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#ThankANurse Campaign Launched In Time For Nurse Appreciation Week

By Dawn Papple
Published on: 05:26 PST, May 7, 2014

The largest peer-to-peer online site for nurses and nursing students has kicked off a new social media campaign this week, just in time for the National Nurse Appreciation Week. The “Thank A Nurse” initiative launched by allnurses.com is encouraging people to thank a nurse for their compassion and dedication in their field. Not everyone sees a nurse on a daily basis, so allnurses.com is asking people to visit their website and input a message to a nurse they appreciate. This message will appear on their website. Then, the tribute can be shared via social media using #ThankANurse. Not everyone is cut out for the nursing field and it takes a special kind of compassion to excel at the normally thankless but rewarding career. The hashtags are already in full force on Twitter as people everywhere are appreciating the men and women who work arduously to help others around them.

Monday kicked off the National Nurse Appreciation Week (May 6 to May 12, 2014) according to WCYB News. “As a nurse myself, I know that it is a tremendously rewarding profession,” Brian Short, Founder of allnurses.com, said. He added that sometimes the career is frustrating, stressful and heartbreaking, and those two simple words of appreciation can make a big difference in a nurse’s day. National Nurse Appreciation Week was established by the American Nurses Association (ANA) and occurs annually from National Nurses Day through the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Smack in the middle of Nurse Appreciation Week is National Student Nurses Day (tomorrow) and National School Nurses Day (today). “Nurses are the first line of defense in the prevention of illness and injury,” the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration says on its website. “They champion and promote the health of our nation.” Around the globe, people are also celebrating International Nurses Week, according to Medical News Daily.

Medical News Daily stated that nurses will be in even greater demand and will be asked to fill in a gap in the American healthcare system. With the new Affordable Care Act’s adding an additional eight million people to the health care system, there are already shortages in physicians across the country. The demands and expectations places upon nurses will be even greater. Nursing World reported, “Today, more than ever, nurses are stepping out of their comfort zones and becoming active contributors and innovators in the health care system.” Was there ever a nurse that made the course of your medical care easier? This week is the perfect time to show that nurse your appreciation.

[Photo by COD Newsroom]

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