Nurses Week

"I attribute my success to this - I never gave or took any excuse."
Florence Nightingale


Happy Nurses Week!

The dates of Nurses week were chosen in commemoration of Florence Nightingale's birthday (May 12).

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was a pioneer to the modern nursing profession and known for her commitment to nursing as well her remarkable statistician skills (she pioneered documentation and stat keeping). Despite the profession of nursing having a poor reputation, Nightingale found herself drawn to the profession at the young age of 21 years old (1831) when she received a "divine calling" in which the voice of god told Flo of her life's mission.
After searching the identity of that mission she formally announced her decision to enter the field in 1844.
(1851) Nightingale went to (Kaiserwerth) Prussia to take part in a German four month training program for girls who would serve as nurses.

(1854- 1856) Crimean War: Reports came back to England of the terrible conditions for the wounded and sick soldiers. Nightingale volunteered to go and took with her 38 other nurses. She establish more sanitary conditions and the mortality rate at the military hospital fell from 60% (at her arrival) to 2% within 6 months.

(1857) Nightingale was extremely ill from 1857 until the end of her life. By 1901, she was completely blind.

(1860) Founded the Nightingale School and Home for Nurses in London, England.

(1868) Helped Elizabeth Blackwell with her plan to open a Woman's Medical College.

(1907) Order of Merit awarded by The King, making Florence Nightingale the first woman to receive that honor.



Florence Nightingale has made a significant and lasting contributions to the nursing profession and set important examples of compassion and commitment to the profession as well as patient care.