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Public Health and Occupational Health Nursing

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Public Health and Occupational Health Nursing The history of nursing is one of continual growth and development. The development of public health nursing as a profession is no different. The purpose of this paper is to look at how public health nursing has progressed and examine the impact it has had on contemporary work environments.
History of Public Health Nursing Each generation brought with it new challenges, and public health nursing grew, along with other nursing professions, to meet and counteract those challenges. Professional nursing history began with the organizational efforts of Florence Nightingale. Nightingale was born into a wealthy and prominent family in nineteenth century Europe. During the Crimean War, Nightingale, through her population-based epidemiological approach was able to successfully and dramatically reduce mortality rates among soldiers. Nightingale envisioned nurses being formally trained and skilled in the care of the sick, injured, and weak. Nightingale also made clear distinction between nursing focused on caring for the sick and nursing focused on the prevention of illness (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). As time progressed, women began to play a more prominent role in society. Educated women and uneducated women alike began entering the workforce. Women of means also began to break free of some of the societal restraints upon them and became more active in public affairs. Lillian Weld, a pioneer of public health nursing, and Mary Gardener organized a meeting of public health activists and their supports in 1912. This meeting would lead to the formation of the National Organization for Public Health Nursing. Since that time, nurses have been active participants in the formation of public health education, standards, policy, and regulations (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014).
Impact on Nursing Practice

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