Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), the Lady with the Lamp, as she was affectionately called, has been heralded by many in the nursing profession as the founder of modern nursing.  The philosophy and practice of nursing today are rooted in her observations, experiences, and writings.  Her observations of hospital practices in Europe and deplorable war conditions for the care of soldiers in the mid nineteenth century served as the impetus for global action to improve conditions and to train nurses, not only to perform basic skills of care but to understand the source and transmission of disease and to “think critically about the care of the patient and do what was appropriate and necessary to assist the patient to heal” (McEwen and Wills, 2007, p. 136).   Her insights into the role of the nurse, apart from medicine, and the nurse’s influence on the health and well being of people, are the foundation of many of the nursing theories today.  Florence Nightingale placed great value on education.

A Call to Action

Florence was born on May 12, 1820 in London, the second daughter to wealthy parents, William and Frances Nightingale.  Her formal education, supervised by her father, would serve to prepare her for a lifetime of leadership and social reform.  At 17, Florence experienced a divine calling to reject her family’s elite lifestyle, refuse marriage, and to put her education into action (Attewell, 1998).  She chose nursing against strenuous objections from her parents.

Florence began her nursing training at Kaiserswerth, Germany at the age of 30, finding it a worthwhile and suitable place for women to receive an education (Attewell, 1998).  In her travels throughout Europe over the next three years, she was impressed with the airy design of Lariboisiere Hospital in Paris.  It was there that her theories on environment management (light, fresh air, clean water) began to emerge.  These theories would soon be put to the test as the Crimean War broke out in 1854.

It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a hospital that it should do the sick no harm. Florence Nightingale

Lady with the Lamp

Florence was recruited by the Secretary of State to become the Superintendent of Nurses during the Crimean War from 1854-1856.  The deplorable condition of the British soldiers in the Scutari Hospital called for immediate reform.  Florence established a hospital laundry, improved the soldiers’ diet, and provided new bedding and clothing (Attewell, 1998).  Her formal education equipped her with excellent management and writing skills.  It was reported, however, that her interpersonal skills were somewhat lacking as she was often quite difficult to get along with (Stanley & Sherratt, 2010).  Nevertheless, her treatment of the soldiers won the favor of Queen Victoria and the British people.  She reportedly walked the hospital corridors each night with a lamp, becoming a symbol of hope in an otherwise dismal war (Attewell, 1998).  The soldiers loved her.

Advocate for Education

How has Florence Nightingale’s legacy impacted today’s nursing profession?  In her day, the nurse was considered nothing more than a servant or housemaid.  During the war, the nurses were not permitted to speak with doctors or do any nursing work, except cooking, washing, or sewing (Stanley & Sherratt, 2010).  The Nightingale Fund was established in 1855 to start training schools for nurses, despite initial opposition from doctors that nurses did not need formal training to be housemaids (Attewell, 1998).  Florence did not consider herself to be a teacher but did extensive writing on environmental management and sanitation.  In fact, she had very little involvement in her training schools during the last 50 years of her life, most likely due to poor health. 

As the number of Nightingale hospital schools increased all over the world, nursing became a more respectable profession for women.  Today, both men and women are nurses in the health care industry, diversified into many specialized areas of patient care.  The scope and practice of nurses today are largely defined by their level of education. 

The Value of Graduate Studies in Nursing

Plunkett, Iwasiw, and Kerr (2010) state that “a graduate education in nursing fosters independent thought, critical thinking, and the ability to synthesize and critique large amounts of information” (p. 1).  Graduate studies help to refine nursing research skills and provide academic preparation for nursing faculty, thus sustaining the “academic rigor upon which the foundation of nursing knowledge lies” (Plunkett, Iwasiw, & Kerr, 2010, p. 1).  Additionally, leadership skills emerge as nurses advance in their education.  Many are driven by internal values and sense nursing to be a calling as did Florence Nightingale. 

Stanley and Sherratt (2010) distinguish clinical leadership from nursing leadership.  Clinical leaders are specialists who have strong interpersonal skills and “facilitate evidence-based practice and improved patient outcomes through local care” (p. 116).  Florence Nightingale was actually not an effective clinical leader.  She had very little hands-on patient care experience, even during the Crimean War.  However, she proved to be an exceptional nursing leader throughout her entire life.  Nursing leaders are “powerful and successful role models for the academic, political, and managerial domains of nursing” (Stanley & Sherratt, 2010, p. 115). 

Florence Nightingale was a trail blazer in her time to initiate and demand reform.  She pushed through great adversity to advance nursing education and practice to the honored and respected profession that it is today.

           

 I attribute my success to this -

I never gave or took any excuse. 

Florence Nightingale