Nurse Practitioner Week 2026: Dates and Ideas for Employers

When is National Nurse Practitioner Week 2026?

National Nurse Practitioner Week 2026 is November 8 to 14, 2026. AANP states the dates on its official site: "During National Nurse Practitioner Week, November 8-14, 2026, we celebrate these health care professionals," in its NP Week press materials, and its local activities page gives the same week. November 8, 2026 is a Sunday, so the week runs Sunday to Saturday.

One fixed event is already announced. AANP's NP Week home page invites NPs and NP students to gather, in white coats and with signs, outside the Today Show on Tuesday, November 10.

AANP's NP Week pages, opened on October 6, 2026, name a week rather than a single "National Nurse Practitioner Day," and the pages we opened show no 2026 theme. Treat the week itself as the observance.

What is National Nurse Practitioner Week, and who leads it?

National Nurse Practitioner Week is an annual week in November that recognizes nurse practitioners, and AANP leads it through a dedicated site at npweek.aanp.org. A nurse practitioner (NP) is one of four advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) roles: a registered nurse with graduate preparation who assesses, diagnoses and treats patients within a population focus such as family or psychiatric mental health. Our explainer on what an APRN is covers the four APRN roles.

AANP's 2026 materials frame the week around the profession's history: "Sixty years after the first NP program launched in 1965, the profession has grown to include more than 461,000 licensed NPs nationwide" (AANP NP Week press materials).

The official site is a toolkit more than an event listing. According to AANP, it offers a sample news release, talking points, an NP fact sheet, community activity ideas, a media interview guide, posters, and guidelines for writing a letter to the editor. AANP's activities page asks participants to use the hashtags #NPWeek and #NPsLead, to share stories at aanp.org/shareyourstory, and to ask local or state officials for proclamations using AANP's template. Signed proclamations appear on AANP's NP Week proclamation map.

Which NP facts are worth sharing during NP Week?

The strongest NP Week posts use a few verified numbers with their sources and dates, not a long list. These four hold up to scrutiny as of October 6, 2026.

Three notes keep these numbers honest. The $132,300 figure is a median from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for May 2025, not an average, and pay varies widely by state, setting and specialty; the NP salary guide breaks it down. The 41% figure comes from the BLS Employment Projections release of August 27, 2026 (USDL-26-1422), which says NPs are "projected to experience the fastest employment growth of all detailed occupations (+41.0 percent)." It is a national projection, not a forecast for any one market; our NP job outlook explains how to read it.

Full practice authority is one of the state practice environments AANP tracks; our full practice authority guide explains what it covers. Many full practice states still require transition-to-practice hours first, so check the state rules on our scope of practice reference before describing any one state.

How can employers recognize NPs during NP Week?

Employers recognize NPs best by giving them something that changes their working year, not just their week. A meal or a gift is a fine gesture, but the ideas below address the parts of the job NPs live with all year: time, development, workload and being heard.

1. Protect CME time and fund it. Confirm each NP's continuing education allowance and protected days for the coming year, and say so publicly during the week. An allowance without time to use it is half a benefit.
2. Recognize NPs by name, in public. Name each NP and what they built this year in an all staff message, a patient newsletter or a social post using #NPWeek. Ask permission first.
3. Hold a career development conversation. Schedule a short one-to-one with each NP about the next two years: a new clinic line, precepting, a leadership role, a second certification. Write down what you agree to.
4. Run a listening session on workload and documentation. Ask what slows the day: template length, inbox volume, patients per day, rooming support, after-hours charting.
5. Fix one pain point and announce it. Pick one issue from the listening session that you can change within 30 days, such as a template, a staffing gap or a scheduling rule, and commit to it during NP Week.
6. Pay the fees that keep NPs practicing. Where your budget allows, cover license renewals, certification fees, DEA registration or professional dues, and state the policy in writing.
7. Back the profession publicly. Ask your local official for an NP Week proclamation using AANP's template, or invite local media to meet your NPs.

What are good NP Week ideas for a small practice?

A small practice can do NP Week well with almost no budget by choosing two or three items and doing them properly. Where the owner or manager sets schedules and templates directly, a promised change can happen within weeks.

• Block one protected afternoon for each NP during the week or the month after, for CME, charting catch-up or a project of their choice.
• Put the NP's name and credentials on your website and in your patient portal if they are not already there, so patients know who is treating them.
• Ask your NPs which single task they would remove from their week, then remove it or delegate it.
• Write a short note to each NP describing a specific contribution.
• Use AANP's free materials: put up an NP Week poster from the NP Week toolkit, or post about your own team using #NPWeek.

If you employ certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) or clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), their roles have their own recognition weeks, listed below. Do not fold them into NP Week.

When are the other APRN recognition weeks?

Each of the other APRN roles has its own recognition week led by its professional association, and every nurse shares National Nurses Week in May. The dates below are the ones we could verify at the organizer or at a government source on October 6, 2026.

For CRNA Week, a January 23, 2026 release from the office of Rep. Dave Joyce of Ohio said that "since 2000, the last full week of January has been known as 'National CRNA Week.'" AANA's own website, which sets the official dates, blocked our automated check, so confirm the January 2027 dates at aana.com before you plan around them.

How can employers use NP Week in recruiting?

NP Week is a good moment to recruit because NPs are paying attention to the profession, but the message has to be concrete. A thank-you post next to a vague job ad undercuts itself.

• Post open roles before the week starts. Post a nurse practitioner job by early November so it is live while NPs are reading NP Week content. Current posting terms are on the pricing page.
• State the pay range. A posted range lets NPs judge the role before they apply. NP Hiring's pay transparency report tracks how often postings on the board state pay; see the live report for the current share.
• Name the recognition you offer all year. If you fund CME, protect administrative time or pay license fees, put it in the posting, not just in the NP Week post.
• Describe the schedule honestly. State patients per day, call, weekend coverage and documentation support plainly.
• Use market context. The State of NP Hiring 2026 report summarizes specialty demand, geography, work mode and advertised pay across postings on NP Hiring, which helps you benchmark a role before it goes live.

For a hiring guide and job description templates, see employer resources or the employer overview.

What employers should do now

As of mid October 2026, employers have about four weeks before November 8, which is enough for recognition that is more than a lunch. A short checklist:

1. By October 20: confirm next year's CME allowance and protected days for each NP, and decide on one fee or dues policy you can announce.
2. By late October: schedule a listening session and the one-to-one career conversations, and request a local proclamation if you plan to.
3. By November 1: publish open NP roles with a pay range and a plain description of schedule and support.
4. During November 8 to 14: recognize NPs by name, announce the pain point you will fix, and share AANP's verified facts with their sources.
5. Within 30 days after: deliver the fix and tell the team it is done.

NPs reading this from the other side of the desk can use the week too: it is a natural moment to ask your manager about CME support or a career path. If the answer is not what you hoped, browse current NP jobs or set up a job alert for roles that state their pay.

Frequently asked questions

When is National Nurse Practitioner Week 2026?

National Nurse Practitioner Week 2026 runs from Sunday, November 8 to Saturday, November 14, 2026. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), which leads the observance, gives these dates on its official NP Week site at npweek.aanp.org. AANP has also announced an NP gathering outside the Today Show on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

What is National Nurse Practitioner Week?

National Nurse Practitioner Week is an annual week in November when the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the wider health care community recognize nurse practitioners. AANP's official site provides a toolkit with a sample news release, talking points, an NP fact sheet, posters, a proclamation template and activity ideas. In 2026, AANP's materials note that the first NP program launched in 1965.

How can employers recognize nurse practitioners during NP Week?

Employers recognize NPs best with changes that last beyond the week. Strong options are confirming protected CME time and funds, naming NPs publicly with their permission, holding career development conversations, running a listening session on workload and documentation, and fixing one pain point within 30 days. Paying license, certification or professional dues fees is another practical option where the budget allows.

What are good NP Week ideas for a small practice?

A small practice can choose two or three low-cost actions and do them well. Good options include a protected afternoon for each NP, listing each NP's name and credentials on the website and patient portal, removing one low-value task from each NP's week, writing a specific note of thanks, and using AANP's free NP Week posters or the #NPWeek hashtag to recognize your own team.

How many nurse practitioners are there in the US?

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) reports more than 461,000 NPs licensed in the United States, on its NP Week facts page dated October 2026 and drawing on its National Nurse Practitioner Database (2025). This counts licensed NPs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts NP jobs instead and estimates 336,300 in 2025, so the two figures measure different things.

When is CRNA Week?

National CRNA Week is held in January. A January 23, 2026 release from the office of Rep. Dave Joyce of Ohio said that since 2000 the last full week of January has been known as National CRNA Week. The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) sets the official dates each year, so confirm the 2027 dates on the AANA website before planning events.

Sources

• AANP: National Nurse Practitioner Week, home page (2026 edition, opened October 6, 2026)
• AANP: NP Week Press Releases and Letters to the Editor (2026 edition, opened October 6, 2026)
• AANP: NP Week Ideas for Local Activities (2026 edition, opened October 6, 2026)
• AANP: NP Week Proclamation (2026 edition, opened October 6, 2026)
• AANP: NP Facts (October 2026)
• AANP: State Practice Environment (2026)
• BLS: Occupational Outlook Handbook, Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners (updated August 27, 2026; pay data May 2025)
• BLS: Employment Projections 2025 to 2035, USDL-26-1422 (August 27, 2026)
• ANA: National Nurses Week (opened October 6, 2026)
• NACNS: CNS Week 2026 (2026)
• ACNM: National Midwifery Week (2026)
• Office of Rep. Dave Joyce: Joyce, Schakowsky Reintroduce Legislation to Commemorate National CRNA Week (January 23, 2026)