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Evolution of nurses
The history of nursing
An essay on the history of florence nightingale
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Recommended: Evolution of nurses
A. History & Development
The history and development of the nursing profession is very interesting. Theoretically, nursing is believed to have began in the home as a result of the tradition of women taking care of their family when needed, whether it be the role of a wife, a daughter, a mother, or a sister (Self Growth). Women were the typical use for the care of society. Nursing beginning in the home is just a basic belief that came about from modern type thinking. Nursing became very popular in times of war. Nurses were needed to care for the army and the military, and all those who were hurt from the war.
Florence Nightingale is considered the founder of modern nursing. She was a very religious woman and an English nurse that worked to improve the poor conditions of her time by helping out her community and improving and maintaining the health of society (Wikipedia). She wrote a book called, “Notes on Nursing,” in which she layed down the profession and key points of the profession (Self Growth). She is considered the most influential person in the development of nursing. One of the biggest developments in the nursing career came about from Florence Nightingale: the Nightingale Training School of 1860 for Nurses, in which students would go off after graduating and travel all around the world helping others out and giving them the care that was needed (Self Growth).
Apart from Florence Nightingale, there were many more developments within the career field of nursing. While Linda Richards was America’s first trained nurse, Ellen Dougherty was the first registered nurse (Wikipedia). Looking back upon history, the typical nurse was in fact a woman. Over the years, more and more men have joined the nursing profession and hav...
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... System. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. .
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Interview With Carmen Jones, CHOMP Nurse
Interview With Barbara Sopoaga, CHOMP Director of Payroll
Institute of Medicine (2010). The future of nursing: Leading change advancing health Retrieved from http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12956&page+R1
According to O’Neill (2014), the beginning of nursing began in the 1500s (pg. 1). Back in those days, nurses visited patients at home and they were directed by priest-physicians (O’Neill, pg. 1, 2014). The perception of people getting sick was often believed to be associated by a sin or it was god’s will for the patient to be ill. Therefore, priests were also known as physicians. However, there are other people who believe that nursing profession began in the mid-1800s with the work of Florence Nightingale. Florence Nightingale was an English woman who felt that god sent her to be nurse in this life. Her extensive devotion towards this profession made her an icon in the history of nursing. Her belief towards nursing is our framework to or nursing practice. Her beliefs are the following: nutrition, fresh and clean environments, identifying and meeting the patient’s needs, nurses should be directed to health and illness, and continuing education about nursing (O’Neill, pg.2, 2014). These
"State Legislative Initiatives to Address the Nursing Shortage." American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Oct. 2006. 11 Dec. 2012 .
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston as Health Science Center at Houston
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2013, April). The U.S. nursing workforce: Trends in supply and education. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/reports/nursingworkforce/nursingworkforcefullreport.pdf
The history of nursing dates back to the medieval times to today. It started off with nuns, in addition to their religious practices, attended the sick and dying. Nurses were usually females back then. When the Crimean War went on, an English nurse, Florence Nightingale, started the foundation for nursing. Florence Nightingale wrote the first book of nursing, saying the requirements, and details of nursing. In 1901, New Zealand founded the first registration of nurses with the Nurses Registration Act. One of the first Registered nurses was Ellen Dougherty. Over the years nursing developed to what it is today. Even today nursing is still evolving, innovating, and expanding. Today instead of only having female nurses, there are many male nurses in the field. Although, nursing has stayed somewhat the same over the years, technology has had a big impact on it. This impact has mostly been positive. Technology makes nurses jobs easier, it facilitates communication on the go, and allows remote care/monitoring. With technology, nurses don’t have to be with the patient 24/7. Technology does things nurses used to do, so that nurses can attend other things. With more technology coming into the medical field, this will only help the nurses more in the future.
During World War I and World War II, America called upon thousands of women to become nurses for their country to help in hospitals and overseas units. America’s calling was considered a success and by the end of World War I, 23,000 nurses served in Army and Navy cantonments and hospitals, 10,000 served overseas, and 260 either died in the line of duty or from the influenza pandemic (“Nursing Reflections”, 2000, p. 18). In the early 1930s, nurses experienced the devastation of the depression. Families were very poor and unable to feed themselves let alone pay for a nursing visit. This caused many nurses to seek work elsewhere. Nurses who were lucky to be empl...
Florence Nightingale was a pioneer in nursing and maintained it as an independent profession which was not secondary to the medical profession but equal. *Nightingale 1969 cited by Hoeve et al 2013
Nursing has always been a key career in the health care system. Although it is not often focused on media and stories surrounding health care, nursing is a career of great importance. If any patient was asked about their experience at a hospital or a care center, many would mention the capability and care that they received from the nurses. The health care system could not function efficiently, if at all, if nurses were not present to perform their part. Nurses are more than just physicians, support staff.
Registered nurses came through a long way back to the 19th century, when they used to provide care to the injured soldiers and other injures strangers. Florence Nightingale was the first influenced in this career. She was a daughter of a British family who worked her life to improve the field of nursing. Her main goal was to spread this field throughout the countries. As a success the first school was in the United States, in Boston. Then later it was passed to New York and others states. In today’s society we are still acknowledge to her great work. And improve the medical field for a better upgrade towards today’s society and generation.
Nursing was not always the profession we know it as today. “Nurses were often lower class, usually had no education, and were often alcoholics, prostitutes, and women who were down on their luck” (Finkleman & Kenner, 2013, p. 9). There was a high morality rate due to the lack of training and unkept environment the patients stayed in. However, when Florence Nightingale came into the nursing world everything changed. She believed that nurses shouldn’t be lower-class alcoholic women but women of higher class with an education. Therefore, she opened a school in London to train and educate women because “Nursing is an art and a science” (Masters, 2015, p. 29). She believed an average person should be able to understand medical
Florence Nightingale is a very prominent person in the medical field. She had a strong desire to devote her life to helping others. She is known as the founder of modern medicine. The Nightingale Pledge is taken by new nurses and was named in her honor. The annual International Nurses Day is celebrated on her birthday. Without her contributions healthcare would not be what it is today.
Regardless of the title used, nurses have been an integral part of caring for other people as far back as history goes, although it was not until the 20th century that nursing was recognized as a profession (Wikipedia). Nursing becoming a profession of its own was due largely in part to the work done by Florence Nightingale, often referred to as the mother of modern nursing. Nightingale's vision was the inspiration for opening of both hospitals and nursing education programs throughout the world, including the United States, upholding Nightingale's vision and principles (Villanova). Through the emergence of nursing throughout history, education through clinical experience as well as book studies has been at the forefront, particularly beginning in the late 1800s as nursing theories began to emerge. Nursing theories are defined as "an organized framework of concepts and purposes designed to guide the practice of nursing" (Nursing Theory). Nurses use these models to guide patient care and critical thinking skills while providing an overall foundation for the profession of nursing. Many of the nursing theories from the mid 1900s can be grouped into subcategories, one of which is need based, referencing Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The needs theories were established on the premise of individuals being able to
Hansen, J. (2013b, September 13). New! uw-milwaukee college of nursing rn to bsn flex option. Retrieved from http://campaignforaction.org/news/new-uw-milwaukee-college-nursing-rn-bsn-flex-option
This paper is going to reflect my thoughts on nursing as a profession and why I think the different aspects of nursing are so important. The purpose of the content in this paper is to give the reader a straightforward view on nursing and the different components of what makes up a nurse. I will do this through analyzing the theory of nursing created by theorist Jean Watson. Her ideas about nursing and mine flow so well together and the similarities are noted throughout the paper.