Personal Statement : Florence Nightingale Essay

In the late 1800s to the 1900’s, nursing wasn’t considered a profession and was thought of as “housekeepers” as stated in the Elearnportal article. Nurses would stay at the place of residence, clean, cook, and do housework. On top of those duties, they would take on tasks that normally a physician would do. In the late 1800s during the Crimean War and Civil War, nurses were needed more then ever. There weren’t many nurses at the time but a nurse named Florence Nightingale changed that. She “asked the Secretary of War to allow her to train women to care for the sick and wounded.”(Fundamental Concepts of Skilled Nursing p.2) Her group of nurses “lowered the death rate from 60% to 1%.” (FCSN p.2) This was a milestone and became a part of nursing history.

A patient is vulnerable when a nurse bathes their bare body for a bed bath. After a patient receives the news of cancer, a nurse is there to comfort the patient. When a family sits in the hospital room waiting for their child to wake up from a coma, a nurse is a shoulder to cry on. A nurse should show compassion and care to each patient. When a nurse shows care and compassion, the patient and nurse bond grows stronger. As the bond grows stronger, the impact on the patient will increase. The role of a nurse is to take care of the sick and show compassion. With compassion, a nurse will grow the relationship between the patient and the nurse. The value of integrity means to be honest and do the right thing the reliable way. One of the most important aspects of being a nurse is honesty. If a nurse makes a mistake while giving medication, the mistake should be reported immediately. If the incident is not reported, a patient’s life could be at risk. What if the dosage is too high? What if the wrong medication is given to the wrong patient? What if the patient is highly allergic to the incorrect medication? If a nurse does not own up to the mistake, the patient’s life could be at danger. A nurse should inform the doctor or physician of the mistake made. Honesty can save a life. If a patient asks the nurse what time she will come back, the nurse should come back within that time frame. If the nurse does not return in

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.

Being a nurse is not just a profession, it is a privilege and an honor. With it being a profession where there is an opportunity to touch many patients’ lives, there must be regulations, laws, and codes that nurses must abide by. There are certain professional traits that a nurse must possess to make them not only a good nurse but a great nurse. There are various nursing theories that a nurse can base their practice upon and many historical figures of the past that guide the nurses of today and of the future.

According to the American Nurses Association, “Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” (ANA, 2010b). Nursing has come a long ways. From primitive times when caring for the sick was predominantly the rule of medicine-men who acquired the skills from their ancestors, to the era when it was viewed as a mean profession for prostitutes and nowadays when it is considered a noble profession with trained and skilled personnel.

Florence Nightingale was born in Florence, Italy. Her parents named her after the city she was born in. She was born on May 12,1980, she was raised mostly in Derbyshire England. Many people when they hear Florence Nightingale think about her as a nurse and for her fight for better hospital care. Florence did a lot more in her life than achieve better hospital conditions, and become a nurse. She was a brilliant mathematician, and used statistics to apply them to achieve her reforms. Florence was a well-educated woman in a number of fields other than math;

Nursing originated from Florence Nightingale many years ago when she services the wounded civilian at war. This service has carried on to this date where nurses are not only expected to serve in war zones areas, but also in the area that promotes good health and living for all. My personal reflection as a nurse is not only a good nurse but my personal attributes that reveal who am I as a person. As explained by Begley 2010 to be a good nurse means he or her is a good person, therefore, has the attributes of a good nurse (Florence Nightingale). As a nurse, we stand the potential to have empathy for our patient no matter their circumstance. Our patients come from different background and circumstances in life especially our veterans who have sacrificed their life for our safety. Most of these veterans come back with many health problems that have challenged us as a nation to question if we are doing enough to support their well-being. As a nurse, I see myself as an advocate for our veterans to help them in their health care needs.

What comes to the mind when we think of nurses - Someone who takes care of sick people. Nursing was introduced by Florence Nightangle in the mid of 1800’s and she took an opportunity to train women to care of wounded and sick army during the war. Back then nurses were trained to perform all the housekeeping skills. In 1900’s, there was no set of formal classes for nursing student as compared to today’s higher education. They were assigned to work for 10-12 hours without pay under the supervision of a physician. There is a huge difference between today’s and 1900’s nursing education. Nurses are more trained and skilled in their profession and today’s nursing considered to be more professional than 1900’s nursing.

Nationally, nursing has become one of the most flourishing and outstanding occupations in the medical field. Years ago, nurses were discriminated by people because they provided care for ill individuals, which was against social law. The term nursing has been generalized to helping others who are sick. However, nursing is more than an oversimplified definition. This paper will examine the role of nurse: interview of a nurse, nursing theorist, and my personalized definition and philosophy of nursing.

In today’s society, nurses are held on pedestals for the work they do at their jobs. Nurses help save people’s lives and make their worse days a little bit better by providing the care their patients need. Nurses are there to provide the care necessary for people to live and survive in a world where it is not always safe. They are there to save lives and make a difference in their patient’s lives when they feel like it will never get better or like it is the end of their world.

Nursing is a profession that has been around in one form or another since the beginning of civilizations. It has moved from an art that was handed down from generation to generation to the formal education and training programs of today. During this evolution, nursing has been influenced by four main themes: the folk, religious, military and servant images (Ellis, 2012, pp. 3-45, 71).

The present day originator of the nursing calling, Florence Nightingale perceived as ahead of schedule pioneer

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.

Like any scientific discipline, the nursing profession has evolved over time. Nurses, once regarded as housemaids and lower class citizens, now hold positions of authority and stature in our modern society. These changes in the profession are attributed to the many nurse theorists who devoted their lives to the improvement of patient care. Through their theoretical advancements, the public perception of nursing has gone from dismissive to reverential. Today, our culture considers the nursing profession to be one of the most rewarding and respected career paths an individual can pursue. Through a review of one such patient theorist, Dorothea Orem, one can witness this change in the perception of the nursing profession. As a first semester student in a professional nursing course of study, Orem has already influenced my personal nursing philosophy.

Theory and practice are said to go hand in hand. Theory is shaped based on practice and insight, while it also gives shape and foundation to practice. Florence Nightingale is acknowledged as the founder of modern nursing and a theorist. She believed in the patient’s capacity for self-healing which is reinforced by the nurse’s ability to create an environment conducive to health (Smith &Parker, 2015, p. 50). Her philosophy of nursing is that one should put the patient in the best position for nature to act on him or her. This paper will identify the five essential components of her theory to draw out an appropriate plan of care for Mrs. Adams in the case study. In addition, discuss the applicability of Nightingale’s