May 5, 2025 

May has arrived and with it came our time: National Nurses Week.

One becomes a nurse when the soulful urge to take care of another human being infuses his or her existence with clear purpose and fulfillment.

To care for a person in the most fundamental human way – with touch, listening, attention to a need – is what has gotten us to be here in this moment as a human race.

Where would we be if there wasn’t anyone before us to care for those who preceded us?

Nurses become mothers, fathers, trusted friends. Nurses become that which we need when our bodies, our minds, our very souls ache, are in distress, are sick. When we need mending and care.

They hold you and softly speak to your ear when the pain is overwhelming.

They help you ground when your mind races to hopelessness.

They speak up when you lack the energy to do so.

They help your loved ones feel connected to you when they can’t physically be there.

National Nurses Week is a moment-by-moment recognition of these and many more of the life-changing roles, acts, and services nurses carry out for us.

It is a time to take personal responsibility to highlight and advocate for them, especially when no one else does. And to do what you can to make sure that they receive the honor, respect, protection, compensation, and recognition that they, with much giving of self, have earned.

National Nurses Week is a celebration of nurses and a call to action on behalf of nurses.

We thank each and every nurse for their dedication, selflessness, and compassion, and for being the guiding light in the journey to health and healing.

Happy National Nurses Week, esteemed colleagues! Please enjoy some of the special offers listed below and tell your friends how they can support you and our profession.

In service,

GNA President Dr. Erica Mills and the Members of the GNA Board of Directors

Special Offers for Nurses

• CE Broker by Propelus is offering free courses to support nurses’ professional development. Each course is focused around a key topic that the American Nurses Association has chosen to highlight in 2025 as part of their theme, The Power of Nurses™. See courses at Nurses Month with CE Broker: Free Courses.
• The American College of Education is running a contest from May through the 12th for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Click the flowing link to enter https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=iUF7mgDnzUO34yg9YDfDUPH4CQH56ExIiPy4s5BrArJUOUlBU1JYRFBZODY3UVg2WDZPVUIzOVpDTy4u&origin=QRCode.

Also (list courtesy of LRS Healthcare):

• Dunkin Donuts: Check your local Dunkin for a FREE medium hot/iced coffee on May 6! No purchase necessary.
• Chipotle: Enter to win a free entree e-card from May 6-12 here.
• Amazon: FREE kindle nursing books!
• MOD Pizza: Check your local MOD Pizza for a BOGO pizza or salad throughout Nurses Week with a valid ID. Also enjoy a 20% discount on orders from May 6-12 with code NURSE25.
• Insomnia Cookies: Check out your local Insomnia Cookies for a nurses week promo!
• Scooter’s: Stop by your local Scooter's and see what Nurses Week freebies they have for 2025 (previously: a FREE drink of any size). Must show Nurse ID.
• Chick-fil-a: Check with your local Chick-fil-a for a Nurses Week deal (previously done a FREE Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich with valid Nurses ID).
• Cinnabon: On May 6-12 Nurses get a FREE Classic cinnamon roll or a Minibon roll. Check with your local Cinnabon!
• McAlister’s Deli: Enter to win a free catered lunch for you and up to 30 team members!
• Cherokee Uniforms: Get your favorite scrubs up to 20% off during Nurses Week!
• AllHeart Scrubs: Celebrating Nurses around the country with up to 40% off during Nurses Week.
• Figs Scrubs: Enjoy 20% off your order during Nurses Week!
• Fabletics: Don't miss out on a variety of sales this Nurses Week! Shop for new scrubs here!

Ways to Support Nurses

Take the $10 Georgia Nurses PAC (GN-PAC) Challenge to support the GN-PAC in advocating for nursing workforce, expanded practice authority, and better healthcare access statewide. By contributing only $10.00, you can help nurses have a powerful voice at the Capitol. Every Donation Counts! Take the challenge today & encourage your colleagues to do the same. Let’s show the power of Georgia nursing advocacy! https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=YUY597H8CATPC.

Attend some of the following activities by the American Nurses Association to amplify nurses' role:

Summary of activities and events happening during National Nurses Week:

• May 5: National Nurses Week kicks off early in collaboration with the Maryland Nurses Association at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland with giveaways and breakfast for nurses. Premier Protein will be offering free shakes to nurses and presenting a check to the American Nurses Association to honor the contributions of nurses and advance their well-being.
• May 5: ANA’s Center for Ethics & Human Rights presents “Unlocking the Code of Ethics for Nurses” — a webinar sponsored by Capella University. It will take place at 3:00 p.m. Led by Carol Taylor,PhD, MSN, RN, FAAN, professor of Medicine and Nursing at Georgetown University, the session will explore The Power of Nurses through the lens of the Code of Ethics for Nurses and its critical role in everyday practice across all care settings. Register and watch here.
• May 6: National Nurses Week will “Light up The Sky”. More than 100 monuments, buildings, bridges, hospitals, and landmarks across the country will illuminate in the color red to honor nurses. Visit the National Nurses Week website to find a location near you, take a selfie and post to social media to share your pride! *Happening throughout the week.
• May 6: ANA releases its updated position statement on workplace violence, articulating the responsibilities of nurses and employers to share and sustain a culture of respect, which is free from violence. Find the full statement here.
• May 7:The third installment of the Mary Eliza Mahoney Lecture Series: “Social Justice and Ethics: Building on the Legacy of Mary Eliza Mahoney,” celebrates the enduring legacy of Mary Eliza Mahoney, the first professionally trained African American nurse and a trailblazer in the field of nursing. This compelling panel discussion will explore Provision 9 of the association’s newly revised Code of Ethics for Nurses, which calls on nurses to advance social justice, eliminate health inequities, and promote human flourishing across all communities. Register and watch here.
• May 8: ANA's Policy and Government Affairs Division will host a special reception on Capitol Hill for members of Congress, aimed at raising awareness of key issues and policies impacting nurses and the nursing profession. *Photos and quotes will be available for media members.
• May 9: A special networking and fireside chat event with enterprise leadership and local state representatives takes place at BayCare Health System in Tampa Bay, Florida. The event will convene the newly appointed Chief Nursing Officer of the American Nurses Enterprise, Bradley Goettl, DNP, DHA, RN, FNP-C, FAAN, and the Chief Executive Officer of BayCare Health System, Stephanie Conners, MBA, BSN, RN, among others to discuss critical topics in nursing and share insights on the future of the profession. The session will be streamed live and shared following the event.

*More details on this event and additional events happening in Dallas and Boston can be found online here.

• May 9: ANA presents the "Redefining and Elevating the Value of Nursing" webinar, sponsored by LinkedIn, at 2:00 p.m. The session will feature insights from enterprise experts the Vice President of Individual Credentialing and Research, Heidi McNeely,PhD, RN,PCNS-BC, Executive Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs Tim Nanof, MSW, along with Olga Ysakusheva, PhD, from Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.Register and watch here.
• May 12: Watch the premiere of the American Nurses Foundation’s mini documentary, highlighting the Nurse Well-Being: Building Peer & Leadership Support program here. It features real stories of nurses who successfully used this program at USA Health in Alabama.