Nursing

In Britain, prior to the early 1800’s, nursing was a lowly vocation. It was not a suitable profession for a wealthy, well-educated young woman. Yet Florence Nightingale felt a calling from God to serve those who were ill. She had a passion for improving hospital conditions; and her diligence in this work is responsible for transforming patient care.

Born in 1820 in Florence, Italy, while her parents were on a two-year honeymoon to Europe, Florence was an excellent student under her Cambridge-educated father’s tutelage. She easily grasped the concepts of math, and loved the study of statistics.

As she blossomed into a lovely, well-spoken, intelligent young woman, her heart was drawn to the plight of the sick. And although Florence was a perfect candidate for a “suitable” marriage, she eventually rejected a suitor who pursued her over several years. She never married. Instead, she traveled to Germany to study nursing and accepted a position as the superintendent of a London women’s hospital in 1853. Her father continued to provide a generous living allowance to that she could live comfortably.

During the Crimean War, Florence became well-known when she was appointed by Sidney Herbert, the Minister of War, to introduce female nurses to the military hospitals in Turkey. She traveled with 38 volunteer nurses in 1854 to the main British camp in Scutari, where they thoroughly cleaned and organized the military hospital with a system of record-keeping and data collection. The soldiers loved Florence, who provided compassionate care and comfort to them. She even wrote letters for them, established a reading room and helped to send paychecks back to their families.

Florence also sent reports back to Britain, detailing the poor conditions and lack of sanitation suffered by wounded soldiers. Most deaths -- over 4,000 her first winter -- were caused by infection and disease, rather than directly from injuries suffered in battle. This information led to an outpouring of concern and generosity that fueled nursing reform and changed the course of hospital care.

After her return from Turkey in 1856, Florence Nightingale was a celebrity. Yet she shied away from public attention and continued to write voluminous statistical reports utilizing information collected over the years. One report of over 1,000 pages documented recommendations for improvements in military hospital care and was instrumental in a major overhaul of those facilities.

In 1860, based upon her work with statistical analyses, Florence became the first woman to be elected as a Fellow of the Statistical Society of England. The same year, she established the Nightingale Training School for Nurses at St. Thomas Hospital and continued her involvement with the school for over 40 years. Also in 1860, one of her books – Notes on Nursing – was published and became her best known work. It has been translated into 11 languages and remains in use today.

Queen Victoria honored Florence with the Royal Red Cross in 1883. In 1907, she became the first woman to receive the Order of Merit, just before her death in 1910. But Florence Nightingale will continue to be best known as the pioneer of modern nursing and hospital sanitation. Patients all over the world owe her a debt of gratitude.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment will continue to be plentiful for registered nurses (RN’s). RN’s are expected to create the 2nd largest number of new jobs; and nurses currently constitute the largest health care occupation. Training is primarily available through a bachelor’s degree program, an associate’s degree program or an approved nursing program. Online degree programs provide flexibility in earning a master’s degree in nursing.