Celebrate National ODP Day and International Nurses Day with us
Let’s celebrate together
May 2026 is a month of celebration for the perioperative community.
We invite you to join us in celebrating International Nurses Day on Tuesday 12th May and National ODP Day on Thursday 14th May. These two important dates offer the perfect opportunity to honour the dedication, compassion, and skill of perioperative professionals across the UK and beyond.
#BehindTheScrubs
This year we are excited to launch #BehindTheScrubs, a social media campaign celebrating International Nurses Day and National ODP Day. This is your chance to share what being a theatre nurse or an ODP truly means to you – in your own words.
Below is a link to a short brief with everything you need: how to create your content, suggested prompts, and tips for sharing. Content can be simple – one or two sentences capturing your personal definition, pride, or reflection. You can send the content to us for us to share, or share yourself.
We’d also love it if you could share this brief with your perioperative colleagues so they can join in too. Together, we’ll highlight the passion, professionalism, and humanity at the heart of perioperative practice.
Thank you for helping us make this campaign a celebration of all theatre practitioners!
How you can get involved:
Make it a celebration; decorate your department, bring cakes and balloons, and take a moment to shine a light on your amazing team.
Share your pride; post a selfie or a team photo, tell us what you love about being an ODP or nurse, and share your success stories on social media.
Tag AfPP and join the conversation so we can reshare and celebrate with you.
Tell your story; help us raise awareness and appreciation for the professions that keep healthcare going, every day.
Let’s make this the biggest and brightest celebration yet!
Whether you’re an ODP, a nurse, a student, or part of a perioperative team, we want to hear from you. Let’s show the world the passion, dedication, and heart behind the scrubs.
Download the posters below and add to your noticeboard to celebrate with your team:
International Nurses Day Poster
Together, let’s raise awareness for these vital professions.
With pride and celebration,
The AfPP Team
We’ve made it easy! Share your individual and team pictures with us right now!
Simply click on the button below, upload your pictures and take part in the AfPP #BehindTheScrubs campaign.
