Nurses work every day to ensure patients get the care they need — and the comfort and compassion they deserve. The complex nature of nursing continues to be physically and emotionally draining, yet nurses carry on providing quality patient care and moving the profession forward, which reinforces the importance of nurse appreciation.
“Nurses need to be emotionally, psychologically, and morally refueled regularly to enable them to resist burnout and its many negative impacts such as moral distress,” said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, Co-Founder of the DAISY Foundation, in a Nurse.com blog. One way to do this is through expressions of gratitude.
“Nurses are refueled when they know they have made a difference in the life of a patient or family member, especially when they were unaware of the difference they made,” said Barnes.
This is why nurse appreciation events are so important. Nurses’ contributions are celebrated and recognized each year — as they should be — through special nurse appreciation days, weeks, and months set aside to honor nurses and their specialties.
Add the following nurse appreciation dates to your annual calendar, and share them with your leaders and administrators.
2023 nurse appreciation events by month
January
National Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) Week — Jan. 22–28
National IV Nurse Day — Jan. 25
February
Ambulatory Care Nursing Week — Feb. 6–12
PeriAnesthesia Nurse Awareness Week — Feb. 6–12
Cardiovascular Professionals Week — Feb. 12–18
Critical Care Transport Nurses Day — Feb. 18
March
Certified Nurses Day — March 19
GI Nurses & Associates Week — March 20–24
April
Radiological and Imaging Nurses Day — April 12
WOC Nurse Week — April 16–22
Transplant Nurses Week — April 24–May 1
May
National Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month
National Nurses Day — May 6
National Student Nurses Day — May 8
National School Nurse Day — May 10 (Celebrated the Wednesday of National Nurses Week)
International Nurses Day — May 12
National Nurses Week — May 6–12 (The ANA also celebrates National Nurses Month throughout May.)
Neuroscience Nurses Week — May 14–20
June
National Healthcare Recruiter Recognition Day — June 6
Certified Nursing Assistants Week — June 15–21
September
National Clinical Nurse Specialist Recognition Week — Sept. 1–7
Vascular Nurses Week — Sept. 10–16
National Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses Day — Sept. 8
Nephrology Nurses Week — Sept. 10–16
Nursing Professional Development Week — Sept. 10–16
National Neonatal Nurses Week — Sept. 12–18
October
National Midwifery Week — Oct. 1–7
Pediatric Nurses Week — Oct. 2–6
Emergency Nurses Week — Oct. 8–14
Emergency Nurses Day — Oct. 11
National Case Management Week — Oct. 8–14
International Infection Prevention Week — Oct. 22–28
International Orthopaedic Nurses Day — Oct. 29
National Orthopaedic Nurses Week — Oct. 23–29
November
National Hospice and Palliative Care Month
Medical-Surgical Nurses Week — Nov. 1–7
Urology Nurses and Associates Week — Nov. 1–7
Forensic Nurses Week — Nov. 5–11
National Nurse Practitioner Week — Nov. 12–18
Perioperative Nurses Week — Nov. 12–18
Nurses give so much of themselves to their roles, their units and teams, and the organizations that employ them. So take the time to find ways to celebrate nurses for their contributions, sacrifices, and achievements not just on these dates, but all year round.
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