Nurses Day is a special day to honour and celebrate the contributions of nurses all over the world. The day is celebrated on Florence Nightingale's birth anniversary on May 12 every year. The special day was chosen by the International Council of Nurses and has been observed officially since 1974. The inspiration behind the day is the iconic Florence Nightingale, the British nurse and social reformer who dedicated her life to the improvement of the health sector. This year, the theme for Nurses Day is “Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Invest in Nursing and respect rights to secure global health.”
Why is May 12 celebrated as Nurses Day?
In 1953, Dorothy Sutherland of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare proposed to the erstwhile president to proclaim Nurses Day in October. However, the proposal was not approved. Following this, Frances P. Bolton, the first woman elected to Congress from Ohio, also sponsored a bill for National Nurse Week. But it was only 20 years later, in February 1974, that President Nixon announced a National Nurse Week, from May 6 to May 12 every year. With this, May 12 also began to be recognised as Nurses Day.
How is Florence Nightingale related to this day?
Florence Nightingale, who is remembered around the world as the “Lady with the Lamp,” took care of wounded soldiers of the British army and their allied forces during the Crimean War. Not only did Florence Nightingale set standards of health care and nursing in the medical camps and hospitals during the war, but later also established Nightingale Training School at St Thomas' Hospital in 1860 to provide training to aspiring nurses and healthcare workers.
