Nightingale Tour July 16

I remain in awe of Florence Nightingale and all she was able to accomplish under some very challenging conditions. As a victorian woman of means, she was expected to make a "good marriage" in order to secure her future, but of course, we know that Miss Nightingale had other ideas. It was highly unusual for a woman to go to work, yet that is exactly what Florence Nightingale did, and in so doing she may very well have created options for other women around the world. She also established work structures in hospitals in which women were working for other women - another highly unusual circumstance of the day, yet a common occurance in today's world. Did this, too, start with Florence Nightingale? Scholars are divided on this issue, but it is clear she was in the forefront of hospital staff oranizational structures and reporting relationships, so it's possible.

While it is true we in nursing know Miss Nightingale to have been instrumental in the reform of nursing education, it turns out she was probably even more instrumental in reforming general sanitation practices in her time, along with health care practices in the British military forces. She saw disease significantly reduced in her lifetime and had the satisfaction of knowing she had made a valuable difference in the lives of all people - something that would have been very important to her as she believed proper healthcare should be available to everyone regardless of economic circumstances. Does this sound familiar? Only 100 years after her passing, we are finally getting around to this same conclusion in the United States. Amazing.

Judee
Judith. G. Berg, RN, MS, FACHE
Vice President, Professional Services
Gannett Healthcare Group