When defining the notion of nursing in the context of the 21st century, many people fail to reflect on the historical precedents that contributed to the development of nursing as a separate qualification. Hence, since the beginning of the 19th century, nursing has been recognized as a significant part of healthcare that requires a specific education curriculum and expectations from future professionals. Such a dramatic turn was encouraged by Florence Nightingale, who introduced the idea of professional nursing, implying the specialized preparation of nurses in order for them to be responsible for patient care (Roux, 2017). Prior to Nightingale’s actions, the profession of nursing was not considered useful, as it was nuns and monks who were mostly responsible for patient care at home. However, besides this significant intervention in the history of nursing, there are various precedents that helped shape today’s perception of nursing.
To begin with, it is necessary to dwell on the history of professional nursing in the territory of the United States. Hence, the commencement of nursing traces back to 1872, when the Nurse training school of Woman’s Hospital in Philadelphia was opened (Roux, 2017). Later, other states followed suit and opened facilities for professional nursing training, and they eventually graduated hundreds of successful nurses who advocated for the occupation’s national licensure. For example, Sophia Palmer, a Boston nursing school graduate, became the first editor of the American Nursing Journal, addressing the history of nursing and other various scholarly articles (Roux, 2017). Hence, it may be concluded that the evolution of the nursing profession in the US context is primarily associated with providing nurses with education, professional equipment, and advocacy for the nurses’ labor and civil rights.
Another significant contribution to the development of professional nursing and scope of responsibility took place in the US in 1992. According to the researchers, this year marked nurses’ first cooperation with the National Congress in order to promote nursing a way to improve society and public health (Roux, 2017). As a result, the paradigm of the nursing profession has gone beyond patient care, providing professionals with the ability to lead and manage.
Reference
Roux, G. & Halstead, J. (2017). Issues and trends in nursing: Practice, Policy and Leadership (2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.