National Nurses Week kicked off yesterday, May 6th, and continues through the 12th (Florence Nightingale’s 192nd birthday!). This week helps to educate the public about the vital roles that we, the nearly 3.1 million registered nurses of all types and specialties across the nation, play in meeting the health care needs of the American people. It’s also a week for us to celebrate and reaffirm our commitment to the profession of nursing. This year’s theme is “Nurses: Advocating, Leading, Caring.” While we all have different roles within psychiatric mental health nursing – from providing care at the bedside to researching new models of care, we all without a doubt advocate for our patients and our profession, serve as leaders in both nursing and mental health, and care for persons with mental illness on a daily basis. Doing so is integral to our PMH nursing practice! I feel privileged to witness firsthand your zeal and dedication every day - not just in my work as a psychiatric-mental health nurse, but also as President of this incredible association of professionals.
The nation takes this week to recognize our contributions and pay tribute to them. Let’s enjoy this time and share our appreciation with one another - we deserve it! Happy Nurses Week!!!