Florence Nightingale

Over the years, whether it was 1910 or 2007, nurses of the past and present have had to be very strong willed people to deal with the emotional and physical work that comes with the profession. The history of nursing propelled it into what it is today.

Florence Nightingale started the progression of nursing by recommending nurses get a better education, work in a safer environment, and practice in different areas of nursing. Through the years many nurses have expanded on Nightingale's theories and practices incorporating them with their own ideas.

Education has come a long way since the early 1900's. Women of early nursing went to training schools by which they put in long hours for hospitals and had minimal time for studies. Nursing education today requires an accredited college education following specific nursing criteria in order to pass a licensure exam which is required to safely practice as a nurse. Nurses of today still tend to work long hours, but it is the nurse's choice to work not the hospitals.

Nurses in history have had a deal with a lot through the years whether it be the debate on if nurses were even needed in the medical field to what kind of people could be nurses. Nursing today is a huge field. Nurses are mandatory in any medical setting whether it be homecare or surgical nursing. Doctors of this century work along with nurses to help treat patients. Anybody can be a nurse no matter their skin color or gender as long as they have the education to safely practice. These topics have progressed in nursing due to its history.

The history of nursing has made nurses into what they are today. Nurses have so many options by which they can practice whether it is a RN or a nurse practitioner. Nurses get the education we need today due to the hard work and determination of Florence Nightingale and nurses like her.