EMERGENCY
NURSES WEEK
Fostering
Community,
Connections
and Compassion
ENA Salutes Emergency Nurses
for Emergency Nurses Day, Week
The work of emergency nurses largely goes unsung – all the more reason to emphasize the importance of the annual Emergency Nurses Day and Emergency Nurses
Week. This year, Emergency Nurses Week is Oct. 9 to 15, with
Emergency Nurses Day on the 12th.
The themes stressed by ENA for the week and day in 2016
touch on community and connecting, central components of
the work done by emergency nurses. These themes are tied
closely to the idea of nursing presence, said ENA President
Kathleen E. Carlson, MSN, RN, CEN, FAEN.
“Nursing presence is part of the art of nursing,” said Carlson.
Florence Nightingale originated the concept of nursing as both
an art and a science in 1871.
Carlson said the ability to connect depends on active listening
and mindfulness, which influence positive patient outcomes.
Other outcomes are improved mental well-being and
professional satisfaction for nurses.
“With presence you are able to pay attention to detail, to
critically think,” Carlson said. “You gather information, notice
subtle changes and bring appropriate resources to the bedside.
Without presence we are just performing tasks. The work of
emergency nurses is intellectual work, not task work.”
Emergency Nurses Week Planning Guide
ENA’s annual Emergency Nurses Week Planning Guide,
available at www.ena.org/enweek, contains a number of
resources for ENA members:
• Certificate of appreciation. With this certificate, show your
staff or colleagues how much you appreciate their
commitment to standing at the front line of emergency care.
• Email template. Let all your colleagues know it’s Emergency
Nurses Week by using a customized email template.
• Thank-you card. A thank-you card is easy to print and
deliver to colleagues during Emergency Nurses Week.
• Emergency Nurses Week event ideas. View specific event
ideas to involve your community, family members, other
hospital employees and local businesses in your
celebrations.
• Sample news release. Your state council or hospital’s
public affairs department can prepare a news release
celebrating emergency nurses highlighting the activities
and successes your hospital, chapter or state council has
had over the past year.
• Additional ways to celebrate. View ideas for gifts and
workplace celebrations to show your team you
appreciate its commitment to courageously standing at
the front line of emergency care. Take advantage of this
celebration to recruit and engage members.
Poster
A printable version of a poster for Emergency Nurses Week can
be found in the Emergency Nurses Week Planning Guide at
www.ena.org/enweek or at the ENA Brand Center for state
council and local chapter leaders at
http://bit.ly/29vZ93i.
New this year, the poster has a customizable area for state
councils and local chapters to place their information.
Members can print the poster in an 11-by-17-inch format or
upload it for printing by a print shop. The poster will be
displayed prominently at Emergency Nursing 2016 in Los
Angeles in September. n
By Greg Bartlett
ENA Connection Contributor
