May 1–31, 2025
The impact nurses make on healthcare is unparalleled. To honor nurses, National Nurses Week is celebrated from May 6–12, 2025, and National Nurses Month is celebrated throughout all of May. Both this week and this month are a time for hospitals, employers, workplaces, and individuals to acknowledge their nurses. They are also a time when the American Nurses Association (ANA) especially promotes the profession.
For 2025, the American Nurses Association has chosen the theme The Power of Nurses™, amplifying the voices of nurses across America to drive change and ignite a new era in nursing. This theme emphasizes the vital role nurses play in healthcare and the profound impact they have on our lives and society. Nurses make a difference as trusted advocates who ensure individuals, families, and populations receive quality patient care and services. And nurses make a difference by influencing and shaping health policy decisions that ensure all Americans have access to high-quality, affordable healthcare coverage.
Extending the celebration throughout the entire month of May allows for even greater opportunities to promote understanding and appreciation of the invaluable contributions of nurses.
The National Nurses Week 2025 logo was developed by ANA to celebrate the week and month of the nurse. Worldwide, International Nurses Day (IND) is also celebrated on May 12 each year.
The ANA’s “Nurses Light Up the Sky” effort is a beautiful way to honor nurses, drive awareness among the wider community, create press opportunities, and encourage social sharing. The “lit” landmarks serve as perfect destinations for local meet ups and activation during National Nurses Week. Engage with the nursing community on social media using hashtags like #NursesWeek2025, #ThePowerOfNurses, and #NursesLightUpTheSky.
Free Nursing CEUs
As a special offer during Nurses Week 2025, online CE provider Wild Iris Medical Education invites all nurses to earn 4 contact hours of free nursing CEU by taking the course Work-Related Stress: Preventing Burnout, Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Trauma at no charge.
To further express their gratitude and appreciation to all hardworking nurses, Wild Iris Medical Education also continues to offer two more free nursing CEUs with audio option throughout the entire year of 2025:
• 1 free ANCC contact hour with the Sexual Harassment Training continuing education course
• 1 free ANCC contact hour with the COVID-19: The Impact of a Pandemic on Mental Health course.
To celebrate nurses during May’s Nurses Week, Wild Iris Medical Education is offering even more. Nurses will receive a special week-long 20% discount on all continuing nursing education (CNE) courses. When nurses take any online course during Nurses Week and enter the code THANKYOU, this discount will automatically be applied. And the code can be used an unlimited number of times! Why not take advantage of this great savings opportunity to catch up on needed contact hours, get a head start on your coming nursing license renewal, or simply update your knowledge base.
From Ann Johnson, RN, Wild Iris Founder and President:
As a registered nurse celebrating Nurses Week 2025, I’m excited to announce a giveaway for a Littmann Classic III Stethoscope to a lucky winner who will be announced on May 13, 2025.
Here’s how to enter:
1. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
2. Like our Nurses Week giveaway post.
3. Tag your fellow nurses in the comments.
What Are the Top 5 Topics for Nurses Week?
- Empowering Nursing Leadership
Nurses are no longer just caregivers—they’re leaders transforming patient care and shaping healthcare policy. Courses focused on leadership development help nurses build essential skills like communication, decision-making, and team coordination. - Mental Health Crisis Management
With rising mental health challenges across patient populations, nurses must be prepared to identify, respond to, and manage crises effectively. CEU courses in this area equip healthcare professionals with strategies for trauma-informed care, de-escalation techniques, and mental health advocacy—empowering them to support both patients and colleagues during high-stress situations. - Health Equity and Social Determinants
Health outcomes are deeply influenced by socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental factors. Nurses who understand social determinants of health are better positioned to provide equitable care. Offering CEUs that address topics like cultural competence, health literacy, and systemic bias reinforces nurses’ role in closing care gaps and promoting health justice. - Technological Integration in Nursing
From electronic health records to AI-assisted diagnostics and telehealth, technology is reshaping how nurses deliver care. CEUs that focus on digital tools, patient monitoring systems, and virtual communication prepare nurses to stay current—and confident—as they embrace innovations that enhance patient safety and streamline workflows. - Continuing Education and Professional Development
Ongoing education is the foundation of nursing excellence. Providing access to accredited nursing CEUs tailored to current issues—like infectious disease control, substance abuse, or burnout prevention—encourages lifelong learning and career growth. Promoting these opportunities helps nurses stay licensed, inspired, and prepared for the future.
What Are Other Ways to Celebrate Nurses Week?
For the public: Celebrate National Nurses Week by donating to the American Nurses Foundation to show your support. You can celebrate by participating in events, expressing gratitude to nurses, and supporting initiatives that honor their devotion.
For patients: Write a thank you card or give a small, thoughtful gift.
For healthcare administrators and nurse leaders: Download the National Nurses Week toolkit and order posters, thank you cards, and more to have everything you need for your National Nurses Week celebration.
Nurses Week History
National Nurses Week traces its history back to 1953, when Dorothy Sutherland of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare sent a proposal to President Eisenhower to proclaim a “Nurse Day” in October of the following year. The first National Nurse Week was observed October 11–16, 1954.
Although Congress took no action on a proposed 1955 bill to establish an ongoing National Nurse Week, in January 1974, the International Council of Nurses declared May 12 (Florence Nightingale’s birthday) as International Nurses Day. In 1990, the ANA expanded this daylong recognition of nurses to a week-long celebration, declaring May 6–12 as National Nurses Week, which has been observed annually since then.
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale, born May 12, 1820, was an English social reformer, statistician, and the founder of modern nursing. She gave nursing a highly favorable reputation and became an icon of Victorian culture, especially in the persona of “The Lady with the Lamp,” making nighttime rounds among wounded soldiers.
In 1860, Nightingale laid the foundation for professional nursing with the establishment of the first secular nursing school in the world at St. Thomas Hospital in London. Her social reforms included improving healthcare for all sections of British society, advocating for better hunger relief in India, helping to abolish prostitution laws that were overly harsh to women, and expanding the acceptable forms of female participation in the workforce.
Nightingale’s lasting contribution has been her role in founding the modern nursing profession. She set an example of compassion, commitment to patient care, and diligent and thoughtful hospital administration. The first official nurses training program, her Nightingale School for Nurses, opened in 1860 and is now called the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at King’s College London.
In January 1974, the International Council of Nurses declared May 12 (Florence Nightingale’s birthday) as International Nurse Day.
Florence Nightingale Medal
In 1912, the International Committee of the Red Cross instituted the Florence Nightingale Medal. Awarded every two years to nurses or nursing aides for outstanding service, it is the highest international distinction a nurse can achieve, given for “exceptional courage and devotion to the wounded, sick or disabled, or to civilian victims of a conflict or disaster” or “exemplary services or a creative and pioneering spirit in the areas of public health or nursing education.”
The Nightingale Pledge
The Nightingale Pledge is a modified version of the Hippocratic Oath, which nurses recite at their pinning ceremony at the end of training. Created in 1893 and named after Nightingale as the founder of modern nursing, the pledge is a statement of the ethics and principles of the nursing profession: “I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.”
Happy Nurses Week!
We truly appreciate each and every one of you and all of your dedication, hard work, and caring. As Florence Nightingale said, “For the sick, it is important to have the best.” Be the best you can be in your profession and in your daily life as you continue to make a difference in the world.
RESOURCES
ANA. (2025). https://www.nursingworld.org/ana-enterprise/nurses-week/
Wikipedia. (2025). Florence Nightingale. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Nightingale
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About Wild Iris Medical Education:
Wild Iris Medical Education, Inc., is a privately held, woman-owned company providing online healthcare continuing education. In 1998, we began offering online ANCC-accredited nursing continuing education courses and since then have expanded to provide CEUs for occupational therapists, physical therapists, paramedics, EMTs, and other healthcare professionals.
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