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“For even
the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto but to
minister…' declares the Bible in the tenth chapter of
the Gospel of Mark. This sets the ideal for any
Christian who wishes to follow Jesus. The standard set
is the greatness of humility and devotedness to the
service of others.It could be said that learned men like
the Nobel laureate Einstein had echoed similar ideals
when he laid down that the ' high destiny of the
individual is to serve rather than to rule…' Nursing is
one profession where this attitude of selfdenying
humility could be employed with advantage to render the
best service to fellow beings.
The world has just
celebrated the International Nurses Day
The
international nurses day was instituted in honour of
Florence Nightingale, founder of modern nursing. A
remarkable lady, who benefited the human race despite
spending half of her life confined to her home and bed
ridden because of encephalomyelitis (chronic fatigue
syndrome)
She was born on May 12, 1820 to wealthy British parents.
Named after the city in which she was born, young
Florence never quite fit the mold of a Victorian lady.
She was well educated in literature, music, drawing and
the domestic arts. In those times, a woman of her social
standing was expected to marry and devote her life to
her family, entertaining, and cultural pursuits.
When she was 24 years old, she had a "calling" from God.
She wrote in her journal, "God spoke to me and called me
to His service." Florence decided her calling was to
help the sick and the poor by becoming a nurse and
refused to marry. But when she attempted to go to work
as a nurse, her horrified family repeatedly opposed her.
In those days, hospitals were often dirty and dark and
nurses were untrained, sometimes drunken women. Finally,
at 33 she was able to obtain some minimal training and
begin her career.
In 1854, the British press began reporting that soldiers
wounded in the Crimean War were being poorly cared for
in deplorable conditions. Nightingale recruited and
equipped a group
 of nurses and went off to Turkey to
help. Her arrival was not celebrated by the surgeons
there, who resented the interference of a woman.
Undaunted, she worked tirelessly to improve conditions
in the hospital. Florence Nightingale was known by the
British soldiers in the Crimea as the “lady with the
lamp” because of the late hours that she worked tending
to the sick and wounded. Today, she is remembered as a
symbol of selfless caring and tireless service.
Her reforms revolutionized British military medical
care, increasing standards for sanitation and nutrition
and dramatically lowering mortality rates. She
transformed nursing into a respectable profession and
set the standards for clean, safe hospitals in the
world. Florence is honored as the first great nurse of
the world. Her picture hangs on the walls of many
hospitals.
While visiting the front lines, she became ill and never
really recovered. Although an invalid for the rest of
her life, Nightingale continued to have an influence on
standards of nursing care and training. In 1860, she
established a school that became a model for modern
nurses training. She was considered an expert on the
scientific care of the sick and was asked by the United
States for her advice on caring for the wounded soldiers
of the Civil War. Through correspondence and reports,
she continued her influence throughout her last years.
She was the first women to receive the British Order of
Merit. In 1907 the International Conference of Red Cross
Societies listed her as a pioneer of the Red Cross
Movement. She died in 1910 at the age of ninety.
The trained nurse has become one of the great blessings
of humanity, taking a place beside the physician and the
priest,' wrote William Osler, a renowned physician known
for making revolutionary changes in medical practice.
Also nursing is a unique profession that embraces
various aspects of human existence such as the beginning
of life and its end. Anyone who wants to have a part in
it will have great
 opportunities to touch lives.
Yet not long ago, nursing was not considered a good
option for members from respectable families. The reward
was too low and only those from low income families and
girls with a Christian commitment sought an opening in
this service. Over the decade the situation has
drastically changed : the immense potential for good
earning abroad and revision of pay scales here accounted
for the dramatic turn of events. Nursing schools and
colleges mushroomed all over the country to take
advantage of the lucrative openings in the nursing
profession.
But money can not be the motivating force in a Christian
nurse, God's angel of mercy whose prayer every morning
should be: 'Lord bless me with a gentle touch and caring
heart.'
In fact the standard of service of a Christian
institution of healing should be measured in terms of
the nursing services offered. One former secretary
general of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjold remarked
that constant attention by a good
with prominent political leaders of the region exhorting
nurses and announcing awards for meritorious services.
In New Delhi, President Pratibha Patil honoured 29
nursing professionals with the National Florence
Nightingale Awards on Tuesday.
nurse may be just as important as a major operation by a
surgeon.' This opinion is getting reinforced with
advanced knowledge of the healing process in man.
It is heartening to note that many young girls are now
serious about taking to nursing as a career. Once
adequately trained, 'their gentle ministrations in the
sick-room, skilled touch, patient watchfulness and
unwearied vigils' become great factors in the care of
the sick, as are the professional physicians.
Today, millions of nurses worldwide are engaged in
innovative activities on a daily basis, activities
motivated by the desire to improve patient care
outcomes. Many of these initiatives have resulted in
significant improvements in the health of patients,
populations and health systems. But they are very much
underappreciated considering their enormous contribution
to the healing of the sick and the suffering.
Nurses the world over has a role model in Mother Teresa
who used the following prayer in tending to the sick: “
Dearest Lord, May I see you today and every day in the
person of the sick and whyile nursing them, minister
unto you.
“Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive
disguise of the irritable, the exacting, the
unreasonable, may I still recognize you and say, 'Jesus
my patient, how sweet it is to serve you!'
“Lord give me this seeing faith, then any work will not
be monotonous. I will ever find joy in humouring the
fancies and gratifying the wishes of all poor sufferers.
“O beloved sick, how doubly dear you are to me, when you
personify Christ; and what a privilege of mine to be
allowed to tend you.
“Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of
my high vocation and its many responsibilities. Never
permit me to disgrace it by giving way to coldness,
unkindness or impatience…
“Lord increase my faith, bless my efforts and work, now
and for evermore.”MPK Kutty100 more words...
Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it
requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation, as
any painter's or sculptor's work; for what is the having
to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with
having to do with the living body, the temple of God's
spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said,
the finest of Fine Arts. Florence Nightingale.
Constant attention by a good nurse may be just as
important as a major operation by a surgeon. Dag
Hammarskjold When you're a nurse you know that every day
you will touch a life or a life will touch yours. Author
Unknown “I think one's feelings waste themselves in
words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which
bring results.” Florence Nightingale qute;-
Washington(dbTechno) International Nurses Day has
arrived, a day where we can truly give thanks and
appreciate all of the hard work done by nurses.
Nurses do some amazing work each and every day, working
extremely long hours and bending over backwards to make
sure that patients are comfortable and are being taken
care of with enough attention being given to them.
There are over 2 million nurses in the U.S., and they do
a lot more than just handing out medication to those who
are sick.
They are often underappreciated, but do a lot of very
important work in terms of helping people get better.
The field of nursing continues to grow, and so does the
demand with new people entering the profession every
year out of college.
So on this International Nurses Day, be sure to give
thanks and appreciate those who work so hard to care for
us, and are always there at the push of a button.
Geneva, Switzerland; London, UK, 12 May 2009 In
celebration of International Nurses Day, Sarah Brown,
wife of UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, joined former
International Council of Nurses (ICN) President
Christine Hancock for the first official planting of the
Florence Nightingale Anniversary Rose, at the Florence
Nightingale Museum in central London. The commemorative
rose, especially developed by Jackson & Perkins for ICN,
honours and evokes the memory of Florence Nightingale's
innovative and caring spirit.
ICN has chosen to shine the spotlight on nursing
innovation for the 2009 International Nurses Day, with
the theme, Nurses Leading Care Innovations. Nightingale
personifies the significance of innovation in nursing
care, particularly with her landmark studies into
maternal mortality, and health and hygiene and her
campaign to improve sanitation and the quality of
nursing in military hospitals.
“On the occasion of International Nurses Day, we are
proud to support nurses and the IND theme entitled
Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading
Care Innovations, stated Mubashar Sheikh, Executive
Director of the Global Health Workforce Alliance. “This
year's theme is a testimony to the innovative solutions
that nurses seek out each and every day to make a real
difference in the lives of their patients and in the
communities they work in." So on this International
Nurses Day, be sure to give thanks and appreciate those
who work so hard to care for us, and are always there at
the push of a button.
Although an invalid for the rest of her life,
Nightingale continued to have an influence on standards
of nursing care and training. In 1859 she helped to
establish the first Visiting Nurse Association and in
1860, she established a school that became a model for
modern nurses training. She was considered an expert on
the scientific care of the sick and was asked by the
United States for her advice on caring for the wounded
soldiers of the Civil War. Through correspondence and
reports, she continued her influence throughout her last
years. She was the first women to receive the British
Order of Merit. In 1907 the International Conference of
Red Cross Societies listed her as a pioneer of the Red
Cross Movement...
Florence Nightingale was known by the British soldiers
in the Crimea as the “lady with the lamp” because of the
late hours that she worked tending to the sick and
wounded. Today, she is remembered as a symbol of
selfless caring and tireless service.
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