Health care

The Nightengale Pledge

Nursing is a popular profession among both men and women today. Since it’s formal beginning in 1959, the profession of nursing has been an honorable profession that many seek out. The founder of nursing as a profession, Florence Nightengale, was known for being a woman of God. She, along with a few other women, changed nursing forever.

Nightengale some time serving as a military nurse, after which she founded a school and published a guide to nursing. Because of her achievements and contributions to nursing, she had a pledge named in her honor called the Nightengale Pledge, which was written by a committee led by Lystra Gretter, a nursing professor at the Harper Hospital. The pledge was first taken by the 1983 nursing school graduating class.

The pledge outlined a code of ethics that nurses would begin to use as a standard practice. The pledge swore that a practicing nurse would not give a patient a drug that could hurt them. It also stated that the nurse was to do whatever was in his/her powers to take care of patients without allowing personal matters to interfere. Many devoted nurses around the world have taken this pledge at graduation.

The Nightengale pledge was adapted from the Hippocratic Oath. The Hippocratic Oath simply states that a physician will do no harm and perform his or her job to the best of their known abilities without compromising the health and well-being of their patients. Even some veterinarian schools practice a similar oath called the Veterinarian’s Oath. Of course, their oath promises the care of animals to the best of their scientific abilities rather than to the care of human life. From pet to owner, it certainly does seem that everyone feels a need to promise to do their best when caring about health.

Filed Under: Health care, Nursing Tagged With: Florence Nightengale, Health, hippocraticoath, Lystra Gretter, Nurse, Nursing

Nursing and Agnes Jones

Many people around the world have taken a hand and given their lives to being in the medical field. Many more today are making the path into a number of these challenging jobs. Nursing is a field that has assisted the medical community since the beginning of time. The founder of nursing education was Florence Nightengale, who helped change the standards of sanitation for the medical community. Another impressive nurse, who studied underneath Nigthengale, was a woman by the name of Agnes Jones.

Jones was the first nurse at the Liverpool Workhouse Infirmary who was trained as a nursing superintendent. She was formally trained at the school set up by Nightengale in 1862. She was a very dedicated, hardworking, and intelligent student. Jones was such a dedicated student that she won special praise from Nightengale.

After Jones graduated, she was invited to the Brownlow Hill Workhouse to help lead an experiment by William Rathbone. She accepted, and in 1865 she went to help in the endeavor. The task was taking care of the poor people whose working situation was purposely made harmful to deter them from coming to work. The working situations were worse inside the workhouse than they were outside. Jones made an amazing effort to make sure the experiment succeeded, working herself to the bone to take care of the workers.

Jones worked extremely closely to the poor in Liverpool: close enough that, unfortunately, she contracted typhus fever and died at age 35. Typhus was a very extreme epidemic that impacted the poor during the time period. Nightengale later mourned the loss of her prized student. In Jones honor and in gratitude to what she contributed to nursing, a window in the Anglican Catherdral was devoted to her and a statue was built in the Oratory, remembering Jones as an amazing nurse who had an incredible impact on nursing history.

Filed Under: Health care, Nursing Tagged With: Agnes Jones, Education, Florence Nightengale, Health, History, Nurse, Nursing

Linda Richards

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There are many people who have had a hand in the history of nursing. Linda Richards was the first woman to be educated as a nurse in America.

Richards decision to enter the nursing field was influenced by the death of her mother, and later the care that she would bestow on her husband who was wounded in the American Civil War a year later. Driven by compassion and loss, she took a job at the Boston City Hospital. However, after three months of working terrible hours without any training, Richards quit the job to search for other outlets into nursing.

She was the first student to attend the American Nurse’s training school at the New England Hospital for Women and Children in 1872. A year later she graduated and moved to New York and accepted a job at Bellevue Hospital as a supervisor. During the time that she worked there, she invented a way to keep track of the patients medical records, which has been used ever since by both the United States and the United Kingdom.

She later went to England, where she studied nursing for a second time. While in London, she also met with and trained under Nightengale. After her training she returned to the United States and established nursing schools all over the nation. After she finished the schools in the United States, she went and established the first nursing school in Japan, where she remained for five years.

Once she was back in the United States, Richards worked for twenty years before she retired at age seventy. In her time she also managed to write a book about her experiences, which was published and then republished. Richards passed away from a stroke in April of 1930, but she will be remembered as the amazing woman that she was for centuries to come.

Filed Under: Health care, Nursing Tagged With: Health, Linda Richards, Nursing, United States

United States Navy Nurses

In 1908, the Nurse Corps was created by Congress as an addition to the U.S. Navy. At that point, 20 women were chosen to be the first to officially serve as female sailors, even though for almost 100 years prior to that both men and women had been nursing on naval ships and in hospitals.

Just before WWI, the Navy Nurse Corps had grown to 160 women. These women did more than just care for the sick and wounded. On top of their medical tasks, they were expected to train nurses, both land-based in the U.S. and overseas, as well as enlisted men serving as medics. Once the United States entered WWI, the Nurse Corp received a large expansion for both its enlisted and reserve officers.

By the end of the war, 19 nurses lost their lives. More than half died from the flu, which was deadly at that time. One thousand five-hundred and fifty nurses had served overseas and at Naval hospitals at home. Once soldiers were being processed home, the nurses were given assignments on board ships and on ground teams to aid the wounded. After WWI the number of Navy nurses died down to fewer than five hundred until the start of the second world war.

WWII brought nurses to serving regular service on hospital ships, and an educational increase was also impacted because of the status increases. They acted and spoken toward the same way officers would be, and wore similar attire to ranking Ensign to Lieutenant officers. In 1920, the Army first recognised nurses as regular commissioned officers, during which period the corps grew to almost eight hundred who served actively and nine hundred who were a part of the reserve corps. Any soldier will testify to how vital nurses are, especially during war time conflict.

Filed Under: Health care, Nursing Tagged With: Health, History, Nurse, Nursing

A Cancer Patient Inspires a Change in Career

I graduated many years ago with a degree in economics. I even went on to pursue my MBA which I also received. Now after many years working in the world of Wall Street, I have decided to go back to school. You see, I never felt fully satisfied with my work for a large brokerage in New York City. But it was not until tragedy struck my family that I decided to pursue another degree and line of work. About a year ago my mother died of cancer. She battled the disease on and off for a few years and was in and out of treatment centers. I visited her as often as possible and spent time with her both in and out of treatment.

During those times, I discovered that something was calling me towards the health care profession. I saw firsthand how much these medical professionals meant to my mother. I also saw how much the other patients uplifted each other and how rewarding it was to work in the hospitals and treatment locations that my mother visited. I also knew that it was not an easy job stress wise but knew that I would one day be working in one of those locations.

One night while sitting by my mother’s bed, I logged into my laptop computer and did a search for online courses and degrees. That was where I ran across educationforadults.com. They had a great directory of various online education providers where I could get a degree on my time while keeping my job. My mother was very excited to hear of my plans when I told her that I found a great Nursing program online and that I planned to get my degree as soon as possible. Now that she is gone, I know she would be proud that I was now helping others that were going through cancer like she did.

Filed Under: Health care Tagged With: Academic degree, Cancer, E-learning, Health care provider, Master of Business Administration, Mother, New York City, Wall Street

Nursing in The Australian Military

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The United States is not the only country that has noticed a benefit from having nurses in the armed forces. Australia for instance formed the Royal Australian Nursing Corps, or RAANC, in Febuary of 1951. This addition to the Australian military came fifty years after what was the beginning of the formation of the United States Naval Corps.

The Corps slogan was Pro Humanitate, which meant for humanity. The corp preaches empathy and sympathy along with working with others, providing dedicated health care to the sick and injured. In 1958 they received approval for the Nursing Corps flag, which depicted their slogan.

History of the corps can be followed to the establishment of the Army Nursing Service, which was founded in August of 1898. During that time there were 25 nurses, one of whom acted as Lady Superintendent. These women participated in the Boer War with the deployment of troops from the New South Wales and Victorian governments to Africa. These women were not the only ones to see action; in fact, nurses from western and southern Australia and Queensland saw the damages of the war.

Because of the impact that the nurses had during the war in 1902, the Australian Army Nursing Service was established in conjunction with the Australian federal government. The day that the service was established, July 1st of 1903, is now recognised as RAANC corps day.

In WWI, over two thousand women served in the nursing service, four hundred and twenty three of which were stationed in Australia, with one hundred and thirty Australians working under the Queen’s military nursing branch. Twenty five women died and three hundred and eighty eight were recognised. In WW2 the number of nurses increased to more than three thousand, and out of that number only seventy one women died, while thirty eight more became POWs, putting Australian nurses on the map of history.

Filed Under: Health care, Nursing Tagged With: Australia, Health, Nurse, Nursing

The Royal Army Nursing Corps

Military nursing is something that offers benefits to any military service. The British caught onto the benefits in 1902 with the foundation of the Imperial Army Nursing Corps. The corps was founded under Queen Alexandra, who presided as president. In 1949, the British Army recognised the corp, and it was then renamed in order to be a part of the Royal Army. Specifically, it was renamed to Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps. Queen Alexandra remained president until she passed away in 1925 and she was preceded by Queen Mary.

Later on in 1909, a second branch was founded: The Territorial Force Nursing Service, or TFNS for short. TFNS was founded with the idea that it would make up for any shortcomings that The Royal Army encountered, specifically in emergency situations. The people who were a part of TFNS were civilian nurses. Later, in 1920, TFNS was changed to the Territorial Army Nursing Service or TANS instead of being a civilian establishment. In 1941, members were permitted pay and rank that was equal and identical to that of the Army.

In 1949 the armed forces finally adopted the female divisions as part of the official armed forces. With this adoption the forces took up the ranking system based around the armed forces, which made the chief matron a Senior Controller. However, in 1950 they reverted to normal Army ranks, though titles were still given for a professional attitude. In 1956 more ranks were adopted.

The nurses played a major role for the British army, insuring the health and well-being of the soldiers at war. These nurses, among others who have faithfully served their countries, have made an impeccable indent on military history and strides that have furthered medical advances to what we know today as modern medicine. Thanks to their efforts, health care is phenomenally improved.

Filed Under: Health care, Nursing Tagged With: Armed forces, Army, British Army, Military, Nurse, Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps

The Army Nurse Corps

In 1901, congress formed the United States Army Nurse Corps, which is made up of only registered nurses. Because of the idea behind pride and duty for the nation, and a strive to achieve high status in society, there were a lot of people who were signing up and giving time to the medical fields. In response to the popularity behind nursing in 1901, Congress founded the Army Nurse Corps, and in 1908 the Navy Nurse Corps. In 1905 the American Red Cross was nearly a federally recognised agency, and it took on the task of finding nurses and stationing them in certain divisions.

During WWI, the military had twenty thousand female nurses split into the different branches and different military hospitals. Ten thousand served in different countries, while others staffed forty seven ambulance companies at home and over five thousand signed up for the new Nursing school that was a part of the Army. Women never saw action from the front line; however, many women lost their lives due to sicknesses like the flu.

At the beginning of WWII, there were less than a thousand Army nurses and seven hundred in the Navy, and all of them were women. However, by the end of the war the Army had grown to over fifty thousand registered nurses and the Navy had eleven thousand, all of which were women. On top of that progress, there were more than two hundred black nurses who served and assisted the black soldiers. There were also many more male medics serving during the war.

Because of the medical advances made by the medics and nurses of the time, a lot of people lived through the war. Of the people who were able to make it to a hospital, 96% survived. Because of penicillin and sulfa, the need to amputate limbs with gangrene was rarely required. Nurses helped save many peoples lives and changed history.

Filed Under: Health care, Nursing

International Nursing Day

All around the world, nurses are celebrated for the progress they have helped make possible in the health care industry. International Nurses Week is marked May 6th through May 12th, and this week has been celebrated since 1965.

In 1974, it was decided that the day should be recognised on May 12th, which was Florence Nightengale’s birthday. Florence Nightengale was important to nursing history because of her contributions to the health care industry, and the establishment of her school for nursing. Nightengale has been known as the creator of modern nursing.

Since 1999 the holiday has been celebrated on May 8th, because the British voted that Nightengale was not the representative of modern nursing at all, and since then the holiday has landed on the 8th, or in the very least it has landed on the 8th for the British. In 2003, it was finally designated that the holiday was to be celebrated on the Wednesday within the week between May 6th and May 12th.

Presently, each year the day is marked by the distribution of the Nurse Day Kit, which contains informational packets that are intended to educate people about their health. This is done in order to promote overall wellness in communities. These materials are used by modern health care professionals like doctors and nurses everywhere.

In the UK, on May 12, a mass is held in Nightengale’s honor. A lamp is taken and lit from the Nurse’s Chapel, while the service takes place to symbolize the passing of knowledge. This lamp is handed to each nurse at the mass. The mass is located at Westminister Abbey in London. Everyone can agree that those who take health care into their priorities make a major difference in our lives. From the common cold to life and death emergencies, these brave souls assist as best they can, and they make a big difference.

Filed Under: Health care, Nursing Tagged With: Health, Health care, Nurse, Nursing, Specialties

Scrubs For Everyone

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There is nothing more important in hospital then sanitation. If sanitation is not up to par, people who come in can actually become sick. Scrubs are clothing that doctors and nurses wear in order to ensure that they are completely sanitized before interacting with a patient. This precaution was not always a viewed as a necessity.

Scrubs were simply designed for there to be few places for dirt and germs to hide. Since their design began surfacing in operating rooms, surgeons have adopted scrubs as their uniform. Scrubs have gone from what was once just an operating room attire to extending to other areas in the hospital. Now nurses typically wear scrubs, and the majority of doctors wear scrubs and lab coats. Scrubs are also beneficial to those who come in contact with bodily fluids on a regular basis by allowing the nurses the satisfaction of knowing that their street cloths are not being contaminated. Scrubs have even shown up outside of hospitals. Veterinary clinic nurses and technicians wear scrubs, and some prison inmates have been required to wear scrubs. Scrubs have also reached the fashion industry and are a trendy pajama choice for some young adults.

It wasn’t until the twentieth century that surgeons started to wear specific uniforms. Before scrubs, a surgeon would wear normal street cloths with an apron of some sort to protect his clothing from stains. Neither the equipment nor the surgeon’s hands were sterilized before the procedure. Many instruments were reused, and some of the bandaging and gauze was made out of scraps found on the floors at cotton mills. Today we are relentless with cleanliness, making sure that everything is sterile and washed before patients interact with physicians. Scrubs have provided for sanitary and safe environments for patients and care providers around the world.

Filed Under: Health care, Nursing, Physician Tagged With: Clothing, Hospital, Nurse, Operating theater, Scrubs, Uniforms