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North Florida Medical News would like to join the

millions of other Americans who have been touched,

healed and comforted by our nation's nurses in saying

thank you for being there, and being who you are.

Across Florida, there are thousands of nurses with a passion and commitment to care for others in their greatest times of need. They are the compassionate faces at the bedside and the healing hands that work tirelessly to ensure that each patient, adult or child, receives safe, quality health care.

This week, May 6 through May 12, the Florida Department of Health (DOH) is joining partners across the state to celebrate National Nurses Week and highlight the diverse ways nurses are working to improve health care. Today, there are more than 400,000 nursing professionals in Florida who play a vital role in maintaining the health of Floridians.

Nursing: The Most Trusted Profession in the Country

Nurses make up a large portion of Florida's health care workforce. Almost everyone has had an interaction with a nurse, whether it be in a hospital, health clinic, private practice, home care setting or school environment where nurses are often the primary caregivers and patient advocates.

According to Gallup's 2018 Honesty and Ethics Survey, more than four in five Americans (84%) rate the honesty and ethical standards of nurses as "very high" or "high," earning them the top spot among a diverse list of professions for the 17th consecutive year. With the exception of 2001, when firefighters were on the list after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, nurses have far outpaced all other professions since their addition to the list two decades ago.

Governor DeSantis recently signed two proclamations acknowledging the importance and efforts of Florida's nurses in health care and school settings.

School Nurses Vital to Student Health, In and Out of School

DOH also recognizes Wednesday, May 8 as School Nurse Day- a day to recognize Florida's more than 1,178 registered professional school nurses for the important work they do on behalf of students. School nurses are an essential component to the health and well-being of students, particularly those with acute and chronic health conditions.

During the 2017-2018 school year, Florida's school health nurses served more than 2.8 million students and supervised more than 25 million services to keep Florida's students safe and healthy while at school. For many of these students, without nursing services, attendance would decrease or students would be unable to attend school.