nursing by florence nightingale
nursing by florence nightingale
In 1820, Florence Nightingale was born into a wealthy British family in Italy. She was raised as an Anglican and believed that God had intended for her to work as a nurse. She received this call in February 1837 while she was at Embley Park.
In 1844, she declared her intention to become a nurse. Nightingale resisted despite the ire of her mother and sister over her decision. Despite society’s expectation that she would become a wife and mother, she put in a lot of effort to learn how to be a nurse. She actually turned down a guy because she thought it would hurt her nursing career. She accepted the superintendent position at the Institute for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen on Upper Harley Street in London in 1853. She was in charge of this until October 1854. She was able to pursue her career and still live comfortably thanks to the money her father gave her at the time.
Despite the fact that Nightingale had a number of significant friendships with women, including a correspondence with an Irish nun named Sister Mary Clare Moore, she had little regard for women as a whole and preferred friendships with powerful men.
In 1910, she died.
The career of Florence Nightingale
- Nightingale is most well-known for her groundbreaking work in nursing. During the Crimean War, she helped soldiers who were injured. Due to her nighttime visits, she acquired the moniker “Lady with the Lamp.” Nightingale worked to improve the wards’ nutrition and conditions while nursing soldiers during the war. Typhoid, cholera, and dysentery were among the illnesses that were claiming the lives of many of the soldiers who had been wounded. Nightingale initiated the process by calling the Sanitary Commission or making changes in the wards. Through her efforts, the mortality rates of wounded soldiers decreased from 42% to 2%. Nightingale was of the opinion that soldiers’ extreme overwork, inadequate nutrition, and lack of supplies were to blame for the deaths. Nightingale worked to improve sanitation in army and civilian hospitals during peacetime after gathering evidence that unsanitary conditions were a major cause of death.
- In 1860, following the Crimean War, she established a nursing school at London’s St. Thomas Hospital. In 1865, the Liverpool Workhouse Infirmary hired the first nurses trained at this school. It is now a part of King’s College London and was the first secular nursing school in the world. The pledge that all new nurses take was named after her because of her work, which established the foundation for contemporary nursing.
- Notes on Nursing, written by Nightingale in 1859, served as the basis for the curriculum at her nursing school and other nursing schools. This brief text was well-received by the general public and was regarded as the foundation of nursing education. Additionally, she contributed to Efficiency and Hospital Administration of the British Army, Notes on Matters Affecting the Health, and Notes on Hospitals. Nightingale paved the way for nursing in its current form by dedicating the remainder of her career to advancing the profession of nursing.
- Queen Victoria presented Nightingale with the Royal Red Cross in 1883. She was the first woman to be awarded the Order of Merit in 1907. She was presented with the Honorary Freedom of the City of London in 1908. On her birthday, International Nurses Day is observed.
Florence Nightingale’s Contribution to Nursing Theory: Environmental Theory
- It is said that Florence Nightingale was the one who started the modern nursing profession. In addition, she developed nursing theories that are still in use today. The Environmental Theory, which incorporates the patient’s surrounding environment into the nursing care plan, is one of her nursing theories.
- According to this theory, the nurse’s job is to help the patient recover and return to their normal surroundings by utilizing the patient’s surroundings. Because it has the potential to positively or negatively impact a patient’s health, the patient’s environment is crucial. According to Nightingale’s theory, healthy environments include clean air, pure water, adequate food and nutrition, effective drainage, cleanliness, and light or direct sunlight. The patient’s recovery may be slowed down if any of these conditions are not met. Additionally, Nightingale emphasized providing patients with a peaceful and cozy setting in which to recuperate. The theory also says that nurses should look at a patient’s dietary requirements, record when they eat and look at how the patient’s diet affects their health and recovery.
- Today, it is still practiced to determine a patient’s recovery environment based on their condition or disease, such as in tetanus patients, who require minimal noise to maintain calm and prevent seizures.
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