The Florence Nightingale Commemorative Moment started in 2000 as a celebration of nursing’s best-known contributor and ended up launching a worldwide movement. This will be the 10th Annual Celebration. Help us make it special!
The Nightingale Moment occurs on the final day of Nurses Week, May 12, 2007, Noon, your local time. At that moment, every nurse around the world is invited to pause, take a moment of silence or create a healing ceremony or ritual in celebration of holistic nursing on the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birthday.
Nurses week is celebrated May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale. This is an ideal opportunity to share the spirit of holism during Nurses Week with your nursing community. Encourage your friends, employees, nurse managers and others to join this special event.
Find tools on how to create your own event on our web site. The AHNA site offers a flier to help you promote the event, a copy of the Blessing of the Hands, ideas for celebration activities and other resources.
Here are just some of the ways that nurses around the world have promoted holistic nursing for the Nightingale Moment and Nurse Week.
You can:
- Host a self-care day for nurses at your local hospital or clinic.
- Perform a “Blessing of the Hands” with the nurses at your work. Download here.
- Organize a candlelight vigil.
- Set up a special display at your work about the Nightingale Moment and AHNA.
- Hold a reception in honor of a holistic nurse in your community.
- Submit an article about holistic nursing to your local newspaper.
- Pass out Nightingale Moment fliers to your co-workers (available through AHNA).
- Request that your city council officially designate May 12 as Florence Nightingale Day.
- Volunteer to talk to a nursing class about the specialty practice of holistic nursing.
- Join together with other organizations and groups to celebrate the Nightingale Moment.
- Attend or sponsor a special celebration or reception at an AHNA network meeting. Click here to find a local Network Leader.
- Pass out AHNA brochures and bookmarks. Email office@ahna.org to request.
- Take a few moments and sign NIGH’S Nightingale Declaration for a Healthy World at http://www.NightingaleDeclaration.net
- Host a fundraiser and donate to the AHNA.
- Give a friend the gift of AHNA membership.
- Visit the AHNA Web site for more ideas
Let us know how you will celebrate by e-mailing a 30-word description of your local event to advertise@ahna.org. Please include date, time, place and who to contact to get involved. Let’s make sure that the 10th annual Nightingale Moment is a grand success!