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Nursing Advocacy and Practice

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The knowledge of the foundations of nursing history provides a context in which to understand current nursing practice in various ways, it allows for us as nurses to recognize how far nursing has come since ancient times as far back as the days of Walter Whitman who went to Washington DC to care for his brother a casualty of war. Even further in the past was the St Benedictine order where nursing education was initially recognized among lay persons and religious people who committed their lives to this line of work. It’s good to know that even though nursing remains a calling for many people who practice it, formal education and licensing has elevated it to the level of a recognized profession where it should be.
The three trends that come to mind after reading the interactive timeline are; nurse registration by Elizabeth Neal, Legislative bills for the establishment of state supported institutions and specialist hospitals in the care of the mentally ill and the less privileged by Dorothea Dix and last but not the least, the work of Florence Nightingale who fought for reform of sanitary conditions in Military hospitals and the advancement of nurse education, and also her use of statistical data to analyze mortality rates in the treatment and care of the sick.
Nurse Registration which is something that is internationally recognized makes the” world our oyster” so to say. Meaning it allows us as nurses to travel and practice the world over and still be recognized in our own right as professionals in this noble profession. All of this stems from the hard work of nurses before us. This makes me feel as a nurse that I must at all times be diligent in my practice to uphold the good name of the profession whilst providing the best care to all patients in my care. It’s a great feeling to know you can practice anywhere as long as you have to credentials to prove it.
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