and long-term care facilities to correctional facilities to the halls of research institutions, state legislatures, and Congress, the depth and breadth of the nursing profession is meeting the expanding health care needs of American society.

Did you know?

There are nearly 2.9 million registered nurses in the United States, and, 2.4 million of them are actively employed.
According to projections released in February 2004 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), RNs top the list of the 10 occupations with the largest projected job growth in the years 2002-2012. Although RNs have listed among the top 10 growth occupations in the past, this is the first time in recent history that RNs have ranked first. These 10-year projections are widely used in career guidance, in planning education and training programs and in studying long-range employment trends. According to the BLS report, more than 2.9 million RNs will be employed in the year 2012. However, the total job openings, which include both job growth and the net replacement of nurses, will be more than 1.1 million. This growth, coupled with current trends of nurses retiring or leaving the profession and fewer new nurses, could lead to a shortage of more than one million nurses by the end of this decade. (For details, see www.bls.gov/emp/#outlook .)
The nation’s registered nurse workforce is aging significantly and the number of full-time equivalent RNs per capita is forecast to peak around the year 2007 and decline steadily thereafter, according to Peter Buerhaus of Vanderbilt University’s nursing school. Buerhaus also predicted that the number of RNs would fall 20 percent below the demand by 2010. (Journal of the American Medical Association, June 14, 2000)
The nation’s nurses rank first for their honesty and integrity, with 82 percent of Americans rating them “high” or “very high,” according to a 2005 Gallup Poll. Nurses have consistently rated first every year but one after being added to the list in 1999.

Be sure to send details of your Nurse’s week activities to madziagl@michigan.gov for the next FYI.

Michigan Department of Corrections FYI 042606