When is Nurses' Day observed? National Nurses' Week is
celebrated May 6-12 each year. Although a National Nurses' Day
was first proposed in 1953, it wasn't until 1974 that the ball
really got rolling, when the International Council of Nurses
proclaimed May 12 International Nurse Day. (May 12 is the
birthday of Florence Nightingale, the English nurse who is
considered the founder of modern nursing.) Then in 1982
President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation that established a
national day of observance for nurses on May 6, but this was
later extended to a weeklong celebration to include May 12. In
1997 the American Nurses Association designated May 8 as
National Student Nurses' Day. For more information about
national and international holidays, check out these sites: