Research Paper On Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale is considered to be one of the most influential theorist in nursing history whose actions have changed the view of nursing and the hospital environment. Florence Nightingale was born to a wealthy, well educated, and privileged family during the Victorian era. Nightingale’s father regarded education to be very important and she was afforded an exceptional education with an emphasis in Mathematics. It is said that she was tutored by “James Sylvester, an important English Mathematician” (Harvard edu, n.d.). Her education in mathematics would come to great use later in her career when she would incorporate statistics to help her identify problems in the hospital setting. During the era in which Nightingale was born woman of
Florence Nightingale was a woman ahead of her time and choose a life dedicated to a career. Nightingales decision to go into the nursing field was something to be frowned upon. According to an article by the University of Texas Health and Science Center, “nursing was thought of as a lowly and menial profession” and was considered to be well below her stature. Despite her parents disapproval Nightingale enrolled in a three month training course for nursing at the Protestant Deaconesses at Kaiserwerth in German where she learned some of the essentials of nursing (University of Texas Health and Science Center, n.d.).
After her studies she became a superintendent of the Invalid Gentlewomen’s Institute in London. According to the University of Texas Nightingale undertook the hard task of helping to control the cholera outbreak in which filthy and unhygienic conditions and methods
During Nightingales era little was known in regards to disease control and prevention. However, Nightingales observation, assessment, and implementation of the environmental theory helped save many lives. Nightingale led by example in ascertaining that environmental influences helped with the patient’s mortality rate. She made sure that hygiene and sanitation issue were addressed in the hospital. “Nightingale advocated strongly for regular linen changing, adequate ventilation, the frequent emptying of chamber pots, and the regular scrubbing of floors and walls” (Harvard