Nursing Week will be held May 6 - 12, 2024.

It is the annual celebration of our profession that always coincides with the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, on May 12.

RNAO is proud to recognize all nurses for the quality of care they provide to patients, clients and long-term care residents. From the bedside to the classroom and the boardroom, nurses make Ontario, our country and the world a healthier place.

Celebrating successes, solving challenges

RNAO celebrates the expertise, resilience and dedication of nurses throughout the year. Nursing Week offers a unique chance to highlight our collective achievements and spotlight the significant contributions nurses across Ontario make towards fostering health for all.

A most notable accomplishment is our leading role ensuring evidence-based, patient-centred care, which is essential for individual wellbeing and healthier systems. As we mark the 25th anniversary of RNAO’s Best Practice Guidelines (BPG) Program, we thank deeply the thousands of nurses and others who have participated in developing, implementing and evaluating RNAO BPGs. We also praise the 150,000 nurse champions and other colleagues who lead the way in our Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO®) Program, now in its 21st year with over 1,500 BPSOs at home and abroad. 

On the policy front, increases in educational seats for RNs, NPs and RPNs, alongside RN prescribing and expansion of NP-led clinics are tremendous outcomes of RNAO’s steadfast advocacy and our collective mobilization to improve access to care for all.

Dr. Claudette Holloway

Dr. Claudette Holloway,
RN, BScN, MSN, DHA, CHE
RNAO President

Doris Grinspun

Dr. Doris Grinspun, 
RN, BScN, MSN, PhD,
LLD(hon), Dr(hc), DHC, DHC,
FAAN, FCAN, O.ONT
RNAO CEO

Nurses’ unwavering commitment and teamwork enhance the health of Ontarians and lay the groundwork for future nursing generations.

Success – individual and/or collective – often involves overcoming challenges within our health system and sometimes within ourselves. You each have crafted remarkable stories as you face these challenges. Together, we continuously make progress and emerge stronger. 

We salute all nurses and in particular our 51,650+ members. Know that RNAO will continue to move from strength to ever greater strength, as we remain focused on addressing RN and NP retention and recruitment, competitive compensation in all roles and sectors, harm reduction, the environmental crisis, and systemic racism and all forms of discrimination in nursing and in health care.

We wish every RN, NP, RPN and nursing student across Ontario a joyous Nursing Week.

#BPSO

Highlighting RNAO's BPSOs

RNAO representatives will be attending BPSO events during Nursing Week  to highlight the difference nurses and other health providers are making to optimize the health of Ontarians.

They include the North Western Toronto Ontario Health Team and Archipel Ontario Health Team in Ottawa. These events will showcase how RNAO’s best practice guidelines are improving quality of care.

Learn more

BPSO

Events listing