Florence Nightingale’s Life Works, Contributions, and Impacts on Nursing Profession

Florence Nightingale
Name
Institution/Affiliation
Introduction
Florence Nightingale was a British nurse, a statistician, and a reformist. She was the founder of modern nursing and has been given titles like 'The Lady with the Lamp.' Her fame and prominence grew significantly during the Crimean war, where she served as a manager and trainer of other nurses as they provided care for the wounded soldiers. After the war, she went further to professionalizing nursing roles for women.
Florence Nightingale wrote several books and pamphlets on health issues which are best known for making hospitals cleaner and safer. Nightingale had an inclination for Nursing even though it had a little reputation at that time. She wanted to help the sick and the poor. Her passion to be a nurse was so strong that she refused marriage as her parents wished. As such, she went to a German school to be trained and subsequently to Paris in France for further training. When she went back to England, she became a superintendent for other nurses.
Overview and Life Works
Florence Nightingale was born on 12 May 1820 in Florence, Italy, and was named after the city of her birth. She came from a wealthy family, and she received formal education being homeschooled by her father. During the early schooling period, Nightingale learned Philosophy, Italian, History, Literature, and Mathematics. Florence's strong desire to help the poor and the sick and dedicate her entire life to them was fortified by the experiences she went through and thought they were a calling from God. She was determined to pursue this calling even though the job was considered odd then. She joined the nursing field in 1844. However, her family was not happy contended with the idea. They wanted her to get married and be a mother. She, therefore, had to struggle to educate herself about nursing. She went to Pastor Theodore Fliedner's Hospital and School for Lutheran Deaconesses in Germany with her father's support. She then proceeded to Sisters of Mercy School in Paris, France, to obtain additional training. When she went back to England, she was made the head of a hospital for young women.
According to Karimi and Alavi (2015), during the Crimean war, which began in 1854, many people were injured and sick than the British medical resources could handle. The conditions were generally unsanitary. Nightingale and her group of 38 nurses were summoned to go and help. With their arrival, the military camp conditions improved, and the place became clean; and in a short time, they had transformed the hospital, and the death rate dropped drastically.
After returning, she gave the records to the queen, and because she was good at statistics, she was elected to the Royal Statistical Community. Her knowledge in statistics would later enhance evidence-based nursing practices (McDonald, 2001). In 1859, she helped set up the Army Medical College in Chatham and published her book 'Notes on Nursing: What it is and what it is not' that year. Nightingale's Training School was established in 1860 to continue training nurses. She died on 13 August 1910.
Results of Florence Nightingale's Contribution
Florence Nightingale's most known contribution was seen during the Crimean war. When they arrive...