Florence Nightingale's Environmental Philosophy Paper

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A Review of Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Philosophy in Advanced Care Nursing The mother of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, originally published her Environmental Theory in 1860 in a book entitled Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It Is Not. This book became the foundation for formal education of nurses throughout Britain and the United States (McEwan & Wills, 2011). She was one of the first to document and understand the impact of the physical environment on the patient and thus their outcomes. According to Nightingale (1860) nursing is it’s own art, separate but not inferior to medicine. This paper will look at a brief overview of Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Philosophy and discuss how this is applicable to nursing …show more content…

Nightingale had seven basic assumptions as follows: there are natural laws, mankind can achieve perfection, nursing is a calling, nursing is an art science, nursing is achieved through environmental alteration, nursing requires a special education base, and nursing is distinct and separate form medicine (Nightingale, 1860). There are also specific concepts listed within the Environmental Theory that are referred to as canons which include ventilation and warming, health and houses, petty management, noise, variety, taking food, what food, bed and bedding, light, cleanliness of rooms and walls, personal cleanliness, chattering hopes and advices, and observation of the sick (Nightingale, 1860). Selanders (2010, p.86) explains that environment is the “umbrella concept” for this philosophy. As such, Nightingale believed the environment could be altered to allow for the natural state of healing to …show more content…

This becomes increasingly important when the nurse takes on an advanced practitioner role. Traditionally physicians have been responsible for diagnosing and prescribing and nurses have been the ones to carry out the bedside care. When combining both of these roles, there is an even greater influence on the care patients receive. With this kind of influence it is critical that the advanced care practitioner bring their knowledge of the designed environment, creative implementation, as well as the art of nursing, to the table when treating each

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