It's time to say "thank you" to your favorite nurse!  In what is often known as the oldest profession, nurses are being remembered for their hard work, sacrifices and contributions to the well-being of others during National Nurses Week.

National Nurses Day, Tuesday, May 6, 2014, kicks off National Nurses Week.  National Nurses Week runs through Monday, May 12, 2014, which is the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the British woman that is often considered the founder of modern nursing.

Nightingale came to be famous after she helped the  wounded soldiers during the Crimean War.  Shortly following, a fund was set up in her name to help raise money to train nurses.  The first formal nursing school was set up in in London on July 9, 1860.

She also published a book, 'Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It Is Not', which is often thought to be some of the founding curriculum of early nursing schools.

But the days of nurses simply wearing the white dresses and hats are no more.  With advances in technology and medicine, nurses often find themselves juggling multiple patients with many different needs, often around the clock.

Nurses are true professionals that obtain an excellent level of care and compassion, despite their own physical and emotional fatigue. Nurses have a caring attitude and often put the needs of their patients first, often sacrificing their own time, energy and emotions.

Starting today and continuing through Monday, May 12th, honor the care given by nurses and remember what they do each day to alleviate pain and suffering around the world.

Don't forget to also remember National School Nurse Day, Wednesday, May 7th, National Student Nurses Day on Thursday, May 8th and International Nurses Day,  Monday, May 12th.

Nursing continues to be one of the most in-demand professions to this day.

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