By Michelle Lake
Florence Nightingale never quite fit the mold of the Victorian Era. Where most women were concerned about their standing in society, Florence always knew she had a different path to take in life.
She enjoyed volunteering, advocating for what was right, and helping the sick or homebound around her estates from an early age. By the age of 16 in 1836, Florence had decided that she wanted to become a nurse. Now she just had to convince her parents that it was a suitable profession for a woman.
During the mid-1800s, it was frowned upon when a woman wanted to be in the workforce; it was especially scandalous if that profession was nursing. At the time, nursing was considered inappropriate for a woman of her standing. However, that did little to stop her, only pushing her to want it even more.
By 1844, Florence had refused two marriage proposals and enrolled herself in the Lutheran Hospital of Pastor Fliedner in Kaiserwerth, Germany. She landed herself in her first nursing career back in London six short years later. Within a year, she was the acting superintendent of the hospital.
Impressive as her work was, the working conditions were poor. Cholera outbreaks and unkept facilities wreaked havoc on her ability to help everyone who came through her hospital doors.
While working at the hospital in London, the Crimean War broke out, and she was off to serve the wounded British soldiers. Tasked with organizing a corps of nurses for the fallen and injured, Florence showed up to Constantinople with more than just plans of being a nurse.
Seeing even worse conditions in the war hospitals, she and her troop of nurses gathered hundreds of scrub brushes and got to work. Together, they made the “Cesspool” (Florence Nightingale – Biography, Facts & Nursing – HISTORY, 2020) into a clean, healthy working environment.
Most might cringe at the gore that comes from war, Florence never flinched. She never let the wounded out of her sight. Making her rounds throughout the night with a lamp in her hand, checking on each of her patients, she earned her the loving nickname, The Lady with the Lamp.
“If a nurse declines to do these kinds of things for her patient, ‘because it is not her business,’ I should say that nursing was not her calling,” Florence once said. (Stone, 2020)
By doing what was suitable for her patients and cleaning up the areas of care, Florence’s team of nurses reduced the mortality rate by two thirds! (Florence Nightingale – Biography, Facts & Nursing – HISTORY, 2020)
Like Florence Nightingale, forge your own path. Use the knowledge gained at school and the compassion held to assist others in advocating for your patients properly.
“So never lose an opportunity of urging a practical beginning, however small, for it is wonderful how often in such matters the mustard-seed germinates and roots itself,” Florence said. (Stone, 2020)
And remember that even the tiny actions done in service to and for your patients may grow into greatness.
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References
Florence Nightingale – Biography, Facts & Nursing – HISTORY. (2020, April 17). History.com. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/florence-nightingale-1
McKay, K. (2018, March 1). Who Am I? Twelve Notable Women in Medical History. NLM in Focus. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://infocus.nlm.nih.gov/2018/03/01/who-am-i-women-in-medical-history/