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What Is Nursing?

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What is nursing?

‘What is nursing? It has been called an art, a science, a profession, a vocation, a heaven-born gift, a laboriously acquired task’ (The Nursing Record 1889 p.131). This definition is one of many ways to describe nursing. It was written over one hundred years ago which shows that even at this earlier period, nursing was recognised as a hardworking, privileged and intelligent career. Nursing is a very comprehensive subject where a lot of topics could be discussed. The areas that will be focussed on are the history of nursing, encompassing nursing education, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the nursing process and the portrayal of the nursing profession. Nursing began in the medieval times and Sundstorm (1998) explains that a nurse was likely to be a woman in extreme poverty. Nurses were perceived to be one of the lowest members of society as they were often branded as a drunk or prostitute. It took almost three centuries later before nursing started to be recognised as a more admirable profession.
Florence Nightingale was a woman that started the change of nursing to become a scientific and researched practice. Despite her parents being against the idea of her career path, she ignored them and went on to become a legacy as she helped create the first program for nurses as well as pioneering infection control and health promotion. During her time as a nurse in the 1854 Crimean war, she managed to prevent deaths by 41%.This was because of her idea of having a clean environment for the injured soldiers to prevent disease and spread infection. She also made sure they were well-nourished so they would have a better chance at fighting their illness. Miss Nightingale also believed in the holistic approach when it came to care. This means a nurse has to look after the mental, social, physical, nutritional and religious well-being of an individual.

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