How Did Florence Nightingale Influence Nursing In The 19th Century

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In the early 1800’s, nursing was not seen as a profession that was acceptable for women to pursue. Women were supposed to merely gain their social rank from their husbands as women simply worked from their homes, doing the necessary daily chores such as cooking and cleaning. On May 12,1820, Florence Nightingale, was born and she became a monumental influence on nursing. Deborah Pulliam claims that Florence was undoubtedly “...one of the most influential women in 19th century England.” This was because Nightingale defied her parents in order to make a difference that she passionately believed the world needed. Florence Nightingale continued to make an impact on modern day nursing during the nineteenth century through to today as her detailed notes continued to be used …show more content…

Florence and her father, often read novels about philosophers together, rather than practicing the necessary home skills for a woman in this era with her mother. Nightingale’s ‘call to action’ came when she was seventeen. She had a dream where God spoke to her and said that she had a very important mission to complete in life, which led her to consider nursing (“Florence Nightingale” The School Run). Her further interests in nursing likely came from caring for family when they were sick. Her parents were wealthy landowners and as a daughter of a higher society family, she would never have been expected to work outside of the home. However, at a juvenile age, “...Nightingale was active in philanthropy, ministering to the ill and poor people in the village and neighboring her family’s estate” ( “Florence Nightingale” Biography). By doing so, she was able to learn the basics of nursing and administering first aid. She did this for a few years because she “...came to the conclusion nursing was her calling; she believed the vocation to be her divine purpose” (“Florence Nightingale” Biography). Driven to a higher purpose, secretly, she enrolled in a nursing school without her parent’s

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