Florence Nightingale and Her Effect on Society

Before the existence of the Great War, America had fought in previous wars. In the years before the Great War nursing was not even a word for the women who had helped with the aid of fallen soldiers. Florence Nightingale, who helped in establishing nursing as a career used her efforts in organizing an emergency nursing service (Dahlman 2). Nightingale started off at first with forty women, some of whom were Sisters of Religious Nursing Orders and others hospital-taught women of the old school, not trained in the modern way, but experienced (Dahlman 3). Florence Nightingale founded the Nightingale Training School for Nurses at St. Thomas’ Hospital which was the parent of the modern system of nursing. From her, therefore, we may well date the story of nursing service of the American Red Cross (Dahlman 4).

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.

Florence Nightingale, born in 1820, revolutionized nursing as it is today. Throughout her time working with the wounded soldiers during the Crimean War, she noted that more soldiers were dying of infections than from wounds. Therefore, she worked to ensure sanitation as well as sufficient health and healing practices amongst her patients. From care to prevention, Nightingale’s practices were able to set the foundation for nurses today. Nightingale distinguished that a healthy environment is essential to one’s health and thus her tenets of ventilation, cleanliness, light, as well as nutrition set the bases of the City of Toronto’s tuberculosis program for the under-housed, homeless, and the correctional population.

Imagine a room in a hospital; you are lying on a bed, with linens since your admission, the room is very cold and dark at the same time, without proper ventilation. The bathroom you have does not have proper drainage; outside environment is as noisy as having a construction site as a neighbor. Health care providers come in just for the job and merely not care about you; their hands are not even clean and washed. Imagine these kinds of situation, what kind of environment are you having? Do you a place to heal or a place to die? Since the beginning of Modern Nursing, these scenes are commonly practiced and are usual in a way that it is considered a normal place to rest and be taken care of.

When one hears the name, Florence Nightingale, the word nurse is instantly paired with it because of her contributions to nursing. Florence Nightingale became a national heroine after nursing the British troops at Scutari in the Crimean War during 1854-56 and became a pioneer for nursing using sanitary and administrative techniques. According to editor, Lynn McDonald, in Florence Nightingale- An Introduction to Her Life and Family: Collected Works of Florence Nightingale, Vol. 1, “Nightingale’s work on the foundation of nursing was a life-long preoccupation, but it was a part of a broader concern to reform public healthcare, prevent disease, and promote health” (84). However, many historians believe her ignorance of sanitation caused the death toll at Scutari to rise.

For the longest time women were never looked up to be hero’s. Women were always given a roll and expected to follow it, that being to marry and have kids, not ever having to truly work. Then, there was Florence Nightingale who believed at an early age, that she could make a difference. In analysis of historical images and poems, Florence Nightingale was represented as a courageous and helpful woman. Propaganda during this time period played a huge role in advertising Nightingale and her accomplishments. Florence Nightingale took a stand during the 1850’s often portrayed as someone who couldn’t succeed in the path she wanted to follow. However, Nightingale quickly earned the nickname “The lady with the lamp” and drastically changed the

Florence Nightingale impacted society and hospital conditions greatly. She is known for all the heroic acts she’s done and how much she was needed in her days. Florence changed the views of many in “an era when middle-class women were expected to simply make a good marriage and raise a family”. Florence didn’t allow these views of average women to limit her to advance like any other man in her days. Florence Nightingale was born in May 12, 1820 in Florence, Italy.

Florence Nightingale was an English nurse whose efforts in the Crimean wars saved a lot of lives. She was a revered for her role in professionalizing the profession leading to many of the standards of nursing we know today (Gill & Gill, 2005). During the Crimean War, she led a team of nurses and it was the level of professionalism exhibited by her and her team that led to her fame. What was unique about her team is that she had personally trained most of them. Along with being a medical revolutionary she was also a firm feminist, she campaigned for more civil liberties for women. One of her main accomplishments as a feminist was the abolishment of laws that were too harsh on women especially

Throughout history, society has considered women to be the natural caregivers of children, family, and community. Women were naturally thought of as nurses because the act was said to be an extension of their role in the home. They were called in to homes to help deliver babies or as wet nurses to breastfeed. In the 1800’s, women began taking care of soldiers. It was then that Florence Nightingale cared for soldiers in the Crimean War. During this time she revolutionized the role by setting standards of cleanliness and reducing infection. The legacy of nursing continues to be enriched by those who continue to follow the example of nursing pioneers. They refuse to be bound by others’ views

Florence Nightingale was one of the historical figures that impressed me. Her holistic aspect, and what she did, really inspires me. During the Crimean War, she took care of the wounded soldiers by rounding up nurses, setting up kitchens with adequate nutrition, provided recreational facilities, and improved the quantity of supplies needed for the care (“Florence Nightingale and the Red Cross”, 2016). Because of her dedication, Florence Nightingale was recognized for her achievements in health care. The hard work she put into training the nurses was brought down from generation to generation, where today, we provide the holistic care Florence Nightingale worshiped.

One of the most unrevealed facts about Florence nightingale is that she encountered several obstacles during her nursing career. The medical profession was not supportive of her holistic approach to healing. During the Crimean war, many soldiers were dying of preventable diseases due to poor sanitations and inhuman condition. She proposes way to improve the survival rate of the wounded soldiers. But she encountered resistance in the military. According to Simkin, J., (2014) many members of the military and doctors objected to her ideology to revitalize the medical setting for the hospitalized soldiers.

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.