The Evolution of Nursing Practice

In today’s society, the medical field is constantly thriving with technological improvements and the growth of educated individuals that contribute to the well-being of others. Nurses make up the largest majority of the industry, and with that, nursing is the fastest growing occupation. Nursing is a job that allows people to not only take care of the sick but also to experience, learn, and further their interests of the human body.

It is safe to say that nursing of the sick existed way back into ancient times. There are many major differences, however, from nursing of today and of the past. Ancient times revealed that nursing was not a “job” but an act of charity and so called kindness. People were not well educated and trained, and their hopes most likely depended on home-remedies. In addition, the people would bring the sick to temples or churches and pray for their healing. Hospitals would not be established until later, and they would be built alongside monasteries.

It was mostly women who changed the role of healing processes. One woman came along and dramatically changed nursing. Before her influence, nursing had not required any training but just common knowledge. This woman was Florence Nightingale. She authored “Notes on Nursing” and this laid the foundation for professional nursing. She served as a nurse during the Crimean War back in the mid 1800s. Nightingale believed, well-educated women, using scientific principles and education about healthy lifestyles, could improve the care of sick patients (Brestovansky). Compared to the American Civil War (1861-85), there was no formal belief or practice in nursing. It is important to understand that nursing evolved, and later on became a career, after women learned skills fro...

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...aths progress from an associate’s degree, to a bachelor’s degree, to a master’s degree, and to the completion of an approved nursing program. That is what separates nurses from doctors. In addition, doctors deal with their businesses and politics. More doctors are abandoning independent practices for higher paying jobs.

Nursing is important worldwide to both society and to the Medical Field. The job involves more than just taking care of the sick. As the occupation continues to thrive, new technological advances and better administration is perceived. Nurses are not only workers in a hospital or clinic, but they are caregivers to society doing something they love to do: that is making people feel better. With that, nursing is a job that not only takes care of the sick but also allows people to experience, learn, and further their interests of the human body.