Florence Nightingale And Nursing Education

Florence Nightingale was the founder for nursing. Even though Nightingale’s family was against the career of nursing, she pursued her passion of learning to care for the ill. She strived to help the people sick and in need. Nightingale showed her caring heart when she helped cure soldiers during the Crimean War. She showed her compassion as she helped the wounded soldiers from the battlefield. Over time, Nightingale noticed the unsanitary conditions at the base hospital. Since the conditions were extremely unsanitary, Nightingale recorded the mortality rate of the soldiers. According to her data, the soldiers hospitalized were seven times more likely to pass away from unsanitary environments rather than injuries from the

Florence Nightingale is known as the founder of modern nursing. Her contributions and influence not only to the nursing profession, but to the public health care system, is unparalleled. She was instrumental in establishing multiple processes and practices that are still in current practice. She has influenced many nursing theorist and prevailing theories during her career. Many of her changes continue to influence theory development today.

Florence Nightingale was an immense impact on nursing, who “became famous for her revolutionary work as a nurse during the Crimean War” (Kent 30). “She dedicated her life to improving conditions in hospitals, beginning in an army hospital during the Crimean War,” (3 Registered). Her actions were then used by “concerned individuals, rather than by professionally trained nurses” during the Civil War, (Registered 279). Many of Nightingale’s ideas were brought into modern times, but with the improvement of technology and licensed nurses. With the influence and patience of Florence Nightingale, nursing has evolved into an outstanding career.

Nursing has not always been the type of career that it is today. Florence Nightingale made a huge impact on nursing. Louise Selanders wrote an article explaining Nightingale’s life, all the accomplishments she made, and all the ways she impacted modern nursing. In the article, she explains the history of how nursing became such a big deal. War, especially the Crimean War, is what really moved the career to a whole other level. Florence Nightingale was chosen to lead a bunch of nurses in the military’s medical establishments. According to Selanders when Nightingale arrived the conditions were “filthy, and inadequate” but once Florence arrived she turned it all around, she taught all of the nurses how to properly care for the patients and completely turned the conditions around. Florence greatly increased the survival rate of the war soldiers because of her immense knowledge on the subject. So, after the war she began writing textbooks and opened the very first nursing school. Florence began the revolution of nursing. Making it a much more valued and important career. Over the years new discoveries, and advancements in science and technology have greatly changed the nursing profession. Making it possible for many lives to be saved.

Florence Nightingale was an admirable leader because despite her gender she kept striving for what she wanted in a world ruled by men. She had determination, honesty, integrity, and respect from her peers. She fought diligently for women to receive an education and developed renowned ways of how to prevent and treat illnesses. She made improvements that benefited society, the population and as well as her peers. She was a leader that put others before herself and wanted equal success for all. She was committed to her mission and with that she showed that a nurse should have compassion. This relates to nursing being both an art and a science. She emphasized the need for empathy, as she believed that being empathetic could also help improve with recovery. Nightingale took initiative in the work she did and as a leader you need to take action and be proactive. An important contribution Nightingale made that has impacted our education and also improved the environment was her hadnwashing theory. She implemented hand hygiene and that helped prevent infection and illnesses. Florence Nightingale is an example of which nurses should follow. We must be leaders and take action. Nursing is not just a job, but it is a profession where you protect the rights of others and at the same time help people in their

Nursing is an act and science that deals with retaining, attaining and maintaining optimal client health (Sapountzi-Krepia, 2013). It is an activity that helps in the client care and alleviation of ailment. Florence Nightingale viewed nursing as the act of utilizing the environment of the patient to assist in the recovering. She encouraged nurses to care for people beyond the sick bed, and campaigned for upgrades in healthcare by promoting wellness and prevention of death in the community. Florence Nightingale is considered as the first nurse theorist that raised the status of the nursing to an occupation and helps with the development of nursing theory (Alligood, 2014).

Florence Nightingale also raised the educational status of women by opening up the Nightingale School Home for Nurses in Saint Thomas's Hospital in England. This was the first educational facility dedicated towards nursing for women. The women of the 19th century didn't usually get an education equal to the education of a man. Florence's family didn't think that way though. Florence also raised women's educational status by being educated by her father who gave Florence and her sister a vast classical education. One person that definitely needs to be mentioned is James Sylvestor, he was Florence's math tutor. He is the man who is responsible for teaching Florence mathematics that she used in so many different ways to achieve different

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.

Florence Nightingale is known as the pioneer of nursing and evidence- based health care. Many believe that she was the founder of what we call modern nursing today. During her time as a nurse she had founded her school of nursing at St. Thomas Hospital in 1860 as well she wrote many nursing books such as Notes on Nursing wrote in

Cherry and Jacob state that Nightingale “introduced principles of asepsis and infection control, a system for transcribing physician’s orders, and a procedure to maintain patient records” (Cherry & Jacob, 2014, p. 8). Florence Nightingale also established the first nursing school in 1860 at the St. Thomas’ Hospital of London (Cherry & Jacob, 2014). Not only is Nightingale the founder of professional nursing, she is also recognized for contributing to nursing research, involvement in political activism, and for her establishment to provide formal nursing education to pursing nurses (Cherry & Jacob, 2014).

Florence Nightingale has been recognized as the first nurse. Her actions and writings have had a tremendous effect on the nursing field and future nurses 7. Her teachings of strength, care, and perseverance have inspired me while I have pursued a career in Nursing. With her lessons in mind, I have continued to learn several important characteristics while attending my Nursing course this semester. Nursing is a profession that encompasses the importance of professionalism, nursing attributes, and responsibilities, inter-professionalism, communication skills, equal care, QSEN qualities such as evidence-based practice, reducing medical errors, quality, and safety of patients.

Firstly, Florence Nightingale was born in Florence, Italy on the 12th of May in 1820. She had a very wealthy family. When Florence was sixteen years old on February 7, 1837, she heard the voice of God calling her to carry out some special work. As she had the want to help people, she was lead to believe that God wanted her to be a nurse. Being a nurse was unusual for the upper class because nurses were known to come from poor families. The want of becoming a nurse never went away so she went to Kaiserwerth to nurse training (James).

In 1837, Florence Nightingale had an experience that she believed was a call from God. So, she decided to devote her life to the services of others. Nightingale respected her family’s opposition to her working as a nurse, announcing her decision to enter in the field of nursing. Despite the anger and distress of her mother and sister, she refused to obey the expected role for a women of her status to become a wife and a mother. Nightingale educated herself in the art and science of nursing, facing the opposition from her family and the restrictive social code for wealthy young English women.

Throughout Notes on Nursing, Florence Nightingale expresses the importance of proper care to patients. Another factor of nursing that was effected by Nightingale is the professionalism of nursing and how nursing is not only a science, but an art. Nightingale states how numerous subjects in nursing should be improved upon. The specific chapters that show how Nightingale has improved nursing within Notes on Nursing were Light, Personal Cleanliness, Chattering Hopes and Advices, and Ventilation and Warming. In chapter 9, Light, Florence Nightingale emphasizes the impact of sunlight on the patient and how it improves their health. Personal cleanliness was reviewed in chapter 11. Nightingale explores the importance cleanliness has on a patient. Within chapter 12, Nightingale states how to properly advise the sick, as well as give hope to patients. In chapter 1, Ventilation and Warming, Nightingale states the need for pure air within a patient’s room. These chapters express the importance of properly taking care of patients. The focus of this paper is how it was applied during Nightingale’s time and how it is still relevant today in nursing practice. The chapters within Notes on Nursing have had a profound impact on the practice of nursing today.

Florence Nightingale, a well-educated nurse, was recruited along with 38 other nurses for service in a hospital called Scutari during the Crimean War in 1854 . It was Nightingale's approaches to nursing that produced amazing results. Florence Nightingale was responsible for crucial changes in hospital protocol, a new view on the capabilities and potential of women, and the creation of a model of standards that all future nurses could aspire towards.