Florence Nightingale : An Influential Nurse During The Mid 1800s Essay

Nightingale, F. (1860).Notes on nursing: what it is and what it is not. New York:D.Appleton And Company.

However, Florence Nightingale changed nursing practice, where she was commonly referred to as lady of the lamp (Finkelman and Kenner, 2013). Nightingale established a domestic mode of nursing training in which education of nurses was about the information of character at the Saint Thomas Hospital (Carol, 2011). According to Nightingale the tasks of every nurse was not only to care for the sick but to act as a public agent of moral reform, and to weaken the power of medical men (Nelson, 2010). Rafferty (1996) argue that, nursing

In this paper we will explore many different things that effect and have contributed to the profession of nursing including but not limited to different agencies, nursing theories, and historical figures that have impacted the nursing profession.

Florence Nightingale a systemic thinker and a “passionate statistician” (McDonald, 2001). According to McDonald (2001) Nightingales work in nursing and social reform was informed by religious faith or philosophy that favored a systemic approach. The goal of nursing has remained unchanged, since the time of Nightingales model, nursing is to provide a safe and caring environment that promotes patient health and well-being.

I will be summarizing Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It Is Not by Florence Nightingale. Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It Is Not was first published in 1860 with the last edition being published in 1969 (Adams-Wending, 2010). Nightingale’s theory addresses the importance of providing an environment that is conducive to the healing process for patients (Nightingale, 1860). Nightingale’s theory of the environment was based off the idea that disease was caused by smell of decomposing matter (Adams-Wending, 2010). The theory is broken down into thirteen “canons” of nursing (Nightingale, 1860). The thirteen topics within this theory are: ventilation and warming, health of houses, petty management, noise, variety, taking food, what food?, bed and bedding, cleanliness of rooms and walls, personal cleanliness, chattering of hope and advices, and observations of the sick. Nightingale (1860) states that ventilation is to make the air the patient breaths as fresh as the air outside. This also goes into detail of removing chamber pots

Nursing has evolved as a scientific discipline and is starting to emerge into professional status. One of the great leaders in nursing who helped this change take place was Florence Nightingale. Nightingale is considered as a pioneer in the nursing profession. She has contributed a lot in the field of nursing and her works are considered as assets, and will be remembered for many years.

In a time that was economically and socially dominated by men, Florence Nightingale was a female that overcame many obstacles and persevered to become a world renowned social reformer and the founder of modern nursing. By examining Nightingales life, it is easy to see how she dramatically redesigned the medical administration of Europe and became the face of modern nursing. This paper will examine Nightingales major achievements, the influence she had in the 19th century, ability to conform contemporary ideas, and finally how her accomplishments proved to be revolutionary within Europe and the world. Born into a wealthy family on May 12, 1820, she knew from an early age that she wanted to do enter into the medical field of work. Florence experienced many difficulties

Florence Nightingale, also known as the Lady of the Lamp, included the concepts of light, cleanliness, diet, and a quiet atmosphere in her nursing theory (Joel, 2006). However, an understanding of her philosophy would not be complete without mentioning her focus on nursing administration and the close observation of patients to measure the results of nursing interventions (Alligood, 2014).

Florence Nightingale is considered one of the first nursing theorists. Even though she never formally formulated a theory, her scholarly writings and written opinions on environmental manipulation for the promotion of health is well known to anyone studying nursing. Nightingale combined spirituality with nursing to give her patients the best possible care possible. Florence Nightingale began following her mother when she made rounds to the poor areas within their communities (Heggae, 2013). She later professed receiving a call to serve others. As part of her Environmental Model, she has thirteen essential points that must be addressed to promote wellness amongst the sick (Butts & Rich, 2011). These points are continually addressed in today’s nursing practice during initial assessment and ongoing assessment. Florence Nightingale points focuses on cleanliness, food, shelter, observation, and documentation. According to Heggae (2013), Nightingale focused on nurses being very observant and the ability to document accurately. Florence Nightingale was adamant in nurses being willing to challenge social policies that will impede one’s ability to heal (Heggae, 2013). Nightingale believed that nurses must have the ability to “manipulate the physical and social factors that affect health and illness so as to enhance patient recovery” (Butts & Rich,

People may wonder who established nursing, led efforts to improve the standards of care, and education of nursing for the future. Would the medical profession be this far in its studies, development, and care without the person who improved it? Without Florence Nightingale, the nursing profession would not be as far developed as it has become. Nightingale is known to be self-sacrificing, caring, devout, and passionate because of her dedication to change the care in hospitals and the battlefield for the better and overall improved the nursing profession dramatically. Florence Nightingale strove to improve the care for others and to advance the education of nursing up until the end of her life.

Nursing is considered to be one of the most respected professions today. The theory of nursing has existed for centuries, as family members cared for sick loved ones. However, it was not until the 19th century that nursing as a profession began to develop. It was during this time that Florence Nightingale made her significant contributions to nursing. Among other things, Nightingale helped society recognize nursing as a respectable occupation, established modern nursing education, and helped institute standards of nursing care (Taylor 7). Nursing is a very broad discipline, and nurses serve many different roles—caregiver, teacher, advocate, communicator, counselor, and many more. In fact, the scope of nursing encompasses so many different

Nightingale, F. (1889) Notes on what nursing is and is not. Current Nursing E books.

The 19th century marked the beginning of professional nursing. Florence Nightingale was the legend behind it as she began the struggle of nurses being recognized as professionals. It is hard to believe that nurses were once assigned to the job as a sentence for crimes committed or for the women who were too old or sick to hold conventional jobs. Nightingale’s focus included infection control, documentation, patient safety, confidentiality, and evidence based practice, which seems common place today, but was very forward thinking for that period. The era of Florence Nightingale is just the beginning of the timeline of significant events and

Nightingale’s text outlined the principles of the nursing profession, encouraged proper care of families, and educated on illnesses that were effecting society and the management of such. Within the text, Nightingale emphasized the importance of patient observation and the ability to provide proper care and the importance of sanitary conditions, and a proper

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.”