Nursing Awareness Calendar
January
- 21-27: National Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists Week
- 25: National IV Nurse Day
February
- 4-10: PeriAnesthesia Nurse Awareness Week
- 6-12: Ambulatory Care Nursing Week
- 7: PeriAnesthesia Nurse Day
- 11-17: Cardiovascular Professionals Week
- 18: Critical Care Transport Nurses Day
March
- 17-23: Gastroenterology (GI) Nurses and Associates Week
- 18-23: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Week
- 19: Certified Nurses Day
April
- 7-13: Occupational Health Nursing Week
- 12: Radiological and Imaging Nurses Day
- 14-20: Wound Care Ostomy and Continence (WOC) Nurse Week
- 22-29: Transplant Nurses Week
May
- 1-31: National Nurses Month
- 1-31: National Critical Care Awareness and Recognition Month
- 1-31: Oncology Nursing Month
- 6: National Nurses Day
- 6-12: National Nurses Week
- 8: National School Nurse Day
- 8: National Student Nurses Day
- 12: International Nurses Day
- 12-18: National Skilled Nursing Care Week
- 12-18: Neuroscience Nurses Week
June
- 4: National Healthcare Recruiter Recognition Day
- 13: National Nursing Assistants Day
- 13-19: National Certified Nursing Assistants Week
July
No holidays this month.
August
No holidays this month.
September
- 1-7: National Clinical Nurse Specialist Recognition Week
- 8: National Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses Day
- 8-14: National Assisted Living Week
- 8-14: National Neonatal Nurses Week
- 8-14: Nephrology Nurses Week
- 8-14: Vascular Nurses Week
- 15-21: Nursing Professional Development Week
October
- 6-12: National Midwifery Week
- 7-11: Pediatric Nurses Week
- 8-12: Emergency Nurses Week
- 9: Emergency Nurses Day
- 13-19: National Case Management Week
- 20-26: International Infection Prevention Week
- 28-November 1: National Orthopaedic Nurses Week
- 30: International Orthopaedic Nurses Day
November
- 1-30: National Home Care and Hospice Month
- 1-30: National Hospice and Palliative Care Month
- 1-7: Medical-Surgical Nurses Week
- 1-7: Urology Nurses and Associates Week
- 3-9: Forensic Nurses Week
- 10-16: National Nurse Practitioner Week
- 10-16: Perioperative Nurses Week
- 14: Operating Room Nurse Day
December
No holidays this month.
Nurses carry heavy loads. A gift, a word of encouragement, or even a social media shoutout on one of these days is a small way to remind them the work is seen.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is National Nurses Week? It runs May 6 through May 12 every year and ends on May 12, Florence Nightingale's birthday. The dates are fixed, so they never shift from year to year (ANA).
Who sponsors National Nurses Week? The American Nurses Association sponsors and promotes it, along with National Nurses Day on May 6 and National Student Nurses Day on May 8.
What is the difference between National Nurses Week and International Nurses Day? National Nurses Week is a US observance the first half of May. International Nurses Day is a global observance on May 12, proclaimed by the International Council of Nurses in 1974 to mark Florence Nightingale's birthday (ICN).
Are there nursing recognition days outside of May? Yes. The calendar holds more than 50 awareness days across the year, from Certified Nurses Day in March to National Nurse Practitioner Week in November, each tied to a specialty.
How can I recognize a nurse on one of these days? A card, a small gift, a word of thanks, or a social media shoutout all work. Matching the day to the nurse's specialty, like Emergency Nurses Day for an ER nurse, makes the gesture land.