National Nurses Week

Nurses play a vital role in the world of healthcare. Not only do they provide direct patient care, often serving as the most frequent point of contact, but they also advocate for and educate patients and their families about health conditions.

From May 6 to May 12, we celebrate National Nurses Week to recognize and honor the invaluable contributions of nurses and the real-life challenges they face every day, with the theme “The Power of Nurses.”

What Is Nursing?

Nursing, as defined by the American Nurses Association, integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alleviation of suffering through compassionate presence. Nursing is the diagnosis and treatment of human responses and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations in recognition of the connection of all humanity.

So, what does this mean in laypersons’ terms? Nursing is often described as both an art and a science. Like art, nursing relies on intuition, a sense of and feeling for a patient’s needs. This intuition is supported by science in the form of an extensive and rigorous course of study and, over time, diverse experiences. The essence of both the art and science of nursing is a fundamental respect for patients’ dignity.

Types of Nurses

Nurses are found in every community—large and small—providing professional, expert care for patients from birth to the end of life. Nurses’ roles can vary greatly and range from direct patient care and case management to establishing nursing practice standards, developing quality assurance procedures, and directing complex nursing care systems.

In the United States, there are three main categories of nurses:

• Licensed practical nurses (LPNs). A licensed practical nurse performs basic medical tasks, such as checking vital signs and changing bandages. LPNs work under the supervision of other healthcare providers, like doctors, physician assistants, and registered nurses.
• Registered nurses (RNs). A registered nurse works closely with a healthcare provider and has more diverse duties than an LPN. These duties range from recording health histories to administering medications to coordinating patient care. There are more than four million registered nurses in the United States today.
• Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). An advanced practice registered nurse is an RN with graduate-level education. This advanced training allows APRNs to perform more duties than RNs, including ordering diagnostic tests and diagnosing conditions. A nurse practitioner is one example of an APRN. Nurse practitioners often serve as primary care providers. Other examples include certified nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists, and certified registered nurse anesthetists.

Just as nurses are found in every community, they also bring their expertise and experience to diverse locations throughout the healthcare system. At Fort HealthCare, nurses play an important role in our organization, working across all these departments and more!

• Education
• Emergency Department
• Inpatient Services
• Nursing Leaders
• Obstetrics
• Outpatient Clinics
• Peri-operative Services
• Quality
• Radiology
• Respite
• School Nursing

Learn More

Since 1896, the American Nurses Association has supported and promoted the nursing profession. At Fort HealthCare, we recognize our nurses’ accomplishments and appreciate their unparalleled impact on and contributions to patient care—not only during Nurses Week, but throughout the year! To learn more about this important history, visit The History of National Nurses Week.