The history of the nurse profession originates in ancient times and is associated with such human feelings as empathy, care, and a sense of love for one’s neighbor, which at all times forced people to help each other in grief and illness. However, the honor of creating an independent nursing profession belongs to Florence Nightingale (The Nightingale Story). She was the first researcher and founder of modern nursing to revolutionize the public consciousness and views on the role and place of a nurse in the protection of public health.
Nightingale was the first in history to apply a scientific approach to finding solutions to nursing problems. The first schools created on her model in Europe and America were autonomous and secular. The nurses themselves conducted the teaching, paying particular attention to forming special nursing knowledge, skills, and values. Professional values were understood as respect for the patient’s personality, honor, dignity, and freedom, showing attention, love, care, maintaining confidentiality, and compliance with the professional duty. She managed to raise a large amount of money, which was used to organize the world’s first school of sisters of mercy (Judd, 2014). In it, she applied her leadership through the fact that nurses with a large amount of professional knowledge and experience trained other nurses.
Her desire to help people gratuitously, save the lives of soldiers and be a real nurse showed me how vital nursing is. Nightingale’s contribution to the development of nursing is excellent, as she selflessly, without fear for her health and life, fought for the lives of the wounded. She became an example for many women who showed how much their help to people in need is needed. She became the author of various books and infographics, founded a medical and preparatory institution, and reorganized the army medical service.
References
Judd, D. (2014). A history of American nursing. Jones & Bartlett Learning. The Nightingale Story.