The Power of Nurses: Celebrating National Nurses Week

Nurses Week is a powerful reminder of the extraordinary contributions that nurses make to the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities. The week culminates on May 12 — the birthday of Florence Nightingale, arguably the most famous nurse in history. This year, the American Nurses Association has embraced the theme “The Power of Nurses” — a poignant tribute to the resilience, compassion, and dedication that shape the nursing profession.

Nursing by the numbers

As the largest professional group in healthcare, nurses of all levels now number 5.4 million across the country. While these numbers continue to grow, so does the demand for healthcare in America. This year, an average of 11,400 Americans will turn 65 every day, setting a historic milestone as 4.2 million Baby Boomers cross over to Senior Citizenship. And while Americans aged 65+ make up 17% of the population, they account for 37% of healthcare spending.

While the Registered Nurse (RN) workforce is expected to grow by 6% over the next decade, a shortfall of 193,100 RNs is also predicted through 2032, as nurse retirements and workforce exits are factored into the need for nurses in the U.S.

Given these sobering statistics, traditional models of care will continue to fall short of meeting the needs of Americans seeking healthcare across acute care and ambulatory settings. The widening gap in the number of nurses available to care for an aging population has forced innovators to think outside the box of traditional models of nursing care, creating limitless opportunities to leverage technology to augment the humans providing bedside care. The real magic occurs when these new technologies reliably assist with bridging care gaps, enhancing the healthcare experience and ultimately, building deeper trust in the people and systems providing care today.

Powering trust for better healthcare outcomes

For the 23rd consecutive year, nurses retained the top spot in Gallup’s annual survey of most trusted professions. Yet, while three in four Americans consider nurses highly honest and ethical, overall trust in healthcare has seen a significant decline in recent years. In fact, trust in physicians and hospitals dropped from 71.5% in April 2020 to just 40.1% by January 2024.

Qualtrics' 2025 Healthcare Trends Report identifies three primary factors influencing patient trust: emotion, ease, and success. Among these, emotion—patients’ perception of how much healthcare staff care about them as individuals—has the most profound impact on trust, surpassing even the ease of accessing care and the success in receiving it.

*Impact scores were measured as standardized regression coefficients

Organizations that build genuine, empathetic, and consistent trust with patients outperform others across all key measures — from satisfaction to clinical outcomes. And nurses are often at the center of everything — every conversation, clinical decision, and moment of care that could strengthen (or erode) this trust.
In today’s healthcare environment shaped by rapid innovation and shifting expectations, nurses are the constant — grounding technology, science, and policy in human compassion and connection. They aren’t just responding to trends. They are leading them.

Care team collaboration’s impact on the patient experience

The trends report also highlights that patients’ perceptions of care team collaboration significantly affect their emotional experience across all care settings - inpatient, outpatient, and emergency care.

Nurses often serve as the linchpin in these collaborative efforts by coordinating care and ensuring that communication flows effectively amongst team members.

Similarly, when looking at the top driver of inpatient loyalty on the mandated Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey, "Communication with Nurses" has held the top spot since the survey’s inception in 2007.

The importance of recognition

Nurses’ unwavering commitment to high-quality clinical care, alongside their ability to connect on a deeply human level exemplifies the true power of nursing. And yet, we can’t forget that these everyday heroes are humans also. As nurses are propping up our healthcare system, many are also facing burnout and workplace violence. Sadly, 81.6% of nurses experienced workplace violence, according to a 2023 study. We must do a better job protecting and advocating for the very people who take care of our family, friends, and communities.

Nursing is both a deeply rewarding profession and physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging. While National Nurses week is a wonderful opportunity to publicly celebrate nurses, meaningful recognition must occur year-round.

One organization leading the way is The DAISY Foundation; their mission is to “meaningfully celebrate extraordinary, compassionate nurses, capturing those moments unique to nursing that make a profound difference in the lives of people around the world.” Qualtrics is a proud Industry Partner of the DAISY Foundation, as we work to elevate their mission, finding innovative ways to seek patient feedback and provide gratitude and meaningful recognition to nurses everywhere.

Please take time over the coming weeks to thank and celebrate the nurses in your life. And if you are a nurse, thank you for everything you do. You are deeply appreciated – not just this week, but all year long!