Evolution of Nursing: From Mothers to Modernity

Throughout society, though they didn’t always have the title, nurses have played an important role. In early civilizations the first people who served in their community as nurses were mothers who nurtured and cared for ill family and community members. During the early Christian period nurses were members of male religious orders; by the crusades, due to a huge demand in health care, both men and women were nurses. Nursing was a recognized role in society by the end of the middle ages. Because of a shortage of caregivers in the 16th century, women of low social status were forced to become caregivers. Modern nursing came about because of social reforms in the 19th century, allowing for the advancement of women such as Florence Nightingale,

Nurses participate in the collaboration of teamwork that provides care and trusting relationships to individuals of all ages. By adapting to boundless environmental settings given in any situation, along with critical thinking skills for diagnosis, treatment of human response, evaluation of outcome, and interventions, nurses are advocates for individuals to effectively provide for their healthcare needs. Nursing methods such as visual thinking strategies contribute to “communicative and relational skills, the achievement of decision making and problem-solving skills, and the ability to observe and interpret sign and symptoms” (De Santis, Giuliani, Staffoli,

Leininger’s theory of cultural care diversity and universality is about caring, which is the essence of nursing and is recognized in the theory of basic human needs. Her theory incorporates anthropology, which focuses towards caring, culture values, and pattern rather than medical symptoms and treatments. Concepts of Leininger’s theory revolves around caring, which is essential for growth, development and survival. Leininger’s transcultural nursing is our “‘cultural knowledge that is used in our actions to promote positive health behavior among patients and foster culturally sensitive and congruent care’ (Campesino, 2008)” (Posner p.151). Providing client centered care not only enables trust, but also fulfills the patient’s potential health needs and nursing roles with the best outcome. I believe it is important to understand that America has more demands for cultural diversity; therefore, we must be able to meet these demands with the appropriate interventions. Cultural misunderstandings and applying inappropriate interventions become a cultural stress for the nurse-patient relationship; distrust could lead to nurses being unable to collect the necessary information to effectively provide the right care. To understand and respect different religious cultures are also important in the nursing process. This can help nurses to understand and improve quality of