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
Occupational Health Nursing Week — April 9–15
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.)
National Skilled Nursing Care Week — May 14–20
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
Perinatal Nurses Week — Oct. 10–16
International Infection Prevention Week — Oct. 15–21
International Orthopaedic Nurses Day — Oct. 30
National Orthopaedic Nurses Week — Oct. 30–Nov. 3
November
National Home Care and Hospice Month
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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Love this article but why are home care nurses never acknowledged??? It’s like we do not exist and we work just as hard as other nurses!
Very disappointed with the celebration list!
Hi Michele–We have added a link to National Home Care and Hospice Month in November. We’re so glad to share the official recognition and appreciate all that you do!
How about telemetry nursing?
Hello Emma,
If you know the 2022 date or dates for a national recognition of telemetry nurses, please let me know. I am checking on my end, as well. I’ll be glad to add it to the list, once I can confirm.
Thank you!
If you know of a National Geriatric Nurses Day/Week, please add this.
Hello Kay,
I’m checking on your request. I saw a reference to National Gerontological Nurses Week in a 2018 post – https://www.lhshealth.com/2018/11/gerontological-nursing-week/ – but I haven’t confirmed the dates for 2022.
Thank you!
Obviously with so many nursing specialities, there is a little work that needs to be done to make these recognition dates more inclusive. As evidenced by no recognition of those of us who have dedicated our careers to Post Acute Care Nursing/LTC/ Geriatrics.
Hello,
Feel free to send me those dates and links that I can use to verify those dates. (I can also share the links with our readers.) I’d be happy to add them to our list. Since you work in the field, you may be able to find them pretty quickly.
Thank you for your comment.
I am attempting to email an attachment for nurse recognition in an emergency, unable to see where to do that?
Hello Charlene,
Please put the link to information about the nurse recognition in a comment and I’ll review ASAP. After receiving the link, I may contact you directly for more information.
Thank you!
TU for all the dates. I would like it much better if there was only ONE National Nurses Week. We are ONE. United in mission. Different specialties. But one profession, one mission.
What about retired or disabled nurses, I was a med-surg nurse for many years and had to stop working due to 3 back surgeries, I loved nursing and I miss it very much 😪
Not mentioned: April 9 – 15, 2023 Occupational Health Nursing (OHN) Week
Psych Nurse Day/week/month!!
Hi Denise,
Please feel free to share those dates with us.
Thank you!
unless I missed it I also didn’t see a section for a correctional nursing specialty. there are many nurses that work in penal institutions.
Hi Tim,
If you know of those dates, please share and we’ll add them to the list.
Thank you!
This is an awesome Calendar of recognition, with a few exceptions that have been overlooked.
Did you know that May 9th is National NAC Coordinator Day, AKA MDS Day!! As the nurses who drive the LTC surveys, reimbursement, CarePlan’s, DPH & CMS compliance and more; we are the ones behind the scenes everyday. We insure meds are given for the correct DX. Please add us to your calendar for 2024.
Thanks! And, Happy Nurses Week!
Perinatal Nurses?
Nurses are the unsung heroes of our healthcare system, tirelessly dedicating themselves to patient care. It’s heartening to see this blog reminding us to appreciate their hard work and dedication. The physical and emotional challenges nurses face are immense, yet they persist in advancing the profession and ensuring that patients receive the care and compassion they deserve. Recognizing and celebrating their efforts is not only well-deserved but also essential to uplift and support these invaluable professionals. Kudos to all the nurses out there, and thanks to Zelda Meeker for shedding light on this important issue!
Don’t forget Perinatal Nurse’s week!