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Nurses are superheroes. They not only keep people alive and work with doctors, but they do the tasks no one wants to do. Changing bedpans, giving sponge baths, and working long hours?
We would get nothing done without them. Too often their help goes under the radar. Patients see them more often and snap at them, unlike when they see doctors.
Show them you appreciate every single time they did something you, yourself wouldn’t want to do during nurse appreciation week.
This week-long appreciation holiday runs from May 6-12 every year. Need some nurses’ week ideas to help you show your gratitude?
Never fear! We’ve compiled 10 of them below.
1. Throw a BBQ
Your nurses work really hard and nurse appreciation week is in May. Why not capitalize on the spring weather and have some outdoor fun? Hot dogs and hamburgers, with some vegetarian options available.
You can even use turkey dogs or burgers if you want to offer healthier choices. Give nurses a paid day off if you can. If your office closes on one day a week – that’s a great day to have the BBQ.
If your patients need care year round – then you know some nurses won’t be able to attend. To decide which have to miss the event you could do a lottery. Whoever works through the event this year is automatically out of the running for having to work the next.
Make your event kid-friendly so no one has to spend money or time on a babysitter. If you have a budget to work with, contact a local nanny agency and see if they can supply some help for the event.
These babysitters can help run games or even paint faces – generally entertain the little kids.
You can give out accessories like these personalized jump ropes as both a game and a goodie bag item.
Worried it’ll be too hot? Commemorative paper fans are perfect for the occasion. You can find them here.
2. A Night on the Town
Don’t want to do something outside or want to give your nurses something after their 7-7 rotation? Plan a girls night out for them- including childcare.
Set up a dinner buffet with a local restaurant and invite all your nurses to attend. Then, you can pick an after dinner activity. Is there an outdoor music venue in your city?
Send the group out with some cheap fake wine glasses and libations.
Or, does this crew like to dance? You can work with a local dance club and give each nurse free entry or two drink tickets.
If entertainment is slim pickings where you live, you can always rent out a movie theater for after dinner. If you pick a weeknight, it’s usually pretty affordable.
If you’re creative and you have some basic technology skills, you can put together a quick montage to play on the big screen. Show your nurses how much you appreciate and care about them by shouting them all out. The movie theater should be happy to roll this special preview.
Consider renting a limo or a party bus to take your nurses to and from the event. You’ll only need to pay for about four hours of service in all.
You can send your nurses home with plastic cups or metal tumblers commemorating the appreciation night. Or, pick up a cheap Polaroid camera and leave it in the limo.
They can all take home their own memories of their special night. If you have the funds, pick up these personalized heart photo magnets they can slip their shaken-pics into.
3. Have a Nurse Olympics
Does your specific team of nurses have a competitive spirit? Then they may love this next suggestion. Not only is it fun, but it’ll give you a chance to tell them you all think they’re gold-medal deserving.
Your nurse Olympics can feature things they already do, like counting meds. Except, instead of meds, have them be fun things like jelly beans or M&Ms.
Hold a relay race with med carts, letting them push them around and pass them off to a team member. Other ideas include wheelchair races and dumping (fake full) bedpans.
You can hold the events all in one afternoon, or spread them out over the week. When you’re making the teams, think about doing them in shifts.
For example, morning shift gets to do an event, you record their score, then the second shift comes in and you repeat. If you do the games this way, be sure to display a running results board.
Invest in participation medals for everyone – even if they’re low quality. Give the winning team something extra special, even if it’s just certificates of awesomeness.
Other prize ideas include pedometers or badge holders commemorating the games. If you do choose to give pedometers, give them at the beginning of the week and make sure you hold a “total steps” competition!
4. Spa Day
Do your nurses have some sort of break room? You can hire a masseuse to bring in one of those massage chairs you see at fairs and festival. They’re the kind you sit in, not involving getting naked.
Employ a few massage therapists to stay in the break room throughout the week. Nurses can get a massage when they have a few minutes – or ten.
If you feel so inclined, you can also put together little goody packs of things like bath salts and face masks to leave in each break room chair. Coupons or a group discount rate to a local massage/spa place wouldn’t hurt either.
Affordability tip – if there’s a massage school in your area, those budding masseuses need practice. You can get a lower rate if you hire them for your break room spa day.
To create the spa-like atmosphere, fill your water pitcher with lemon or cucumber water. Dim the lights or hang up fairy lights.
Have a large space? You could bring in a yoga or meditation instructor as well.
Bring in a sound machine or play some ocean/water sounds on a loop. Your nurses work hard and they deserve to relax, but they can’t always afford the time and money for a day spa.
This way, you’re bringing the experience to them.
For goodies or commemorative items, you can get hot/cold packs that go around their tired eyes. Nothing says night nurse like a puffy under-eye area.
5. Create a Scavenger Hunt
This idea is great because it lasts the full week – meaning there’s no one left out covering patients while other nurses go to an event.
Print out a selection of friendly looking bugs on some cardstock-type paper. On the back, write a description of a prize. Every time a nurse finds one, they can turn it into you to collect it.
For good measure, put a cap on the number of germs each nurse can find. That not only keeps everyone happy and makes it fair, but it means you only have to buy a certain number of prizes.
Let your patients know what’s up with the little germs all around if you’re going to be putting them in public places. Hopefully, they’ll get in on the fun and can give your nurses hints if they saw you hide them.
You can choose any gifts for this game, but easy ones are things like badge holders, lanyards, and water bottles. All three are affordable to buy in bulk and customizable.
6. Coffee Station
Don’t have time to plan an entire week-long or night out event? That’s okay. Bring in a local restaurant to cater meals throughout the week.
You could have them do breakfast one day, lunch the next, and dinner the day after. That way every shift gets a taste of the fun!
If you can’t afford a full catering service, then go to your local coffee shop and pick up their jug-size of coffee. Give each nurse a personalized nurse-week tumbler and supply them with hot coffee every morning.
If you’re feeling extra kind, maybe buy a new or extra coffee maker for the break room.
7. Custom T-Shirts
Are your nurses tired of scrubs? Get t-shirts printed for nurses weeks in a few designs. Give each shift a different color of t-shirt and allow nurses who work all the time to collect all the different versions. When the week is over, ask the nurses to all wear their shirt of choice and take a picture.
You can display the picture in the breakroom and give it a nice frame. Or go even bigger than that and send their photo into the local newspaper.
Write a little piece about how you want to say thank you to them by publishing your appreciation. If they choose to print it, make sure you buy enough copies for everyone to take one home.
Frame the article in your facility so you can always remember the day your nurses made the _ page!
8. Do a Paint Night
All around the US paint studios are popping up that show people how to paint certain pictures. They start with a blank canvas and then take home a masterpiece at the end of the night.
These classes are popular, but they can be a little expensive. Rent out a studio night and hold a private party for your nurses. You can have them vote on what photo they want to do in the weeks before.
Some painting studios offer alcoholic drinks to go along with the experience, so factor that into your cost.
You can display your nurses’ artwork in the halls or rooms of your facility – if they don’t want to take them home. Make this a yearly thing and you’ll have the best-decorated clinic in a few years!
Be sure to give each photo a little-laminated placard with the name of the artist, for an extra touch.
Take a photo of all the nurses who went to the class and frame it – calling them your colorful or artistic crew.
9. Do a Health Fair
You know what seems silly but is true? Nurses spend so much time taking care of other people they hardly get a second to care about themselves.
Get a few volunteer nurses from a nearby school to set up little screening stations in the break room. Supply your nurses with little stress balls they can keep after the event.
You can make a banner that says “You take care of everyone, let us take care of you” or something like that. Get some smoothies or healthy snacks and make them available as an extra touch.
10. Pick Your Own
Are you worried your nurses won’t like whatever gifts you’ve picked out for them? Don’t think they’d give up their time off to show up to an event?
There’s still a way you can show your appreciation. Pick three or four promotional items you’re willing to buy for nurses’ week ideas.
Have sign-up sheets in the break room or at the main desk and let your nurses pick their own gifts. This way they get something they want and you’re not worrying about buying something they’ll never use.
If you go this route, be sure to put out snacks or drinks during the week as well, to make things feel festive.
Nurses’ Week Ideas
There’s nothing we could ever do to truly show our nurses how much they mean to us and our clinics. They’re superstars who serve without ever trying to get the spotlight.
The least you can do is recognize them for one week or even one day a year. We hope you liked these nurses’ week ideas and you’ll let us supply you with appropriate gifts.
In the end – be sure to thank each nurse personally, even if it has to be in an email.
They’ll appreciate you!
