Nur 513 - Historical Development of Nursing Timeline

Historical Development of Nursing Timeline

Kimberly Nicholson

University of Phoenix

NUR/513

Historical Development of Nursing Timeline

Nursing history is an impressive testimony of nursing pioneers who helped to shape nursing values and standards. This history is valuable in instructing and inspiring nurses to carry on the mandate of caring for the sick and dying with a code of ethics to continually to improve the health care system. "Nursing has evolved from the art of comforting and caring for, and nurturing the sick to a synthesis of this art with the science and technology of contemporary thinking" (Blais, Kozier, Hayes, & Erb 2006, p. 32).

Great changes were occurring in the world during the eighteenth and early nineteenth century, populations were increasing, illness, and deaths were on the rise. The hospitals available to the public were often staffed by the cruel and untrained personnel. The perception of the nurse was lowly and unpleasant. Along with suffering and sickness also came a hugh social reform. Society started to take a hard look at how the sick and less fortunate were being cared for.

Florence Nightingale was the first theorist to take a hard look at this perception in 1859.She was responsible for:

* Development of modern nursing

* The need for nursing and the role of women to evolve

* The face of nursing starts to change

* Florence makes her mark on the nursing and world

Reform was occurring in many places but one that stood out was in Kaiserworth Germany, not only was it a place to care for the sick but also a place where nurses could be trained not only in clinical skills but also in theory. The impressive work that was being done at the Kaiserworth School spread all over the world. Nursing manuals were beginning to be published and women learned the art of nursing. Wars were pushing women onto battlefields to care for sons and husbands; those who nursed were heroes. The face of nursing was beginning to change.

The civil war (1861-1865) brought around many changes to nursing where religion became intertwined in the profession. At the beginning of the civil war there was a complete lack of organization to the medical areas and no professional nurses were present. The conditions of the battlefield and military hospitals were to say the least lacking in cleanliness and volunteers. The religious sisters provided organization, structure, and skill to the civil war. A few of these orders provided stepping stones to world impacting organizations (Chitty & Black, 2007).

Dorothea Dix was appointed in 1861 as Superintendent of Women Nurses of the Army and with her extensive background played an important role creating a one-month training program for volunteers to assist with the sick and wounded. Clara Barton also known as "Angel of the Battlefield" set up a makeshift field hospital and provided care to the wounded and dying which later served as an organization known as the American Red Cross.