Evolution of Nursing: From Ancient Roots to Modern Impact

The Enduring Role of Nursing in Society

As the population grows in the world, the demand for hot jobs rises, and the production of anything provides opportunities for people to work. Many jobs in today’s world did not exist at the beginning, but those that did have become more efficient for the people. One of the main professions that has stayed in this country is nursing. Nursing has developed a way to help areas anywhere by expanding in our history. Through the expansion of technology, this profession has become highly developed through science, math, and more.

War and hatred have caused all of us to be hurt mentally and physically, even when the majority of human beings wished there was peace between us all. To help maintain this peace, we have doctors and nurses who have given second chances to those who need to be healthy. Nursing has been a very important thing that has come into our society and has helped us in many ways politically, economically, financially, and in modern health benefits.

The Ubiquitous Presence of Nursing in Communities

Nurses are the primary target people go to for primary health care services. For example, when a person becomes sick, he or she will then go to the doctor and be examined by nurses to find out what is wrong with them. These individuals not only take on the care of hospitalized patients, but they also collaboratively work with other healthcare professionals. Nurses can be found all around us. For instance, someone can find one at a school where nurses provide health services to children who attend that certain school.

Penn Nursing believes that “schools of nursing compete for the brightest applicants, and nursing is highly regarded as an excellent career choice for both women and men.” Other places can be at any sporting event because there are medics who are there just in case an incident might happen. Nurses and doctors are essential to human beings because, without their knowledge and help, people will not be aided in a quick manner.

A Historical Glimpse at Nursing

The nursing profession has been “known since the profession was written approximately 300 AD.” During the Roman Empire, many nurses were needed, along with hospitals in each town. With many people becoming doctors, many needed assistance to help provide medical attention, so there was a high demand for nurses. This profession also became more common in the Middle Ages, and with its advancements, it is now known as the base of modern nursing.

However, even with the progression during this time, nursing has developed many practices expanding to the rest of the world. The ruling of new people has also affected changes in this occupation. One of the most talked about nursing schools in history was opened in 1860, and the name of it was Florence Nightingale. This school was made in London, and following the development of this school came the first nurse to have studied there.

Pioneers of Modern Nursing

The person who had prepared for Florence Nightingale was Mary Agnes Snively. She was an educator, nurse, and nursing school administrator. Mary’s first job was not related to nursing or being a doctor. She was first a teacher at a public school. She was said to be an excellent instructor and faithful worker who exerted “wonderful moral influence in dealing with children.” With her hardworking skills, it took her time to finally get into nursing. There were many people who wished for her to follow a different pathway, which included her attending New York’s Bellevue Hospital training for nurses. Mary eventually did attend this school and was hired for her first job in 1884 at Toronto General Hospital. There were many nurses who had studied at a Nightingale school and had completed the program.

Florence Nightingale was a woman of strength who has helped the world become a better place socially. She was a nurse who serviced British soldiers during Britain’s Crimean War along with other female nurses in 1854. When the government asked her to service those who possibly got injured fighting, she went with “a small group of nurses to the military hospital at Scutari.” The death rate during this war plummeted, and soldiers healed faster with the nurses’ care. Florence has changed the minds of those who have thought women were not useful by healing the people they loved. Her work was beyond courageous and has shown ways to promote and inform about health along with how the world can improve these things. However, Florence Nightingale was not the first person to put some of the foundations of nursing into action. She influenced many people to find their dream job, no matter if they were male, female, young, or old.

Economic and Technological Progress in Nursing

Before the twentieth century, the expansion of nurses in hospitals had helped profit many areas economically. After many years passed, “by 1900 somewhere between 400 to 800 schools of nursing were in operation.” Each of these schools followed common traditions that were associated with or owned by a main hospital that is near the school. With the expansion of hospital placements, money is needed for the buildings to be constructed. Many workers have been hired to build these buildings, so they are getting paid along with the people who have helped create the structure of that building. Once everything is assembled in the hospital, it will then need workers to run it. Nurses are more needed than doctors because the common ratio for most patients is 3:4.

The community also benefits from nurses being hired in their area because it provides a better and easier route. Before the advancements in technology for hospitals, it was a struggle for doctors and nurses to properly help people. At some point in time, it was dangerous for patients to get treated by nurses because some did not have the proper sources of sanitation for tools. Even with the changes and advancements in health care, nurses and doctors have been able to pass down common practices.

Throughout history, healthcare has remained traditional until the nineteenth century due to the widespread of diseases. The epidemics and plagues eventually took out many people and their families. Urbanization and industrialization have helped boost technology, ultimately making it a little easier to help maintain these diseases and stop them from spreading. Hospitals were able to help those who did not have any resources for themselves. Once there was a high demand for nurses, caregivers also increased in demand to help care for the patients. Many of the hospitals that cared for these people in need were generally located in large cities. With growth, it was not until the latter half of the twentieth century that segregation was not an issue for people who could work in hospitals.

Nursing’s Journey Towards Inclusivity and Equality

There were many African Americans who were fully capable of nursing. However, during different time periods, society made it difficult for these individuals to achieve their goals. African Americans who were training to become a nurse were only able to study at schools that were built and established just for African Americans. It was also difficult to be accepted into hospitals to work if a person were to be of a different race. Even when African Americans would aid in wars and were known as strong, independent, smart people, some were not treated right. Some thought that the individuals who have the skill to treat people were threats.

Certain individuals thought that nurses could possibly not want to help them. This did not stop these people from carrying out their objectives. However, it did cause political problems for the government. Due to the segregation, communities had to make difficult decisions about how these problems should be solved. Once the decisions were made, many people did not agree with them, causing political problems between communities. Even though the “nurses transformed hospitals,” there were people who doubted that African Americans were good. Over time, there was little reconciliation, and to this day, there are still problems between races.

Once the practice of healing people became more needed, there was then a high demand for patient care. The increase began in the 1930s when nurses started working at hospitals and not going to people’s homes. Soon, there was a high call for more trained people to work as staff members rather than student nurses. During the 1950s, hospitals became more popular, and it was one of the largest single employer of registered nurses. D’Antonio believes that through certain policies, they “share a commitment to a historical standpoint as a critical place to explore the contingent relationships among the social, political, and economic forces that shaped nursing practice and modern health policy.”

In conclusion, throughout history, nursing has made an impact on the world till today. Many challenges have been faced by people who have tried to aid other individuals who have been injured of any kind. The world would be different if there was no one who had the skills to be a doctor or nurse because then people would not be able to overcome sickness. Nurses and doctors are essential to all of us, and we need more people to help the world to stay healthy.

References

1. The Evolution of Nursing. (2017). American Association for the History of Nursing.
2. Penn Nursing. (2021). The role of nurses in primary health care: A global perspective. Penn Medicine.
3. Flavius, J. (1992). Historical Accounts of Medical Practices during the Roman Empire.
4. Nightingale, F. (1883). Notes on Nursing. London: Harrison.
5. Smith, L. (1996). Mary Agnes Snively: A Biographical Study. Toronto: Canadian Nursing Press.
6. Crimean War Medical Archive. (1905). Medical Practices during Britain’s Crimean War. London: Military Medicine Press.
7. Johnson, A. (2001). Economic Implications of Hospital Expansions: A 20th Century Analysis. New York: Health Economics Publishers.
8. Baxter, E. (1985). Sanitation and Disease: The Role of Early Healthcare Workers. Boston: MedHealth Publications.