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Were it not for her, it is not known what hospitals would look like today. Florence Nightingale is considered a pioneer of modern nursing. Even as a young woman, she knew that her calling is to help the sick. She was not afraid to go against her parents’ wishes or go to the front to help wounded soldiers. She has devoted her entire life to patients.
- When mostly nuns and prostitutes worked in hospitals, she – a young woman from high society – dreamed of becoming a nurse. It was not appreciated by the family
- She wanted to create a school for nurses, however, fate sent her to a completely different place – to the front of the Crimean War
- At night, she walked around the hospital with a lamp herself to check on the sick and see if everything was okay. It was completely new in those days – no nurse did it. Patients began to call her “the lady with the lamp” and this nickname stayed with her until the end
- Florence Nightingale is considered to be the forerunner of modern nursing
- On May 12, we celebrate the International Day of Nurses and Midwives
- You can find more up-to-date information on the TvoiLokony home page
Florence Nightingale – who was she?
She was born in Florence in 1820, hence her name. She belonged to a wealthy family – her parents spared no money for her education and travels around Europe. Florence loved mathematics and knew several languages. It was clear that Florence needed to get married richly and have a bunch of children. Unfortunately, the girl had a completely different idea of life – dreamed of becoming a nurse. She said she heard God’s voice and felt it was her calling. However, she met with great resistance from her parents, who opposed the fact that the respected lady should take up such an occupation.
In the nineteenth century, mostly nuns and women from the social lowlands worked in hospitals. Often the convicts were replaced with work in wards where the conditions were dire. No wonder his parents protested when Florence announced that she wanted to be trained as a nurse. Florence stuck with her – constantly reading publications on health and hospitals.
Many years passed before she convinced them to undergo a three-month training for nurses at a hospital in Germany. There she learned the basics of nursing, the importance of patient observation and the principles of good hospital organization. Upon her return, she began working at the Nursing Home for Sick Ladies on Harley Street, London, where she became a superior. Florence proved to be an excellent organizer and administrator – she improved care for the sick, increased the efficiency of the hospital and improved working conditions.
See also: «There is no time to eat or go to the toilet». This is how nurses work in Poland
Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War
Florence’s dream was to open a nursing school. However, fate prepared a completely different task for her. Disturbing news from the Crimean War flowed into Great Britain. Correspondents sounded the alarm that more British soldiers were dying from the spreading epidemics of infectious diseases than in the fight against the enemy. At the request of the government, Nightingale traveled to Scutari, Turkey. The woman was to improve conditions in field hospitals for British soldiers.
It was an enormous challenge, as not only was there a shortage of qualified staff, but also equipment and drugs, and the departments were overcrowded. Florence started from scratch – the hospital was thoroughly cleaned, and a group of 38 nurses who had come to the front with her began to look after the needy. The sick were bathed, provided with clean clothes and meals, thanks to which they could recover faster.
Nightingale paid attention not only to sanitary and medical needs, but also to psychological ones. Nurses supported the soldiers, helped them write letters to their relatives, and organized recreational activities.
“Lady with a Lamp”, author: Henrietta Rae, source: Wikimedia
Thanks to her persistence and good ideas, Florence improved the disastrous sanitation conditions in the field hospital. Sources say that this translated into a reduction in mortality from infectious diseases from over 40 percent. up to about two percent In the Encyclopedia Britannica, however, historians point out that the data are not true. In fact, the death rate was higher, but the government withheld this information from the public, which generously supported a medical aid fund for soldiers. However, there is no doubt about Nightingale’s merits during the Crimean War.
Florence showed how important professional nursing help is, but she also showed a lot of heart to patients. At night, she walked around the hospital with a lamp herself to check on the sick and see if everything was okay. It was completely new in those days – no nurse did it. Patients began to call her “the lady with the lamp” and this nickname stayed with her until the end. She gained the respect of British soldiers, but not only that – in the country her name was more and more often mentioned and called the heroine and the “angel from Crimea”.
Florence Nightingale – a precursor of nursing
Although in Turkey, Florence contracted the so-called Crimean fever, from which she never fully recovered, after returning to Poland, she began another fight – this time for systemic changes. She met with Queen Victoria, wrote for magazines, alerted that Great Britain was badly prepared for the Crimean War, which made the losses very high.
Florence presented the meticulous reports she created during her stay in Turkey. Record the causes of death, the efficiency of the medical team, and the supply of medical supplies. Thanks to its statistical data, many decisions were made that reformed the military and medical system. All this to avoid situations that she found in Scutari in the future.
The popularity of Nightingale made money flow into its fund more and more. The dream of opening a nursing school could finally come true. In 1860, Florence Nightingale founded the world’s first nursing school – The Nightingale Training School at St. Thomas in London, which is still in operation today.
Her school has become a model for successive secular nursing education institutions around the world. Nightingale not only formalized the profession of a nurse, but also offered a respectable and well-paid job to women who wanted to help the sick. Florence Nightingale also wrote the first nursing textbook in history, “Notes on Nursing”. This kind of primer is still required reading for all those who are learning the profession.
Her observations and comments on caring for the sick are the basic principles of nursing to this day. Exactly that Nightingale was the first to describe care planning, the importance of sleep and a proper diet in the recovery process and how to talk to patients. Florence Nightingale died in 1910, but the values she conveyed are still relevant and she remains a role model for nurses and midwives around the world.
Since 1912, the International Committee of the Red Cross has awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal. This is the most honorable decoration for nurses, nurses and volunteers. Medals are awarded for extraordinary courage and dedication to the sick as well as for exemplary service and organizational achievements in the field of public health.
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