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Florence Nightingale -- Nurse Theorist Research Paper

Nightingale believed that people derived meaning from their various life experiences and the extent to which their lives bring meaning to them has a direct baring on the health condition of their bodies. Her theory of learning was an exercise in logic: "Observation tells how the patient is; reflection tells what is to be done; training tells how it is to be done. Training and experience are, of course, necessary to teach us, too, how to observe, what to observe; how to think, what to think" (Attewell quoting Nightingale's 1882 narrative on her theory of learning) (8).

How has the theorist influenced my nursing practice and philosophy? What stands out for me is Nightingale's leadership qualities. She was brilliant in her understanding of health needs, but moreover, she was tactful and when in 1854 she got involved in helping the wounded from the Crimean War, was able to change the attitudes of doctors, and have them accept her and her nurses. Not by verbally demanding respect, but by her professional actions (involving hygiene) that commanded...

Moreover, she used her influence in "high places, even to the Queen and Prince Albert, to fight for effective reform of the entire system of military hospitals" (EWB, 1998).
Question for classmates: In 2007, it was revealed that Walter Reed Army Hospital was in terrible shape; there were rat and mouse infestations, mold, cockroaches, along with wounded soldiers that were untended and there was a sense of squalor in the building. Does this sound at all like the hospital ward that Nightingale witnessed when she first arrived to care for the wounded in during the Crimean War? If you had been in a position of authority in the government, what would you have done if you learned returning soldiers from Afghanistan were being treated like that?

Works Cited

Attewell, Alex. (1999). Florence Nightingale (1820-1910). Retrieved January 12, 2012, from UNESCO: International Bureau of Education, xxviii (1), 153-166.

Encyclopedia of World Biography (EWB). (1998). Florence Nightingale. Retrieved January…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Attewell, Alex. (1999). Florence Nightingale (1820-1910). Retrieved January 12, 2012, from UNESCO: International Bureau of Education, xxviii (1), 153-166.

Encyclopedia of World Biography (EWB). (1998). Florence Nightingale. Retrieved January 12,

2011, from Gale Biography in Context (Gale #GALEIK1631004855).
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