When I first became a nurse, I really looked forward to National Nurses Week. We got the pens, free lunch (or whatever meal coincided with your shift), and one year, even T-shirts. It didn’t matter that I had many pens of better quality, ate the free meal while charting or grabbing bites in between patient care, or that my T-shirt drawer was overflowing. I was a nurse and I was valued by my employer. Those little things really did make me feel special. Did I feel less recognized on other days or weeks of the year? Not really. I was fortunate to work with a great team of nurses and managers.

This year, I’m really looking forward to National Nurses Week again! We’ve got a week of puzzles and quizzes planned here at NursingCenter.  Each day one lucky winner will win open access to NursingCenter.com for one full year. This includes access to our journals, CEs, Focus On collections, and more! Also, 5 lucky winners each day will win a Free CE! Visit our National Nurses Week page every day from May 6th to May 12th for a new challenge and a chance to win!

I hope that wherever you work and whatever your role, you feel appreciated every day for the work that you do.  Happy National Nurses Week!