JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
Throughout the country, the week of May 6 through 12 is set aside to honor nurses for their contributions in the advancement of patient care.
The theme for Nurse's Week is "Nurses: Advocating, Leading, Caring."
This year, McDonald Army Health Center, Fort Eustis, Va., and U.S. Air Force Hospital Langley will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the National Recognition Day for Nurses with a week-long celebration.
Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Bettye H. Simmons, who now supports the MCAHC as a nurse practitioner in the Family Health Clinic, will be the keynote speaker at the Fort Eustis opening ceremony, held at noon in the health center's dining facility conference room, May 7.
On May 9 at Fort Eustis, Sharon Greene-Golden is scheduled to present a continuing education offering for all interested nurses. The following day, nurses are invited to attend a catered lunch from noon until 2 p.m. in the dining facility conference room.
Lt. Col. Kathleen Curran, MCAHC chief of ambulatory nursing, will speak to the crowd on May 11 during the Fort Eustis closing ceremony. At this time, the Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, and Nursing Assistant/Medical Assistant of the year will be recognized.
Langley Air Force base will also host a range of events to honor Nurse Week, such as a breakfast, night-shift meal, ice cream social, burger burn and recognition ceremony.
Other activities for the 2012 Nurse's Week are being planned to celebrate the dedication and caring service that JBLE nurses provide everyday to the past, present, and future warriors in our military medical healthcare system.
Nurses play a key role in healthcare, strongly influencing quality provided in the system. Their national contributions were not always considered a significant part of the healthcare system, but history proves their value.
In 1953, Dorothy Sutherland of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare sent a proposal to President Dwight D. Eisenhower requesting that a "Nurse Day" be celebrated the following year in October. This request was never granted, but the push to recognize all nurses on the national level remained strong.
Representative Frances P. Bolton stepped in, in 1954, and sponsored a bill to celebrate the contributions of nurses during the week of October 11 to 16. This event was considered the first National Nurse Week. It also marked the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale's mission in Crimea.
As nurses celebrate this week, they will also reflect on the accomplishments and achievements of Nightingale. Nightingale was an advocate for better conditions for Soldiers during the Crimean War. She was a leader in the nursing community around the world, and her caring nature made her a role model for generations of professional nurses.
Both in 1955 and 1972, bills were introduced in Congress again to celebrate nurses across the country, but these requests were also denied. It wasn't until 1982 that May 6 was recognized by President Ronald Reagan as "National Recognition Day for Nurses."
Then, in 1990, the American Nurses Association expanded Nurse's Day to a week-long celebration honoring nurses throughout the country.
This year, the ANA is focusing on the diverse settings across the country where nurses are considered leaders within their profession. More than ever, the general public wants leaders who can be trusted. In the last 13 years, nurses have been rated as one of the most trusted professionals in the country. Today's nurse is someone regarded as a leader in the community with an increasing knowledge base and technical skills necessary to provide quality healthcare in an evolving patient population. There are 2.6 million nurses licensed and practicing in the healthcare field.
Approximately 8 percent of all registered nurses are advanced practice registered nurses and are functioning in roles such as nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and clinical nurse specialists.