Florence Nightingale : A Woman With Endless Wisdom And Timeless Insight

Florence Nightingale, considered the founder of modern nursing, first began to establish nursing as a profession during the Crimean War. Since then, nursing theorists have continued to expand on the thought that patients are made up of more than just the symptoms they present with, Abraham Maslow, Carl Jung, Dr. Larry Dossey and Dorothy Johnson, but none more so than Jean Watson. She developed a theory of human caring that contained several core concepts, these concepts lay forth the ground work for how we, as nurses, should care for a patient. These concepts included transpersonal caring relationships (going beyond ego to higher “spiritual” caring

person as someone with psychological, intellectual, and spiritual components. This is evidenced by her acknowledgment of the importance of variety. For example, she wrote of “the degree . . . to which the nerves of the sick suffer from seeing the same walls, the same ceiling, the same surroundings” (Nightingale, 1860). A nurse was defined as any woman who had “charge of the personal health of somebody” whether well, as in caring for babies and children, or sick, as an “invalid” (Nightingale, 1860). Above all, nursing was “service to God in relief of man”; it was a “calling” and “God’s work” (Bostridge, 2008). All nursing actions were guided by the nurses’ caring, which was guided by underlying ideas about God. Nightingale placed spiritual needs of the patient right at the top along with caring for the patient. She taught about obedience in relation to nursing and this revealed that she was creating a profession that was based on the role of wife and mother. In her teaching, she tried to concentrate more on the lifestyle and moral conduct of the nurses, rather than their professional skills. The measurement of the art of nursing could not be accomplished

Over the past two decades, EBP has expanded on Florence's theories. EBP constitutes the combination of clinical expertise, patient values, and research evidence when making decisions about patient care. In the 1990's, it was determined that just increasing knowledge was not sufficient for improving patient outcomes. To obtain better patient outcomes "new knowledge must be transformed into clinically useful forms, effectively implemented across the entire care team within a systems context,

The concept of environment and its integral role in the delivery of nursing care was among the first identified and documented nursing theory since its early days. Florence Nightingale pioneered the profession of nursing and along with it, pioneered the concept of nursing theory. Her environmental theory was patient focused and incorporated five environmental components needed to promote health. Jarrin (2012) supported that the role of nursing is to promote the best possible environment for the patient to assist in their natural reparative process. According to Rahim (2013), as considered as the profession’s first nurse theorist, Florence Nightingale provided the essential foundation in environmental theory. She believed

After evaluating what the nursing concepts mean to me, I found that they are most similar to Florence Nightingale’s theory. For the first concept of nursing, I think it is the holistic care of individuals to provide an optimal level of health and function, comfort, safety, and education. With holistic care, nurses focus on the mind, body, and spirit. Not only does nursing deal with caring for the individual, but also education is a large part of nursing. To me, the second concept of nursing,

There are many names that come to mind when we think of prominent figures in the field of nursing. Florence Nightingale, being the most famous of all, is known as “the angel of mercy”. She is known to have brought in the importance of the field of nursing and its effect on the care of the ill and disabled. But this is not about her, it is about Anna Caroline Maxwell. For her contributions to the field of nursing in the United States, she is known to be fondly referred to as the “American Florence Nightingale” (Hankin, E., n.d.). She is credited for the significance, importance and establishing a respected field of nursing in the United States of America.

The nursing theory consists of four major concepts including person, health, environment, and nursing. According to the Fundamentals of Nursing, these four concepts “… give nurses a comprehensive perspective that allows you to identify and treat patient’s health care needs at all levels and in all health care settings.” (Potter & Perry, 2009, p. 40) Florence Nightingale’s theory was one of the first models for nursing. The focus of this theory was that nursing consists of caring through the environment and helping the patient overcome their symptoms and changes in function related to their prevailing illness. It also focuses on the manipulation on the environment for the potential benefit of the patient. Florence “… had always seen to the heart of things- that the real nurse must be a dedicated being- that

Nursing theory is vital to the nursing profession because it provides a foundation and framework which is reflected in nurses’ caring ideals and practice (William, 2015). Theory provides an understanding of a nurse’s role within the healthcare system. The first nursing theory, formed by Nightingale, was observations of interventions that improved patient outcomes (Mackey & Bassendowski, 2016). Nurses can improve quality of care by implementing theory into their practice (Mackey & Bassendowski, 2016). This paper will discuss the importance of nursing theory, Florence Nightingale’s Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It Is Not, and the application of this theory in the nurse

Each professional discipline has a responsibility to identify concepts that provide a general description of the discipline. It is these concepts that comprise the profession’s metaparadigm (Fawcett, 1984). Much of the philosophy and theory of nursing stems from the work of Florence Nightingale. The diaries, letters, and books that she left behind containing her statements and beliefs have been fundamental to the development of the concepts comprising the nursing metaparadigm (Selanders, 2010). Fawcett’s (1984) stated there was a general consensus among scholars that the concepts of nursing were person, environment, health, and nursing.

Nightingale’s theory, also known as the “environment theory” stood for many important concepts which includes focusing solely on the needs of the patient and having a good relationship between the nurse and patient. The environment is the main aspect of her theory, which includes everything from social, psychological, and physical, as well as health being maintained by empowerment of the person themselves and the control of the environment. Lastly, efficient nursing by providing fresh air, cleanliness and a well balanced diet. (1) Florence Nightingale believed that the environment had an immense impact on the affect on the health of a person. Fresh air “To keep the air he breathes as pure as the external air without chilling him.”

The concept of environment and its integral role in the delivery of nursing care was among the first identified and documented nursing concept since its early days. Florence Nightingale pioneered the profession of nursing and along with it, pioneered the concept of Nursing Theory. Her Environmental Theory was patient focused and incorporated five environmental components needed to promote health. Jarrin (2012) supported that the role of nursing is to promote the best possible environment for the patient to assist in their natural reparative process. It dates back from the time of ancient Greek philosophers and historians, including Plato, Hippocrates, and Aristotle, whose works are studied by Nightingale in her early years. According to Rahim (2013), as considered as the profession’s first nurse theorist, Florence Nightingale provided the essential foundation in environmental theory. She believed that some laws of nature, when applied and integrated into nursing care, can assist individuals in restoring their health during their illness, and, in those who are already healthy, promote health and prevent illness.

Florence Nightingale’s vision of nursing in the mid-1800s began an evolution of nursing philosophies and theories that encouraged the progression and development of nursing knowledge, quality of care, and the advancement of nursing from a vocation to an academic discipline and profession (Alligood, 2013, pp. 3-7). As nursing knowledge and theory flourished, it became necessary to structure nursing theories into an integrated system. Jacqueline Fawcett’s proposal of four global nursing concepts “as a nursing metaparadigm served as an organizing structure for existing nursing frame-works and introduced a way of organizing individual theoretical works in a meaningful structure” (Alligood, 2013, p. 4). The four concepts of the metaparadigm of nursing include: person, environment, health, and nursing. By understanding the history of nursing development and the metaparadigm of nursing, one can explore this author’s personal philosophy of nursing in respect to the four concepts of the metaparadigm of nursing.

Florence Nightingale was born in Florence, Italy in 1820. She was born into a wealthy British family and displayed very educated for a female from that era. She was tutored by her father and would later study Nursing in Kaiserwerth, Germany. Florence believed that she was called by god to be a nurse and at the age of 25 told her parents that she wished to study nursing. This desire to be a nurse was only a dream until she turned 31 and was permitted by her family to travel to Kaiserwerth, Germany and study nursing. She took what she learned here and moved back to London and began working as the superintendent at the Hospital for Invalid Gentlewomen. Nightingales fame came during the Crimean war, where she worked to improve

Florence Nightingale developed the environmental model theory of nursing. Nery, (2015) states that Florence Nightingale’s environmental theory of nursing, “focus primarily on the environment, interpreted as all external conditions and influences that affect the life and development of an organism, that are able to prevent, suppress or contribute to disease and death.” The four metaparadigm concepts of this theory consist of person, environment, nursing, and health. Within this theory, the patient is being cared for by the nurse, has been influenced by the environment, and has reparative powers (“Nursing Theories, 2011). Nightingale’s theory does not have a clear definition of the person; however, it can be inferred that the person correlates “in relation to the environment and the impact of the environment on the person’s health status” (Butts & Rich, 2018). The highlight of Nightingale’s theory is the environment. Both the external and internal environment needs to be in sanitary conditions. The environment concept of this theory contains “physical, psychological, and social” factors (“Nursing Theories, 2011). The goal of the nurse is the control the patient’s environment to achieve ideal health for the patient. Nightingale’s theory did not define health; however, she stated that nature itself can heal ailments (Butts & Rich, 2018). Nightingale (1859) stated that health is ‘not only to be well, but able to use well every power we have to use it.”

Florence Nightingale is known as a pioneer of public health. Not only was she a fantastic nurse, but aside from working directly with individuals she also affected populations. She worked hard addressing matters of epidemiology, such as breaking the chain of infection as well as meticulously measuring health outcomes. She utilized mortality rates and surveillance in her research methods. Her accomplishments affected thousands of people. Florence Nightingale was truly a hero towards public health and can be considered the “Joan of Arc of Nursing”.