About the Nightingale Moment and
   Nurses Week

May 12,  Noon, your local time

On May 12 at noon, every nurse around the world is invited to pause, take a moment of silence or create a healing ceremony or ritual in celebration and dedication of the heart and spirit of nursing. We will create a wave of healing consciousness as nurses world-wide observe this moment. Our collective goal is to reach every nurse in the world with this message. Please take the time to distribute this message by letter, phone, fax, e-mail, meetings, networks, and one-on-one sharing.

During this 24-hour period, nurses around the world will:

• Honor Florence Nightingale and her legacy to modern nursing
• Honor the strength and wisdom of our nursing mission
• Reconnect with the fire and the soul, the sense of calling in nursing
• Acknowledge the interconnections and oneness of nurses in the personal, political, social, and scientific domains
• Relight the lamp and carry the vision of caring and healing into the new millennium

Suggestions on how to celebrate National Nurses Week, May 6-12 and the 13th annual world-wide Commemorative Moment for Florence Nightingale, May 12

• Recognize a special nurse in your life with a contribution to AHNA.
• Spread the word about the commemorative moment to your coworkers and friends. Pass out fliers, lots of them (fliers can be obtained though the AHNA).
• Contact other organizations and association and groups you belong to seek their support for the Commemorative Moment for Florence Nightingale.
• Target businesses that may be interested in marketing to or attracting nurses and ask their support.
• Create a banner and posters to display in your workplace (if permitted).
• Sponsor a special celebration or reception at a network meeting.
• Work with local hospitals, home health care agencies, and other health-related facilities to set up a special display about the Florence Nightingale Moment and AHNA.
• Host a hearing before a city council or hold a town meeting on the recent trends in health care (with special emphasis upon CAM and the AHNA's support of CAM).
• Request that your city council officially designate May 12 as Florence Nightingale Day.
• Connect with other groups to hold special programs, retreats (day/weekend) highlighting the Florence Nightingale Moment and her contribution to the profession of nursing. 
• Share this Holistic Stress Management for Nurses handout with your colleagues.
• Share your plans with AHNA members and others on the web, contact office@ahna.org for a free 30-word event listing on our Nightingale Moment Events page.

 Learn how others are celebrating the Nightingale Moment and Nurses Week.