Nurses have many skills they use on the job to care for patients and collaborate with healthcare teams. National Nurses Week is a time to celebrate those nursing strengths, ranging from communication and critical thinking to integrity and empathy.
If you’re interested in a nursing career, you can work to build those skills through education, training, and clinical experience. At American Career College, we’re proud to support future nurses pursuing this profession. Happy National Nurses Week to the students, alumni, faculty, and nurses everywhere who exemplify the power of nurses!
What Is National Nurses Week?
National Nurses Week takes place every year from May 6–12, ending on Florence Nightingale’s birthday. It’s a national event to recognize the impact of nurses in communities. In 1998, it expanded to include National Student Nurses Day on May 8, which celebrates nursing students pursuing careers in the field.
What Is the Theme of National Nurses Week in 2026?
In 2026, the theme of National Nurses Week is “The Power of Nurses.” The theme celebrates nurses’ ability to make a difference through the unique strengths they bring to their roles every single day.
Nurse Characteristics That Show the Power of Nurses
The qualities of a good nurse extend far beyond clinical knowledge and patient assessment. These characteristics show the power of nurses as they support, educate, and advocate for patients:
- Communication: Nurses communicate with patients, families, and care team members. These skills enable them to listen to patients, ask the right questions, and relay information to doctors and other providers.
- Empathy and compassion: With empathy, nurses can better understand what patients are experiencing. Compassion helps them act on their empathy to provide patient-centered care and offer emotional support.
- Critical thinking: Nurses often respond to challenging situations and need to think quickly on their feet. They use critical thinking to assess a situation logically and make decisions based on clinical knowledge, even in high-pressure situations.
- Organization: During a typical shift, nurses may care for many patients at once. Organizational skills help them manage their time and handle different tasks to keep things running smoothly.
- Patience: It’s common for nurses to work with patients who are scared, angry, nervous, or confused. By having patience, nurses can build trust with those patients and help them through stressful moments.
- Integrity: Good nurses take an honest and ethical approach to their work. They have the integrity to act in the patients’ best interests at all times.
Together, these strengths help nurses provide quality care focused on patients’ needs. Aspiring nurses can work to improve these skills through education, hands-on practice, and clinical training.
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How ACC Helps Students Build Nursing Strengths
At ACC, students can work to develop nursing strengths through programs that feature flexible learning, real-world clinical training, and licensure support.
Award-Winning Nursing Programs
ACC offers two streamlined nursing pathways: the Vocational Nursing program and the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program. Both programs can help students learn nursing concepts and develop patient care skills. In the Vocational Nursing program, students take courses and get hands-on training in preparation for licensed vocational nurse (LVN) licensure, while the ADN program supports students working toward registered nurse (RN) licensure.
These nursing programs have been recognized for their approach to nursing education, earning Best Nursing School awards from:
- LA Daily News Readers Choice Awards
- OC Register Readers Choice Awards
- Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Readers Choice Awards
Flexible Learning Options
Nursing school takes time and dedication, but program flexibility can help make the commitment more manageable for many students. ACC’s ADN program uses a blended learning format, where students take classes online and come to campus for labs and hands-on training.
The VN program also offers an Evening and Weekends option, with nursing classes two nights a week and labs on the weekends — giving students the ability to balance personal and professional responsibilities with their education.
Hands-On Clinical Training
Practice helps nursing students grow their strengths. ACC students have the opportunity to build those skills through hands-on training, including industry-current simulation labs and clinical placements. Both the VN and ADN programs include over 800 hours of clinical training and experience.
ACC alumna Christine Z. found this training to be immensely helpful for her future career in healthcare. “ACC set me up for success with all the clinicals we went through and the different experiences and instructors,” she said. “It was great.”
NCLEX Support
Getting licensed is an essential part of becoming an LVN or an RN, and ACC helps students prepare for this step. Nursing coursework aligns with the key concepts and scenarios found on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). Other resources for students include practice exams, review resources, and test-taking strategies.
For ACC alumna Cindy Wu, the support she received from both her instructors and her classmates went a long way in preparing her to take the NCLEX-PN for licensed vocational nurses. “My most memorable experience at ACC is I made a friend who really pushed me and inspired me to study hard to pass the exit exam and NCLEX successfully,” she said.
Direct Path to Nursing
For students ready to build their nursing strengths, ACC offers programs with streamlined timelines. The Vocational Nursing program can be completed in as little as 12 months, or 18 months with the Evenings and Weekends option. The ADN program can be done in approximately 20 months. These realistic timelines help students start developing nursing strengths as they take the next step toward a future career in the field.
Celebrating the Power of Future Nurses at ACC
National Nurses Week is an opportunity to recognize the nursing strengths that define this profession. Nurses make an invaluable impact on our communities, and we are grateful for everything they do to support patients and families.
At American Career College, we recognize the power of nurses and want to share our heartfelt appreciation to the ACC nursing students, faculty, alumni, and nurses everywhere who make a difference!
If you feel inspired to use your strengths in a nursing career, ACC offers Vocational Nursing and Associate Degree in Nursing programs, both designed to help you begin building nursing strengths. Reach out today for more information!
