How to Recognize Emergency Nurses Week: 5 Ideas for Facilities
The emergency room (ER) is one of the busiest places in the healthcare system. Over 150 million patients visit the ER each year, and emergency nurses play a vital role in ensuring that these patients receive the care they need. Emergency Nurses Week is an annual celebration, dedicated to raising awareness about the complexities of the ER and celebrating the hard work of these nursing professionals.
A specific Emergency Room (or Emergency Department) Nurses Week gives your facility the opportunity to spotlight staff members who work tirelessly, navigating patient care that spans the entire therapeutic spectrum. If you want to learn more about this weeklong event — or how to celebrate it effectively — this article can help. Here, you’ll find a clear explanation of the week’s purpose and background, alongside best practices for celebrating so that your ER staff feel recognized and valued well beyond their special week.
What Is Emergency Nurse Week?
ER Nurses Week is dedicated to celebrating and honoring the important work of emergency nurses. In addition to celebrating nurses, healthcare organizations and professional associations take time to raise general awareness about the emergency nursing field. The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) also encourages people in the greater community to reach out to their local emergency departments and thank their nursing staff.
When Is Emergency Nurses Week? Dates and History
ER Nurse Week is celebrated during the second week of October. In 1989, the ENA declared the second Wednesday of October as Emergency Nurses Day. However, in 2001, the ENA turned this into a weeklong celebration to raise more awareness about emergency nursing professionals.
5 Ways to Recognize ER Nurses Week
As a facility leader, getting involved in this event is an important way to demonstrate your appreciation for your staff and boost employee morale. It’s also a great way to connect with the broader healthcare community and spread awareness about the hard work that goes into being an ER nurse. With that in mind, here are five Emergency Nurses Week ideas that you can implement at your facility.
1. Treat Your ER Nursing Staff
As a facility leader, emergency nursing week is a time for you to show appreciation for all of your hardworking ER nurses. While a heartfelt “Happy ER Nurses Week” card can show your appreciation, consider deepening its impact by treating your staff with meal vouchers, daily treats, or by having food vendors come and supply free food throughout the week. This is a thoughtful way to thank your staff while ensuring that they don’t have to worry about feeding themselves during their shifts.
2. Recognize and Highlight Your Staff’s Work
Beyond treating your staff, you can also celebrate your ER nurses by spreading awareness about their work to the greater community. The ENA provides Emergency Nurses Week banners, graphics, and photo templates. You can customize these tools to highlight staff achievements on your facility’s social media pages.
You can also find ways to recognize your staff’s achievements within your facility. Consider creating an interactive bulletin board in the emergency room where staff can write about all the ways that nurses have helped their patients and the team. This is also a fun way to boost employee morale.
3. Provide Opportunities for Professional Development
A great way to support your staff while contributing to the emergency nursing field is to provide ER Nurses Week activities that include opportunities for continuing education (CE) and development. Consider funding online CE courses so that your ER nurses can develop their skills and knowledge.
Alternatively, or in addition to providing CE opportunities, you can offer to fund trips to upcoming workshops or conferences in emergency nursing and medicine. This provides staff the opportunity to network, share some of their own contributions, and gain hands-on training in a variety of emergency nursing skills.
4. Host Emergency Nursing Career Events
Remember, this week is also an opportunity to raise awareness about the emergency nursing field as a whole. To help in this effort, you can host or participate in career events to support the growth and interest of this career path.
These ER Nurses Week ideas don’t have to be centered around recruitment at your facility. You may consider sending speakers to local schools and colleges to educate students about careers in emergency nursing. By engaging with the youth in your community, you’ll play an important role in inspiring future nurses to enter this in-demand specialty.
5. Participate in Community Fundraising and Awareness Events
There are many other ways to raise awareness about emergency nursing and get involved with your community throughout the week. Encourage your staff to register for ENA’s annual 5k run, which raises money to support educational opportunities and scholarships for emergency nursing. You can also consider hosting your own community dinner, luncheon, or walkathon to raise awareness about emergency nursing more locally.
Make Ongoing Efforts to Support Your Nurses
While Emergency Nurses Week is a time dedicated to celebrating ER nurses, it’s important to make continuous efforts to support your entire staff. Our wide range of facility guides and healthcare management insights can help you build a positive work culture, benefitting your staff year-round.