National Nurses Week, which is held May 6-12 every year, salutes the nearly 3.1 million registered nurses nationwide for their dedication, commitment, and tireless efforts. The theme selected by the American Nurses Association (ANA) and Sturdy Memorial Hospital is Nurses Leading The Way.

In recognition of the event, Sturdy Memorial Hospital is preparing to celebrate with awards, gifts, and a dinner in honor of those who make a career of caring for others.

The annual Florence Nightingale Award, a peer-recognition honor given to one nurse per patient care area, is a highlight of the week’s events scheduled at Sturdy Memorial. Nurses are selected by their co-workers for excellence in clinical competence, critical thinking, compassion, teamwork, courteous and friendly behavior, reliability, dependability, and performance above and beyond normal expectations.

“Every day we ask nursing to embrace new technologies, incorporate new evidence based practices, and accept ever changing roles through professional development. The nurses at Sturdy truly lead the way for their patients, colleagues and the institution as a whole. I am deeply honored to work with such a talented and committed group of nursing professionals,” said Marita Prater, Vice President for Patient Services.

Sturdy Memorial offers thanks and appreciation to our nurses for their tireless efforts and steadfast dedication to their profession.