Nurse Week Activities: Theme: Nurses Lifting Spirits-Touching Lives

Alabama Nurse, Jun-Aug 2003

Baptist Princeton celebrated Nurses Week May 12 due to the Joint Commission Survey. On May 14, a banquet was held honoring those employees nominated as Outstanding Patient Care Staff. A reception was held on the 15th and 16th. A proclamation was received from the Mayor's office of the City of Birmingham recognizing the nursing staff at Baptist Princeton.

Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System celebrated Nurse's Week with various activities. May 6 was opening ceremonies and Uniform Day (Wear White) Nursing Cap (Optional); May 7 Kimberly S. Ingram, MSN, Associate Commissioner for Mental Illness, spoke on Nursing; Empowerment Through Political Awareness; May 8 was the Recognition Ceremony and Awards Program; May 9 was Nurses' Ice Cream Social.

Children's Health System celebrated with a fun bag to every nurse, receptions, entertainment from our own talented staff members, a daylong vendor fair with educational opportunities, giveaways and door prizes. An Awards Ceremony honored the winners of the Nursing Excellence Awards. A day of "unit level" activities included pizza parties, breakfast cooked by the nurse managers and progressive potluck meals. The week ended with a Nursing Mini Topic Day. This educational offering included a wide variety of topics for CHS employees and nurses throughout the Birmingham community.

DCH Regional Medical Center celebrated Nurses Week with refreshments and drawings for prizes. A reminder of Nurse Week was placed in the Tuscaloosa News. Some areas were treated with goodies from physicians. Local merchants also contributed gifts for the drawing.

Decatur General was to honor their volunteer nurses at dinner on Tuesday, May 6 but the dinner was cancelled because of weather related problems

East Alabama Medical Center provided balloons and candy for the nurses to give to staff as a thank you for helping them care for patients.

Evergreen Medical Center celebration included a pastry breakfast, ice cream contest and social, pizza, sandwiches, Service Award/Heart of Nursing Excellence Banquet, kindergarten tours, late night cookout, Health Fair, Lunch w/Catfish Country, Treasure Hunt and other games and raffles throughout the week. The Clinical Ladder program was instituted this week.

Gadsden Regional Medial Center celebrated Nurse Week with gifts of umbrellas with theme and logo of Gadsden Regional Medial Center. A bright red strip was on the nurse name badge to indicate they are nurses. There was breakfast for the third shift; a traditional nurse tea for the day shift; silent auction "basket" with proceeds to the GRMC nurse scholarship fund, May 12 was a candlelight ceremony outside the hospital honoring community nurses - active, inactive and deceased. White balloons were released in honor of the deceased nurses. A Proclamation was given by City Council/Mayor.

Georgia Pacific-Naheola Mill in Pennington, AL honored the nurses with a gift certificate for dinner for two at a local restaurant and sent a letter of appreciation to the staff.

Helen Keller Hospital-Sheffield celebrated with a Mardi Gras theme. They used the "lifting spirits" theme as well. There were food and gifts distributed for the night shift at 12:01 on May 6 and a reception with food, games and door prizes the afternoon of May 6. The local newspaper ran an article and pictures about celebrations of Nurse Week in several local hospitals.

Jackson Hospital-Montgomery celebrated with an ice cream social and door prizes for all shifts with Nursing Administration serving and a drawing for movie tickets every two hours. A third day of food and special activities was held on each unit by each manager.

Jacksonville State University celebrated Nurse's Week by hosting an informal reception for nursing students on May 5. "Our students are proud of their career choice! The reception was planned by our faculty and staff to honor our students." In addition, every RN preceptor who has worked with students during the academic year was sent a letter of appreciation and a small gift to express our gratitude for their involvement in the education of the next generation of nurses.

JF Drake State Technical College celebrated on the 2nd and 5th of May as the LPN students started final exams on the 7th. Students brought wrapped/bagged gifts for residents in a nursing home where they do clinicals. Also, they did the resident's nails, hair, sang songs and read stories to them. On the 5th there was a health fair for the public.

North Alabama Nurse Practitioner Association celebrated Nurse's Week by sponsoring a . Nursing Symposium. "In Celebration of Nursing 2003: A symposium for Nurses" was held at the Decatur Holiday Inn Friday, May 9, with approximately 100 nurses attending.

Nursing Partners for Excellence contacted newspapers and TV stations.

Shelton State Community College had their annual nurse week picnic for past and present students and families with TV coverage. The pinning ceremony was May 9 and goodies were given to all 170-plus nursing students. Kim Smith gave her PN student's popcorn with an attached note saying, "Things are popping in the Nursing Dept. at Shelton State." Each nursing student got a sheet with a picture of a nurse saying Happy Nurses Day 2003 and "You may not make 100 GRAND as a Nurse but you may be a LIFESAVER.