Knowledge of Nursing Concepts and History
Knowledge of nursing concepts combined with history is the method for achieving educational goals, providing literary context, and, most importantly, illumination. Without an evaluation and interpretation of historical events, no single professional employment can be understood. As a result, nursing knowledge and history show that social constraints, dynamic health circumstances, and breakthroughs in worldwide activities since the past impact the modern science of nursing. Simply defined, the current difficulties cannot be successfully addressed in the absence of insight gained through knowledge and experience gained from earlier occurrences. This is the reason as to why nurse today need a heightened understanding of contextual variables and uncertainty to evaluate situations, avoid repetition of past mistakes and most of all, improve the provision of quality health care services continuously.
The First Trend: Florence Nightingale
The first trend in the nursing timeline involves the role of Florence Nightingale in the improvement of well-being through sanitation, patient management and most importantly, education through the launch of the Florence Nightingale School for Nurses. This collection of influences by Nightingale coupled with the publication of the book Notes on Nursing saw the beginning of nursing education, growth and practice to a whole new level with better health and increased mortality.
The Formation of the American Nurses Association
Another trend is the formation of the American Nurses Association in the year 1896 which facilitates the opportunity for higher education, receiving of credentials and most of all provision of relevant materials concerning nursing practice.
The Redefinition of the Role of Nursing
Finally, the redefinition of the role of nursing is an exemplified trend in history where nurses tended to the wounded in World War I and Vietnam (Isaac, 2015). The participation created a platform for which nursing moved from localized service provision in hospitals to other needy areas.
Influence on My Perspective
The above trends together with many others have greatly influenced my perspective through an understanding of the concepts, principles, challenges, and honor that comes with nursing. I fully acknowledge that nursing practice is a noble calling, developed over the years by people with motive and passion and whose future success depends on the improvement of the baselines established by our predecessors.
References
Isaac, A. (2015, September 15). A history of nursing – timeline: From Florence Nightingale to the modern day, we track the development of the nursing profession. Retrieved from The Guardian (Healthcare Network Workforce Development): https://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/ng-interactive/2015/sep/15/history-of-nursing-timeline
