International Nurses Day

International Nurses Day
International Nurses Day
	Czech nursing students (2006)
Also called	ICN
Observed by	Various countries
Begins	1965
Date	12 May
Next time	12 May 2025
Frequency	annual

International Nurses Day (IND) is an international day observed around the world on 12 May (the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth) each year, to mark the contributions that nurses make to society.^[1]

Background

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has celebrated this day since 1965. In 1953 Dorothy Sutherland, an official with the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, proposed that President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaim a "Nurses' Day"; but he did not approve it.

In January 1974, 12 May was chosen to celebrate the day as it is the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.^[2]^[3] Each year, ICN prepares and distributes the International Nurses' Day Kit.^[4] The kit contains educational and public information materials, for use by nurses everywhere. As of 1998, 8 May was designated as annual National Student Nurses' Day in the US.

Themes

ICN themes for International Nurses Day:^[5]

1988 – Safe Motherhood
1989 – School Health
1990 – Nurses and Environment
1991 – Mental Health – Nurses in Action
1992 – Healthy Aging
1993 – Quality, costs and Nursing
1994 – Healthy Families for Healthy Nation
1995 – Women's Health: Nurses Pave the Way
1996 – Better Health through Nursing Research
1997 – Healthy Young People = A Brighter Future
1998 – Partnership for Community Health
1999 – Celebrating Nursing's Past, claiming the future
2000 – Nurses – Always there for you
2001 – Nurses, Always There for You: United Against Violence
2002 – Nurses Always There for You: Caring for Families
2003 – Nurses: Fighting AIDS stigma, working for all
2004 – Nurses: Working with the Poor; Against Poverty
2005 – Nurses for Patients' Safety: Targeting counterfeit medicines and substandard medication
2006 – Safe staffing saves lives
2007 – Positive practice environments: Quality workplaces = quality patient care
2008 – Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Primary Health Care and social care
2009 – Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Care Innovations
2010 – Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Chronic Care
2011 – Closing The Gap: Increasing Access and Equity
2012 – Closing The Gap: From Evidence to Action
2013 – Closing The Gap: Millennium Development Goals
2014 – Nurses: A Force for Change – A vital resource for health
2015 – Nurses: A Force for Change: Care Effective, Cost Effective
2016 – Nurses: A Force for Change: Improving Health Systems' Resilience^[4]
2017 – Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
2018 – Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Health is a Human right
2019 – Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Health for All
2020 – Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Nursing the World to Health^[6]
2021 - Nurses: A Voice to Lead - A Vision for Future Healthcare
2022 - Nurses: Make a Difference
2023 - Our Nurses. Our Future.
2024 - Our Nurses, Our Future: The Economic Power of Care.^[7]

National activities

Australia

The Australian Nurse of the Year is announced at a ceremony at one of the state capital cities. Additionally, in each of the Australian states and territories, various nursing award ceremonies are conducted during the week.^[8]

China

In 2007, 5000 nurses gathered in Yichun, East China's Jiangxi Province.^[9]

Ireland

Since 2012, Nurse Jobs Ireland (an Irish nurse recruitment agency) launch a week long pro-bono campaign to celebrate nurses on the 6–12 May every year. This week long celebration uses digital platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to promote the great work nurses do using the hashtag #CelebrateNurses. The public leave their positive comments and thanks on the Celebrate Nurses website where they are collated into an ebook which is shared in medical facilities throughout Ireland.^[10]

Singapore

Singapore celebrates Nurses Day on 1 August.^[11] Back in the 1800s, a thriving Singapore found itself in need of providing better healthcare and medical services to a growing population. While there were several hospitals, there was a lack of nurses to support the doctors. French nuns from the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus were trained to become nurses to fulfil this need, as they were seen as the only educated European women in Singapore who could undertake this challenge. 1 August 1885 marks the beginning of the development of nursing in Singapore when these nuns began their nursing duties in the General Hospital at the Sepoy Lines in the Outram area.^[12]

Taiwan

In 2003, after the outbreak of highly contagious SARS, President Chen Shui-bian visited a hospital on International Nurses Day to express admiration for 3 nurses who died of SARS, among other medical personnel fighting on the frontline. He conveyed wishes to nurses for their devotion to duty of caring and reminded hospital staff that they should adopt strict precautionary measures to protect themselves before contacting with patients.^[13]

Thailand

Starting in 1990, Thailand observes 21 October as National Nurses' Day วันพยาบาลแห่งชาติ (Wan Phayaban Haeng Chat). The date commemorates the birth of Srinagarindra the Princess Mother and was adopted 4 April 1990.^[14]

United Kingdom

Each year a service is held in Westminster Abbey in London. During the service, a symbolic lamp is taken from the Nurses' Chapel in the Abbey and handed from one nurse to another, thence to the Dean, who places it on the High Altar.

United States and Canada (National Nursing Week)

The U.S. celebrates National Nursing Week each year from 6 May to 12 May (the birthday of Florence Nightingale). Canada celebrates National Nursing Week each year during the week that includes 12 May. The Canadian Minister of Health instituted National Nursing Week in Canada in 1985.^[15]

Vietnam

Since 1990s, Nurses have recognized the international nurse day. Officially, Viet Duc University Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam, The Board of Director approved anniversary of international nurse day on May 12, 2015. Since 2018 Department of Health issues, the first announcement encourage all health care hospital and facility host event or meeting for the international nurse day all over of Vietnam.