National Nursing Week 2023 – Looking to the future can share your own photo or video. Post your message to your social media channels – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram – and use the official hashtag #HeyNurse. Follow the #HeyNurse hashtag to re
National Nursing Week, from May 8 to 14, 2023, is an annual celebration of nurses, to acknowledge their ongoing impact in our lives, from birth into our senior years, and to thank them for their service.
In 1971, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) designated May 12 as International Nurses Day. In Canada, since 1985, we recognize nurses during the full second week of May, and since 1993 refer to the week as National Nursing Week in order to emphasize that nursing is a discipline.
“The objective of the week is to draw attention to nurses, increasing the awareness of the public, policymakers and governments of the many contributions of nursing to the well-being of Canadians. That is why it is important to celebrate National Nursing Week and create more awareness around the importance of Canadian nursing and its history,” said Dr. Sylvain Brousseau, president of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA), in a 2022 interview with Metroland Media Group.
Our nurses, our future
ICN announced the theme of International Nurses Day 2023 to be “Our Nurses. Our Future.” Coming out of the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic – which tested our Canadian health-care system and global health organizations, as well as the courage and commitment of all health-care workers across the world – we look to the future of nursing.
“Our Nurses. Our Future. sets out what ICN wants for nursing in the future in order to address the global health challenges and improve global health for all,” explains Dr. Pamela Cipriano, president of ICN. “We need to learn from the lessons of the pandemic and translate these into actions for the future that ensure nurses are protected, respected and valued.”
Give a shout-out to a nurse
Join in the conversation this National Nursing Week. A group of nursing associations from across Canada, led by the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO), have launched the #HeyNurse social media campaign to invite the public to give a shout-out to a special nurse or health-care team.
You can thank a nurse, tell a story about how a nurse has helped you or a loved one, or describe how a nurse has made a positive impact in your life.
Visit HeyNurse.ca or cna-aiic.ca/ HeyNurse to download your choice of Nursing Week graphics to accompany your message. Some of the graphics are fillable – open the graphic in your preferred design program and write your message in the space provided. Or, you
Together our future depends on every nurse, every voice, to not only be on the front lines of care, but also be on the front lines of change. – Dr. Pamela Cipriano, president of ICN