Summary
Nursing is an often-undervalued profession, which is essential to an efficiently functioning hospital environment. Nursing theory has a valuable and established input on the effectiveness of the nursing staff in real-life situations (Oducado et al., 2019). Nevertheless, nursing practices and customs are most effective and widely used in everyday scenarios. However, since the theory-practice gap remains significant (Greenway et al., 2019) it is often the case that the staff acts in established ways without understanding the underlying reasons for the customs. This can be problematic for several reasons, including motivation and credibility. Firstly, the students might think of theory as a waste of time and hence be less motivated to study. Secondly, it might decrease the trust between the patients and the nurses, as the credibility of the nursing staff falters. Lastly, it might negatively affect patient care quality (Salifu et al., 2018) if the nurses are unable to act efficiently in unfamiliar situations. Therefore, it is vital to learn the background of the nursing practices in order to understand why they are the way that they are today, and how to amend them if the situation needs a novel solution.
Describe the evolution of nursing practice
The nursing profession as it is known today can be traced back to Florence Nightingale, a nurse in the mid-19 th century. During the numerous wars that were to follow in the 20 th century, the profession’s importance was amplified, aiding the soldiers significantly. Nightingale had to go against the societal norms of the time to follow her beliefs that she should be able to aid who she wants (“How the Evolution of the Nursing Profession Benefits Nurses & Patients Alike,” 2019). During the Civil War and the two World Wars, the significance of the nursing profession became undeniable, raising the credibility of women willing to help.
Over the years, the nursing profession has been shaped and reshaped many times. Firstly, there is now formal education available to those willing to become caretakers. Based on the theories and practices that have been established, this allows the knowledge to be passed on safely. Furthermore, as the nursing profession became more recognized, those affiliated with it also gained more duties and responsibilities. It is vital for nurses to remain sharp and efficient in their daily decisions, as some of them might be life-saving. Lastly, there are now safety and quality procedures and standards that ensure that each and every patient receives the best quality of care.
Identify and compare key players to the foundation of nursing practice
Florence Nightingale
As mentioned in the previous section, one of the most famous nurses in history was the Mother of Modern Nursing. Florence Nightingale started her nursing career by training in Egypt and later went on to serve in the British military during the Crimean War. There, she began the practices that have shaped nursing as it is known today.
Clara Barton
Clara Barton was a teacher before the American Civil War, a profession she later was forced to give up for the sake of delivering medical supplies to the troops. Although her name might not be as familiar as some other ones, the organization she founded, the American Red Cross, remains active to this day. Barton herself worked closely with her creation through 1904.
Mary Breckinridge
Mary Breckinridge was a nurse-midwife who founded the New Model of Rural Health Care & Frontier Nursing Service, which aims at delivering health care to rural women and children. Since 1925, when the organization was founded, it has been an immense help to thousands of people nationwide. It has helped reduce maternal and infant mortality rates largely, and still operates today.
Dorothea Dix
Although today mental health is getting a lot of spotlights, when Dorothea Dix founded the first mental asylum in the early 1800s it was still a completely unknown area. While today it is generally understood that there are certain people that deserve to be treated for their mental issues rather than ostracized, this was not always the case. Dix advocated for mental health rights before the state and Congress and has shaped the current civil rights of the mentally ill.
Margaret Sanger
Margaret Sanger was the founder of Planned Parenthood, which came to life after the untimely death of her mother from difficult pregnancies. While she was being treated in a hostile manner and was even forced to flee to Europe, she did not give up on her beliefs. On her eventual return to the United States, she opened the first birth control clinic.
Mary Mahoney
Mary Mahoney was and is an inspiration to many as the first African-American nurse in the US. Following her example, many other women entered nursing schools and believed in their ability to become nurses. Mahoney also founded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses in an attempt to promote the profession to Black women.
Walt Whitman
While many might know Whitman for his beautiful poems and novels and generally as a literary icon, he is also notable for serving as a nurse during the Civil War. In a time when nursing was regarded largely as a female profession, this was an important step that inspired many. Furthermore, his experience influenced his writing and the readers of his works.
Lillian Wald
Lillian Wald is the co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. After the illness of her sister, Wald became increasingly interested in the profession and went on to join the New York Hospital Training School for Nurses. She remained active socially and professionally for the rest of her life, receiving recognition from many.
Mary Seacole
Mary Seacole, a Jamaica native, was born with few civil rights, which did not hinder her passion for staying active and traveling. During her travels, she leaned a lot about medicine and caretaking, and during the Crimean war volunteered her efforts to aid the soldiers on the war front.
Virginia Avenel Henderson
The most famous nurse of the 20 th century, Henderson, made a large impact on caregiving education, practice, and research. Today, her work is still being used for training and learning, and in 1985 it earned her the Christiane Reimann Prize from the International Council of Nurses.
Discuss nursing practice in relation to public expectations and trust
Trust between the patient and the caretaker is essential in the medical field. However, it is often the case that the public opinion of the nursing staff is lower than it should be. Furthermore, it is vital to manage the expectations that patients have of the nursing staff in order to provide them with the best quality of care. According to Girmay et al. (2018), the poor perception of nurses from the patients is hindering the quality of care. Therefore, there is a need to address these issues by increasing the visibility of nursing practices and building patient-caregiver trust.