Historical Perspectives of Nursing

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and definitions related to the historical perspectives and evolution of nursing as a profession.

Nursing

A profession focused on keeping people healthy and providing comfort and assurance to the sick.

Early Civilization Nurses

Women who assisted with childbirth and were the first recorded nurses in history (Egyptian physicians).

Greece

The Greeks believed in  Apollo, the Greek god of healing and prayed to him for magic cures for their illness.

400 B.C., the famous Greek physician Hippocrates believed that disease had natural, not magical, causes.

Roman Empire

After 300 B.C., early physicians built on the groundwork of their Egyptian and Greek predecessors.
The Romans are best known for advances in the health of the public

India

In ancient India, early hospitals were staffed by male nurses who were required to meet four qualifications:

•knowledge of the manner in which drugs should be prepared for administration; cleverness; devotedness to the patient; and purity of mind and body.

Christianity

With the beginning of Christianity, nursing began to have a formal and more clearly defined role.

•Led by the belief that love and caring for others were important, women made the first visits to sick people, male gave nursing care and buried the dead.

•Nursing became a respected vocation.

Middle Ages

More hospitals were built.

•Nurses delivered custodial care and depended on physicians for direction.

•Nurse midwifery, as one of the oldest nursing roles, flourished.

•Much nursing care was provided by monks and nuns, which was segregated by sex.

The Renaissance

Dark Ages of Nursing

•Nursing orders to take a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience.

•Number of nurses reduced to smallest possible number (to economize)

•Limited women’s freedom.

•Doctors did most of the nursing jobs.

•Nurses did mostly cleaning, laundry and scrubbing.

•Hospitals a source of epidemics

Fifteenth to nineteenth century

The extensive population growth in cities, the lack of hygiene and sanitation and the increasing poverty in urban centers resulted in serious health problem.

•Society changed from one with a religious orientation to one that emphasized warfare, exploration, and expansion of knowledge.

Nineteenth century:Era of social reform for prisons, public health and care of the poor.

Pastor Theodur Fliedner

Opened the Kaiserwerth Deaconess Institute – the first REAL nursing school.

•Its most famous student:

•Florence Nightingale

Diagnosis

The process of identifying a disease scientifically.

Prognosis

The prediction of the possible outcome of a disease.

Cure

The process of restoring health to a patient.

Knight Hospitaliers of St. John’s of Jerusalem

Nurses who cared for the injured during battles; recognized for their symbol of the Red Cross.

Jeanne Mace 1645

Establishment of the first hospital in North America

Florence Nightingale

Founder of modern nursing and known for her work in nursing philosophy, epidemiology, and research.

Nightingale Pledge

An ethical pledge for nurses, emphasizing purity, care, and patient welfare.

James Derham

First male nurse in North America. Bought his freedom from slavery by working as a nurse. 1785

Mary Seacole

Worked with military in Caribbean. Had her own hospital in Crimea.

Dorothea Dix

Appointed to organize military hospitals, provide trained nurses, and disperse supplies; she received no official status and no salary for this position.Fought for the rights of the mentally ill. 6 million people hospitalized during the war—one-half million surgical cases; 2000 nurses served in the war. The civil war showed the importance of nursing

American Nurses Association (ANA)

An organization established to improve the quality of nursing care and establish professional standards for nurses.

National League for Nursing (NLN)

An organization aimed at identifying nursing needs and fostering education programs to meet those needs.

Mary Breckinridge

Pioneer in nurse midwifery; established the Frontier Nursing Service in 1925.

Clara Barton

Nursed wounded soldiers during the Civil War; founded the American Red Cross.

Margaret Sanger

One of the most controversial nurses of modern times. Dedicated to provide legal birth control. Founded Planned Parenthood

Lillian Wald

Champion of the urban poor. Established Henry Street Settlement in 1893 which became New York Visiting Nursing Services. Pioneer in Public Health Nursing

Isabel Adams Hampton Robb

First President of ANA. Organized Nursing School superintendents which became the National League of Nurses. Member of committee to form the AJN

Susie Walking Bear Yellowtail

Helped to end abuses in Indian Health care system and decreased death rate of Native American children. Established funding mechanism for education of native American Nurses. Presidents Award in 1992 for Outstanding Nursing Health Care.

Virginia A. Henderson

Wrote a key textbook on nursing practice and established tools for nursing research.

Florence S. Wald

Credited with the development of the hospice movement in the United States. Developed first program in Connecticut in 1960’s. Patterned program after the successful programs in England.

Ildaura Murillo-Rohde

Founded the National Association of Hispanic Nurses and contributed to nursing education.

Mary Ezra Mahoney

First African-American graduate of nursing program (1898). Founded National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses

Caps in Nursing

Originally designed to keep hair neat, later symbolized respectability and achievement in the nursing profession.

Uniform

uniform symbolic of servant. uniform sign of respectability.

Pins

The pin's symbolism was fashioned after that of the coat of arms worn by noblemen to reflect whom and where they served. The first pins in the United States were awarded in 1880.

The purpose of the nursing pin is that it is to be worn by those who have graduated from nursing school programs. The pins help to identify nurses according to their level in nursing school or according to the school from which they graduated.

National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)

Purpose: Provides an organization through which boards of nursing act together on matters of common interest and concern. Established 1978. Develops and administers licensure examinations for RN and LP/VN candidates. Maintains a national disciplinary data bank. Serves as the national clearinghouse of information on nursing regulation.

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)

Organization focused on establishing quality standards for nursing education.

Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing

Mission:  to support the learning, knowledge, and professional development of nurses committed to making a difference in health worldwide. Started in 1922 by six nursing students at Indiana University. Membership by invitation to undergraduate, graduate and nurse leaders who demonstrate achievement and excellence.

National Student Nurse Association (NSNA)

Mission:  mentors the professional development of future registered nurses and facilitates their entrance into the profession by providing educational resources, leadership opportunities, and career guidance. Founded in 1952. Have over 53,000 members in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.