Millikin University's School of Nursing celebrated National Nurses Week with several events on campus May 6-12.
The events throughout the week included a presentation from Dr. Mary Jane Linton, Millikin professor of nursing, who spoke on the history of nursing in Decatur, Ill., on May 11.
"Studies show that nurses are the most trusted professional," Dr. Linton said. "We have to look at our past and see how far we've come. We've come full circle."
Dr. Linton opened her presentation discussing the impact of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, and the origin of Decatur's first nursing school.
"The impact on healthcare education is to make safe practitioners and the goal is to teach good theory-based, good clinical sound-based practices," Dr. Linton said. "We see a whole different scene in the hospital today. Diploma schools set the standard for close observations of patients that are practiced today."
Millikin's School of Nursing awarded its first bachelor of science degrees in nursing in 1981.
In addition to the presentation, Millikin's School of Nursing hosted a sock and towel drive for the Northeast Community Fund and celebrated Florence Nightingale's Birthday on Thursday, May 12.
Dr. Linton noted, "We know that nurses have consistently demonstrated the ability to adapt and to rise to the occasion in times of need. Nurses will continue to do what they can to help patients."
National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6 and ends on May 12. These permanent dates enhance planning and position National Nurses Week as an established recognition event. As of 1998, May 8 was designated as National Student Nurses Day, to be celebrated annually, and as of 2003, National School Nurse Day is celebrated on the Wednesday within National Nurses Week each year.
The nursing profession has been supported and promoted by the American Nurses Association (ANA) since 1896. Each of the ANA's state and territorial nurses associations promotes the nursing profession at the state and regional levels. Each conducts celebrations on these dates to recognize the contributions that nurses and nursing make to the community. The ANA supports and encourages National Nurses Week recognition programs through the state and district nurses associations, other specialty nursing organizations, educational facilities and independent healthcare companies and institutions.
The nursing programs at Millikin University foster the development of women and men in a community of life-long learners who are able to envision and shape the future of healthcare and compose a personal life of meaning and value. For more information on Millikin University's School of Nursing, visit millikin.edu/nursing.
Click here to read more about Nurses Week at Millikin in an article from the Herald & Review.