Florence Nightingale And Jean Watson's Theory Of Nursing

While it may not have been a formal profession at first, nursing has been around since the start of human history. Beginning with heath practices that focused on magic and religion (Cherry & Jacob, 2017, p. 3), nursing has evolved to its current definition by the American Nurses Association (ANA) by expanding and changing its scope throughout history. Many different nursing pioneers and theorists have affected the definition of nursing, but there are two that have really stood out to me. The theories of Florence Nightingale and Jean Watson have helped shape the course of the profession of nursing, and have been instrumental in my understanding of the philosophy of nursing.

The nursing profession today includes much more than it used to,

It speaks of the physical actions of a nurse as well as the mental attitude nurses should have. This current definition of nursing is only as inclusive as it is due to the actions of nurses throughout history. Nursing has evolved from the prehistoric magical ideas it was into the science and profession it is today due to these nurses. One part of the definition, the protection, promotion and optimization of heath, was exhibited by Florence Nightingale’s

The idea of this theory is that all humans require human caring and the nurse must treat the patient as a whole, “body, mind, and soul” (Cherry & Jacob, 2017, p.85), not just the physical aspects of the disease or injury. She looked at the mental/emotional health and making sure there is congruence between the how the patient sees themselves and the reality of the situation (Cherry & Jacob, 2017, p. 85). You can clearly see this theory in the definition where it says, “treatment of the human response,” because we are addressing the patient as a human, not just addressing the pathology of what is causing them harm. I believe her work has helped me to have a more holistic approach to nursing; after nurses are able to assist their clients with physical needs, they can move up the next level and provide the highest quality of care possible for the