NUR 100 Get To Know a Nurse Paper

NUR 100 Get To Know a Nurse Paper

Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale was born in an affluent family but dedicated herself to serving humanity. She focused on developing nursing as an educative and significant element of healthcare. She was the second child in her family and her parents were Frances and William Nightingale. She was born in 1820 in Florence, Italy.  Florence received classical education, including Italian, French, and German studies (Shetty, 2016). Nightingale exhibited a strong religious conviction and excelled in school especially in multiple languages and mathematics.  She was concerned about the disadvantaged people in society. Florence Nightingale believed that  she had a calling to enhance the well-being of people  as evidenced in one of her writings titled” The highest honor is to be God’s servant and fellow worker (Shetty, 2016).”  However, her family’s intention was to marry her into a prominent family, but Nightingale’s desire was to help the sick. Therefore, she rejected proposals from suitors.

At the age of 16, Nightingale made it clear to her parents that Nursing was her profession and God’s calling.  Nightingale in 1844 enrolled at the Lutheran Hospital in Kaiserswerth Germany as a nursing student despite her parent’s objections (Shetty, 2018). In 1851, she graduated from the Hospital and in 1853, enrolled with the Sisters of Mercy in Paris for additional training.  She later returned to London and was hired as a hospital’s manager and superintendent (Alexander, 2019). The facility served poor women and the position helped her develop effective skills, such as providing competent care which she considered a basic human right. During the 1854 Crimean War, Nightingale and a group of nurses helped take care of the wounded soldiers. Nightingale and her team revolutionized the healthcare environment by improving hospital conditions.

Nightingale made several publications to inform healthcare workers about healthier medical practices. In 1859, she published “Notes on Nursing: What it is, and what it is Not.” The book offers advice on safe clinical environments and effective patient care (Alexander, 2019).  Her efforts resulted in the setting up of a fund in England to enable Nightingale teach nurses in the country.  The 1860 saw the opening of Nightingale Training School. Despite being bedridden in her later years because of illness, she continued championing safe nursing practice.

Florence Nightingale’s Contribution to the Nursing Profession

Nightingale pioneered the foundation of nursing practices. She defined nursing practices and differentiated it from other medical fields. According to Nightingale, understanding the disease process was not a nurses’ role. Instead, nurses’ should concentrate on knowing how to take care of their patients, help them address their symptoms, and cope with the functional changes caused by their illness (UT Health, 2018). During the 1853 Crimean War, Nightingale introduced nursing concepts that formed the foundation of contemporary nursing practice. The concepts included self-care, infection control, assessment, therapeutic communication, public health advocacy, and spiritual nursing (UT Health, 2018). Nightingale required nurses to maintain a clean hospital environment and assist patients in taking care of themselves to enhance healing and promote independence. Nurses are also expected to make rounds at night assessing their patient’s condition. She considered nursing assessments the core of the profession.  Nurses must effectively communicate with their patients, show them compassion and empathy as they battle with their illness. They must incorporate the spiritual aspect in their treatment, especially for the dying patients to bring them comfort. Nurses must also advocate for significant reforms in their professions. These components continue to influence today’s nursing profession.

 Florence Nightingale’s Philosophy of Nursing

Nightingale philosophy of nursing focuses on the environment of the patient. She argued that the patient’s environment must be modified to facilitate speedy recovery. According to Nightingale, the patient’s problems were not as a result of their ailment rather their environment. The patient’s environment can be altered based on their health and care needs. Therefore, nurses must assess the needs of their patients to ensure that their environment reflects those needs.  However, her philosophy also incorporates the nursing and health component. According to Nightingale, nursing is the alteration of the patients’ environment during the illness period to offer them comfort (Sher & Akhtar, 2018).  Nurses must manage the environment of those they care to help them heal and maintain their health.

Health is an important and dynamic process of Nightingale’s philosophy. Nightingale argues that health is characterized by six elements that promote an individual well-being. They include proper light, cleanliness, organized drainage, pure water, and fresh air (Sher & Akhtar, 2018). In summary, Nightingale’s philosophy of nursing was influenced by her experiences while taking care of the injured and sick soldiers. During her care process, she realized a strong connection between the nurse, health, and the patient’s environment. Therefore, nurses must note all environmental factors that undermine the patient’s healing process and modify them. For instance, if inadequate lighting is causing increased falls, the nurse must enhance the lighting of corridors and strategic areas to minimize patients falls, improve their recovery and satisfaction levels.

 References

1. Alexander, K.L.(2019). Florence Nightingale. National Women’s History Museum, Retrieved from https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/florence-nightingale
2. Sher, A.N.A., and Akhtar, A. (2018). Clinical application of Nightingale’s theory. Journal of Clinical Research and Bioethics, 9(4), 1-3. Doi: 10.4172/2155-9627.100032
3. Shetty, A.P. (2016). Florence Nightingale: The queen of nurses. Medical History, 4(1), 144-148.
4. UT Health. (2018, February 28). The lady of the lamp and her contributions to modern nursing.  San Antonio the Libraries, Retrieved from https://library.uthscsa.edu/2015/02/the-lady-with-the-lamp-and-her-contributions-to-modern-nursing/

This paper will help you understand the contributions of a historical figure in the nursing  profession. Your paper should be double spaced, APA format and 1-3 pages in length. Make sure  you address each of the criteria as listed in the rubric.

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