Every November 14th is observed as Operating Room Nurse Day. This holiday celebrates the hardworking nurses whose job is absolutely vital to the millions upon millions of people, just in the U.S. alone, who undergo surgery every single year.

These nurses provide important surgical support services that include ensuring that the operating room is sterile, making sure that the surgeon has the tools he or she needs when they need them, and acting as a liaison between the patients, the patients’ families, and the medical team.

Of course, that’s only a small sample of what operating room nurses do daily, so perhaps we should show them some of the respect they deserve. And we can start doing just that by observing this holiday every year.

The History of Operating Room Nurse Day

Even though people attending to the injured has been a practice that’s been done for thousands of years, particularly on battlefields, the modern nursing profession as we know it today began during the 19th century. This is when Florence Nightingale and other volunteers provided care to the wounded during the Crimean War.

She was known as the Lady with the Lamp, and her efforts reduced the death rate in Crimean military hospitals by two-thirds. Over the past few hundred years, the nature of nursing has changed significantly. Tools and practices have been modernized, and this has resulted in better outcomes for patients receiving care.

The State Governor of Iowa in 1989 was Terry Branstad, and he decided to help show operating room nurses a little bit of appreciation by pushing through an executive order that established Operating Room Nurse Day. This holiday has since been observed every year to show operating room nurses that they are appreciated and that what they do is extremely important to everyone.

Observing Operating Room Nurse Day

Thanking an operating room nurse on this holiday is the primary way that people should observe it. If they can’t do this in person, then they should take the time to give a shout-out on social media using the hashtag #OperatingRoomNurseDay. Let’s all take the time to thank operating room nurses and show them that all of their hard work is very much appreciated.

Of course, this holiday doesn’t just have to be used as a “thank you” to operating room nurses. It can also be a day when people think about whether they want to become an operating room nurse. Although the requirements for these nurses might be slightly different from one hospital to another, a typical operating room nurse is going to have to have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree (BSN), be a state-approved Registered Nurse (RN), and be certified as an Operating Room Nurse (CNOR).