Every year, for National Nurses Week, there are plenty of headlines about nurse honorees in California who have been awarded local, regional and even national awards. Before it rolls around again, before your employer leaves a plant and a card on your desk, ask your team and your supervisor how you can plan ahead for next year. It’s not every profession, after all, that is as well-respected as nursing. Also, it took a lot of effort and decades for nurses to receive this official recognition. Here are some ways you can make it count for yourself and your colleagues.
Create a Scholarship Fund
Think of all the deserving people in your community who may need additional resources to achieve an RN or LVN certification. Host a fundraising drive at work and in your community to help defray some of the tuition costs for a deserving student. Coordinate with a nursing school so you know the funds are going towards the cost of tuition and books, or coordinate with the counseling staff of a local high school.
“Secret Santas” For Nurses Week
Who says that the holiday season is the only time of year you can give gifts to your colleagues? Nurses work hard. So do nursing students and LVN trainees. Next year: host a Secret Santa gift-giving style week. End the week with a big celebration for the entire team to recognize everyone for all their hard work, selflessness, and accomplishments.
Set Up a Display
Create a tabletop display or take over one of the public bulletin boards for Nurses Week. Sell or give away promotional materials for people to take home with them, and collect funds for charity (or that scholarship fund!). Raising awareness is what the week is all about, so have fun and create opportunities for the public to learn more about nursing history.
Involve the Media
Your local media may be intrigued by your facility and the work that you do there, especially during Nurses Week. They will never know about that work if you don’t tell them. Send out a media alert a couple of weeks before National Nurses Day and offer members of the media a chance to come speak with your senior nursing staff and spread awareness about the profession and the crucial role nurses assume in healthcare.
Host An Event
How many local nurses work in your immediate region? How many of them do you know? How many of them would like the opportunity to get together, even casually, to have a little fun and show each other some mutual admiration? Find a local restaurant or event space that will let you host the event in a back room for free. Promote the event on social media to spread the word. It doesn’t have to be formal or structured. Sometimes, a simple and fun get together can make all the difference, especially for professionals who work in some of the most challenging situations on earth.
Interested in changing professions? We’re here to help. Give us a call at 310-559-0225 or reach out to us here to schedule your appointment. Nurses change lives. Let us help you change yours.
