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PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
The Power of Nurses
MARTHA STRATTON, MSN, MHSA, RN, CNOR, NEA-BC, AORN PRESIDENT
Every year, we celebrate and honor our profession by observing National Nurses Week, which begins on May 6 and ends on Florence Nightingales birthday, May 12. Designated to acknowledge nurses in the United States, this recognition began in 1954 on the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingales mission to the Crimea, but there was no ofcial US government proclamation until 1974. In February 1982, the American Nurses Association (ANA) Board of Directors formally acknowledged May 6, 1982, as National Nurses Day. The action afrmed a joint resolution of the US Congress designating May 6 as National Recognition Day for Nurses.1 In 1990, the ANA Board of Directors expanded the recognition to a weeklong celebration, declaring May 6 to 12, 1991, as National Nurses Week, and in 1993, these were designated as permanent dates for the annual recognition of nurses.1
As we pause during this week to recognize our colleagues, we also need to understand the critical role nurses play in the overall health care structure. As nurses, we have a profound effect on patient outcomes, patient safety, and patient well-being. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health recommends that nurses be full partners with other health care providers to change health care in the United States.2 We are the largest part of the domestic health care workforce; according to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, as of January 2016, there are 3,131,003 RNs in the United States.3 In addition, nursing continues to be the most trusted and ethical profession in the United States, according to a Gallup survey.4 Our patients trust us to keep them safe and to provide excellent patient care. It is our obligation to honor that trust.
CULTURE OF SAFETY
For 2016, the ANA has committed to a yearlong campaign promoting a culture of safety with the theme Safety 360 Taking Responsibility Together.5 This focus is further amplied with Culture of SafetydIt Starts With You as the ANA theme for National Nurses Week.6 Creating a culture of safety is imperative to the provision of safe patient care. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality denes a safety culture as
the product...