Florence Nightingale Influence On Nursing Theorists

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 went against her parents wishes of getting married and starting a family; she wanted to leave an impact on the world. She did just that by wanting to improve the profession of nursing and formed the framework for centuries to come. Florence Nightingale has been quoted with saying “every woman is a nurse”(Malka,2007). She believed nursing was a calling for women and that idea later turned nursing into the respectful and trustworthy that we know of today. The impact she left behind is greater than she could ever imagine.

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.

Nurses who understand the history of advocacy that our founding nursing leaders encouraged and practiced are better prepared to take of the challenges of our present changing paradigm of healthcare .The rich history of nursing founded by “The Mother of Nursing “Florence Nightingale was credited for helping to develop nursing education programs.( Nickitas, Middaugh & Aires, 2016,p.4

Nursing has been around since the times of the ancient civilizations of Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Nursing today is considered as one of the noblest profession one can have. Who is this lady that helped changed the face of Medicine and whose works continue to serve as practices for the modern times. The woman who transformed and improved the caring profession and created notes and the fundamentals of what Nursing is and what Nursing is not.

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.

Florence Nightingale, or as soldiers on the battlefield would call her the “Lady with the Lamp”, was an inspirational women of the nineteenth century that had many aspirations and dreams concerning the care of others. Achieving these dreams by “facilitating the reparative processes of the body by manipulating the patient’s environment” (Potter & Perry 2009, p. 45); Nightingale laid the foundations of modern nursing and gave the country and many others a system that has stood the test and remains timeless. In this, Florence has become one of the most widely known nursing theorist to this day.

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 is considered the founder of modern nursing. She also created the first educational system for nurses. Prior to Nightingale’s nursing education program, there was no formal preparation or organized training programs for nurses. Nursing was not recognized as an academic discipline (Alligood, 2014, p. 6). Nursing care was provided by the family, nuns and religious servants, or self-trained women who were held in low regard by society. Nursing was considered domestic work and not a profession. “Nightingale revolutionized and professionalized nursing by stressing that nursing was not a domestic, charitable service but a respected occupation requiring advanced education” (Black, 2014, p. 134). In 1860, the Nightingale School of Nursing, at St. Thomas Hospital in London, was established for the education of professional nurses. This nursing program differed from earlier programs in that nursing students received theory classes along with clinical experiences in the hospital. “Nightingale emphasized the need to blend a mixture of theoretical and clinical experiences as part of the educational package” (Selanders, 2010, p. 84). They used a specific curriculum that ensured that the students would receive training in the various aspects of nursing care for

Florence Nightingale the mother of the Nursing profession leaves the legacy that all Nurses ought to follow. Her contributions

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

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.