5 Tips to Take National Hospital Week from Basic to Brilliant

Hospitals are filled with healthcare heroes who work tirelessly day-in and day-out to ensure that patients and their families are comfortable and well cared for. That’s why it’s important to highlight the significance of National Hospital Week. National Hospital Week takes place during the first full week of May and is a way to encourage healthcare appreciation and recognize all the heroes and support staff who work tirelessly in hospitals across the country to ensure the well-being of their patients.

This year, hospitals nationwide will celebrate from May 12-18, marking a great opportunity for healthcare business partners, managers or anyone in administration to reach out and share hospital staff appreciation messages. This is an ideal time to let employees know how much they are appreciated for their dedication and care, not only during National Hospital Week, but all year long.

Every year, the AHA (American Hospital Association) gives a theme to National Hospital Day, and this year’s theme is We Are Healthcare. Celebrating the strength and community of healthcare workers, the AHA has created a short video that’s all about The Role of Hospitals in our communities. When you check it out, you’re sure to be inspired to jump headlong into this year’s Hospital Week celebrations and join other professionals on social media with #WeAreHealthcare.

Who’s Celebrating?

When we think of hospitals, we usually think of doctors and nurses, but there are so many more people helping to keep things running smoothly. During National Hospital Week, every department is included in the gratitude and celebration, because hospitals couldn’t run without the diligence of everyone on the team.

Depending on the size of the facility, roles and positions may vary, but when this important week rolls around in May, be sure to have every department on your radar! Hospital employee appreciation includes professionals from Pharmacy, Food Service, Maintenance, Security, IT, HR, Transportation, as well as those in quality control, supply chain and your volunteer workers. Many of these departments have their own dedicated hospital department weeks or days of celebration throughout the year, but they should still be included in any Hospital Week activities you may have planned. After all, your employees work hard all year long, so they deserve to be celebrated as often as you can make it happen!

How to Make Hospital Week Memorable for Staff

Your employees deserve the best, so get ready, because we’re about to help you set the bar really high this year! At Hallmark Business Connections, we’ve got plenty of ideas to help you shine a spotlight on every healthcare professional you work with. From easy to all-out, from budget-friendly to extravagant, you’ll find all the right ideas to help you share the love and spread some joy to everyone during this year’s National Hospital Week.

Here are our top suggestions to encourage your teams, uplift your clients and let everyone you support in healthcare know what a wonderful job they do all year long:

1. Host a twin day. We’ve got spirit, yes, we do! Remember how fun those days were in high school? When you give your staff the opportunity to kick back and have a little fun, even when they are on the clock, you’ll increase their employee engagement. Consider letting nurses, doctors and administration trade places (in looks only!) with a work buddy. It’s a lighthearted way to get a few laughs while still getting the job done. Things too chaotic for a twin day? Try a crazy hair day, a silly hat day or even a funny sock day to add some levity to everyone’s shift.

2. Tell them they are appreciated. One of the easiest ways to attain and retain great talent is employee recognition. At Hallmark Business Connections, we’ve got you covered, and we know that showing you care can be as easy as giving a greeting card filled with a few words of encouragement and support. Especially for Hospital Week, be sure to stock up on professional greeting cards in bulk to share with your teams to show your gratitude. When you send Employee Appreciation and Nurse Appreciation cards to everyone on your team, you will solidify connections and ensure employees know how much you care about them.

If you only have a card or two to send, or if you want an even more personalized option, you can select our Mail to One service that allows you to choose a greeting card online, personalize it with your own message in a handwriting font, and then we’ll stamp and mail it for you. And if you’d like to send an especially hardworking manager, charge nurse or department lead an extra surprise for going out of their way all year long, consider sending a bouquet of fresh cut Hallmark flowers or a decadent box of chocolates by Christopher Elbow.

3. Deliver some fun swag. Nurses and doctors love their swag! Think mugs, insulated cups, hoodies, lanyards and more that can be personalized with your clinic or system’s name and logo. There are practically endless possibilities in this category, and the beauty of it is that you can stay within your budget by sizing orders up or down, or by purchasing in bulk. You can find uplifting and meaningful corporate gifts for administrative personnel, nurses and doctors at Hallmark Business Connections, too. We offer options like bookmarks and calendars with uplifting quotes, and we even offer an affirming notebook that’s made specifically with medical professionals in mind. No matter the gift you select, when you give everyone on your team a meaningful gift of gratitude for their hard work, it’s something that will be appreciated.

4. Give out survival kits. Whether they’re a nurse, doctor or receptionist, their main goal is to survive every single day, and you know as well as they do that some days can get pretty crazy! A survival kit with some of their favorite and much-needed items will be appreciated by everyone. You can even turn lidded mugs or water bottles into cute holders for all those important survival items. Need ideas? Stuff their survival kits with things like gum, hard candies, hair ties, cute sticky notes, funny pens, lip balm, inspirational keychains and other small items that might be useful during their workday.

5. Get punny. Everybody loves a good pun, especially if it’s accompanied by food. Try adding some puns to a good old-fashioned break room snack day. For example, give them a donut day and let staff know ‘Donut Know What We’d Do Without You’ or try a nacho or taco bar because you have ‘Nacho Ordinary Staff.’ Feeling healthy? Cater in yummy salads and wraps and remind everyone to ‘Romaine Calm & Carry On’…after all, there are professionals in the building. Whatever you do, have fun with it and be sure to let everyone know to eat up, because it probably won’t be long until the next emergency!

One of the key employee engagement elements that has declined the most in the past few years is ‘feeling cared about at work,’ and some of the ways this can be remedied are by ensuring there is better communication between workers and employees, as well as increasing collaboration and ensuring employee well-being. What better way to get a pulse on how your team is feeling than to host a week honoring them and celebrating their hard work? National Hospital Week is a chance for you to get out there, have great conversations and let your teams know they are supported and appreciated as they do their hard work throughout the year.

Hallmark Business Connections is here to help along the way. If you want to read more about how you can engage employees and let them know how much you care, read our Employee Appreciation Day article.