Florence Nightingale Research Paper

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Florence Nightingale’s Conception of Environmental Theory Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820, in Florence, Italy. She was born into an affluent British family and was the younger of two daughters. Nightingale knew from a young age that it was her calling in life to help people and that becoming a nurse was just the way to do that. Nightingale’s parents demanded that she not seek a nursing career, in spite of her parents wishes, Florence Nightingale became one of the most influential figures in nursing. Florence Nightingale was a groundbreaking figure in the nursing profession who immensely affected 19th and 20th century policies regarding proper care. She was known as the “Lady with the Lamp” for making nightly rounds through …show more content…

She believed the reason for the rise in infection rates was lack of ventilation, so she had large windows installed to provide proper ventilation. Nightingale had raw sewage, found in the wards, and plugged up latrine pipes, cleaned. She found that poor hand hygiene was the main reason for hospital acquired infections and insisted that her nurses scrub clean the hospital from top to bottom, as well as, wash their hands multiple times throughout the care of patients (Journal of Clinical Nursing 2012). Nightingale’s improvements with hand hygiene alone notably showed a major decrease in the death rates at the hospitals for which she worked. She also felt that light was a crucial part in a patients healing so she placed patients beds next to windows so they could soak up the direct …show more content…

I know from personal experience as a nurse aide just how appreciative patients are when given, or assisted with, a bed bath and/or shower. You can instantly see the joy in their face, and their spirit being lifted by such a simple task that most of us take for granted as an everyday luxury. Even the smallest act of brushing one’s teeth, or having their bed linens changed, can give patients the motivation they need to participate in their healing. When my patients feel and look clean, their attitude and overall outlook on their condition changes to a positive one. Most of the patients I care for, are very independent people, however, due to the extensive surgeries that they have, they need help with personal care. When my patients thank me intensely for helping them, it gives me a great sense of pride and solidifies that my path to becoming a nurse is exactly where I am meant to be. Therefore, I agree with Florence Nightingales five components to the healing process and try to adhere to them

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