Nurse Kaycee Here

What is Nurses Week, What Nurses REALLY want, and Nurses Week Deals

Nurses week is May 6^th through May 12^th this year which happens to be the week of Florence Nightingale’s birthday- May 12^th. Nurses week is a nationally recognized celebration of nurses where patients, family, and friends thank nurses for their extraordinary work and care.  According to the American Nurses Association, the specific theme of nurses week this year is “Nurses Make the Difference”.

Having been a nurse for nearly 8 years I’ve always received some sort of gift at my place of employment. Whether it be snacks, food, t-shirts, an umbrella, a keychain – you name it. During nurses week, there are special discounts everywhere for nurses to enjoy. Some restaurants even offer free food or coffee.  

If you’re looking for large list of discounts, giveaways, and freebies for nurses week, check out Nurse.org.  There are so many deals going on that are worth checking out.

While perusing the nurses week discounts, it made me wonder what nurses really want for nurses week.

I asked almost every nurse I know what they really want for nurses week and these are the responses:

Safe staffing

Safe work environment

A raise

Support staff

Uniform allowance

A gym membership

A daycare at work for my kids

Good pens

For the charge nurses to not have to take an assignment

For management to step in when short staffed

Better insurance

PTO

Out of this list, most of the nurses I spoke with asked for PTO and safe staffing. The number one thing these nurses asked for was PTO. They felt as though they could be well thanked by their employer with extra paid time off.

In celebration of nurses week, my employer is doing the following:

Monday: Lunch

Tuesday: Breakfast

Wednesday: Ice Cream Treats

Thursday: Lunch

Friday: Kona Ice

Again, happy nurses week to all my fellow nurses and let me know what your employer has planned for this special week or what you would like for nurses week.