According to “The History of National Nurses Week,” National Nurses Day has been around since 1954. It was originally observed from 11-16th, the year that marked the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s mission to Crimea. Representative Frances P. Bolton sponsored the bill for Nurses Week, but Congress discontinued it. Later in 1974, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) proclaimed that May 12th would be International Nurses Day, knowing May 12th is the birthday of Florence Nightingale. In 1978, New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne declared May 6th as “Nurses Day”. Edward Scnalan of Red Bank, NJ, took up the cause to give recognition to the nurses within his state. 1981, the American Nurses Association (ANA), along with other nursing organizations, rallied to support nurses in New Mexico and, through Manuel Lujan, a congressman, to have May 6th established as National Recognition Day for nurses. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation recognizing “National Recognition Day for Nurses to be May 6th”. Later in 1990, the ANA Board of Directors expanded the recognition of nurses to a week-long celebration, declaring May 6-12, 1991, as National Nurses Week.
Mendham High School is lucky to have two amazing nurses on staff, Mrs. Sussex and Ms. Pulver. I had the opportunity to meet one of them, Mrs. Melisa Sussex, recently. Unfortunately, Ms. Pulver was helping students, so I wasn’t able to interview both of them. This shows how busy and dedicated our nursing staff always is.
Mrs. Sussex has been working here since 2022, making 2025 her third year. She originally worked at Willow School as a nurse, and before that, she worked at Castle Rehabilitation in Chester and then at an Acute Rehabilitation facility. She said, “I came at a time right as COVID was kind of coming to an end and the pandemic [was slowing down]. So before, you know, it was very demanding on nurses with COVID and all the regulations and the quarantine, and so now it’s like easing back into normal normalcy, post pandemic.”
Some of the pros of being a school nurse are not having to work a 12-hour shift or work on holidays and weekends. School nurses work Monday-Friday and have most of the summer off as well. Mrs. Sussex also spoke of being able to tell when students come in actually sick or to skip class. The nurse’s office has become a safe house for all to come when tired, sick, or just needing a nurse to chat with.
Our school nurses do a lot, from managing students, sports physicals, paperwork, and health screenings for students in general, etc. About National Nurses Week, Mrs. Sussex stated, “I feel like nurses give a lot of themselves… So it is nice to just have a special day and [hear people] say thank you, because [being a] nurse, it’s kind of like a selfless job. You give a lot of yourself to help others.” It goes to show how hard our nurses work every day and deserve to be appreciated. Please stop in and thank both Mrs. Sussex and Mrs. Pulver for their dedication to our students and school. Thank you to our nurses for all the hard work you do!
