It’s currently National Nurses Week, which runs until Monday, May 12.
This week-long celebration was established by the American Nurses Association in the ’90s, after President Ronald Reagan designated May 6 as “National Recognition Day for Nurses.”
As the Psychiatric Times points out, this also aligns with Florence Nightingale’s May 12 birthday.
But some nurses aren’t satisfied with the recognition they’re getting, at least from employers.
Sweet Nurse Week deals
This occasion often leads to a variety of deals at national chains.
Chipotle is giving out up to $2 million in free burritos to healthcare workers, MOD Pizza has a special BOGO deal for nurses, and Potbelly is offering a complimentary drink or cookie to the knights in shining scrubs. And that’s only a few of the perks.
Several of these gifts also apply to teachers, as Teacher Appreciation Week runs from May 5 through May 9.
However, employers are falling short when it comes to appreciating their nursing staff. That’s evident by two nurses’ viral video revealing their Nurse Week gifts.
What did these nurses receive for Nurse Week?
Nurse Ci (@itsnurseci) shared her video on Tuesday, and it has since received over 226,000 views.
In the clip, Ci reveals what their employer gave them for Nurse Week.
“This is what we got,” Ci says, clearly unsatisfied. She films a small plastic ball with a couple of cotton balls inside.
“If you need a lift, take a sniff,” a sticker on the bag reads. “Happy Nurses Week from Employee Health.”
Ci then asks her co-worker to weigh in on the scented cotton balls.
“Jessica, what does it smell like to you?” she asks.
“Lavender,” Jessica responds.
The TikToker then reveals they also provided muffins for the nurses. Jessica asks Ci to smell the cotton balls again. She suggests that there’s something else in addition to lavender scenting the cotton.
“Yeah, they gave us three cotton balls of lavender and a plastic baggie,” Ci says, still stunned.
In the caption, Ci added that the gift did not make them feel appreciated. “…. Basically they hate us,” she wrote.
Nurse appreciation
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports nurses making a median salary of $93,600 per year, or $45 an hour in 2024. While this is significantly higher than the average salary in the U.S., which stood at $63,000 last year, many nurses are fleeing the industry.
Roughly a quarter of nurses surveyed in a 2022 report planned to leave their nursing roles by 2027. Overworking amid the COVID-19 pandemic played a significant role in several nurses’ decisions.
In another study, nearly half of nurses cited feeling overworked, emotionally exhausted, and burned out. This contributed to a 3.3% decline in the nursing workforce.
@thatsnurseci …. Basically they hate us. #nursing #happynursesweek #registerednurse ♬ original sound – Ci 🫶🏼
And in the comments of Ci’s video, many nurses aligned with these experiences.
“For nurses week I gave my notice,” one user said. “Leaving bedside permanently!!!”
“I haven’t smelled in 4 years…because I got Covid…from my hospital….” another wrote.
“I’m night shift and everything “scheduled” for the week is at lunch time [face palm emoji],” a third wrote. “I’ll be providing for my crew as per usual.”
“This just makes me mad for real. we’re so unappreciated as nurses,” a further user said.
Other viewers were simply outraged on behalf of Ci and the nursing workforce.
“What is happening. This is insane,” one user said.
“This is the type of stuff that makes you wanna leave besides… wow,” another said.
“Shut the [expletive] up…. What an insult,” a third wrote.
“Whoever thought of that should be fired,” a fourth argued.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
