Introduction
Nursing as a profession has occurred throughout human history of time. Caregiving has evolved into its present form throughout the previous few centuries. Nursing staffs are the most believed-in and trustworthy medical care specialists in the contemporary healthcare environment. Nurses have a big job regarding disabled patients’ rehabilitation, decision-making, care delivery, and clinical attention. Nurses work directly with patients, spend a lot of time with them, and advocate for patients on the medical team. This essay will analyze the nursing history and the people who contributed to the origin of nurturing, concluding with various nursing organizations and the roles they play in the profession of caregiving.
History of Nursing
Nursing’s beginnings can be traced back to records published approximately 300 AD. The Roman Empire constructed a clinic in every town during this time. As a result of this legislation, doctors and nurses began to provide care to patients, establishing the cooperation framework found in nursing. The Catholic Church aided in establishing healthcare and medical facilities during the Middle Ages (Khominich, 2019). In the 10th and 11th centuries, hospitals emerged as institutions, nurses supplied a range of therapeutic services, and caregiving became more popular. This concept gained traction and remains to have an impact on a wide variety of nursing responsibilities today. Governments in developing countries created sick-care institutions in the 1700s.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, they were frequently part of the local guesthouse and were eventually converted into health facilities. In 1873, three nursing institutions founded on Nightingale’s efforts were created. These were New York Capital’s Bellevue Medical hospital, the State of Connecticut’s Connecticut Vocational School, and Massachusetts General’s Boston Training Center. The first professional nursing group, the American Association of Superintendents of Schools Training for Nurses, was founded in 1893 by nurses who met at the International Exhibition. The American Journal of Nursing (AJN) first registered nurse journal, was printed in the early 1900s.
The Gold mark study, published in 1923, proposed that nursing education practice be improved. The U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps was formed by the Bolton Act of 1942 to assist in nurturing in meeting the demands of armed troops and civilians. Mildred Montag was a pioneer in the development of graduate assistantships in nursing after WWII. Technology, changing societal needs, and patients care standards are all driving changes in nursing today.
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale was indeed a physician, reformer, and mathematician from the United Kingdom. Her experiences in a healthcare career during the Crimean War shaped her views on sanitation. In 1860, she established St. Thomas Hospital and the Nightingale Training Center for nursing staff. Her efforts to reform medical treatment had a huge impact on the character of care in the nineteenth and twentieth century. During the Crimean War, she rose to prominence by commanding a squad of 38 medical personnel to serve a British military services overseas clinic.
Second, the Secretary of Defense appointed her to deal with the lack of cleanliness, staff shortages, drainage, and deplorable clinic situations. Nightingale handles the fundamental challenges of providing adequate food and drink, sanitation, cleanliness, and ventilation of the wards and preventing emotional defilement from suffocating clinical supplies. The medical center incident casualty rate had fallen to 2% in less than a year. She contributed to the hospital’s cleanliness and hygiene. Nightingale performed several patient endeavors that improved the quality of their clinic visit.
The health clinic case-fatality rate in the first few months following her presentation was 32%. Remarks on issues influencing the wellbeing, effectiveness, and clinic management of the British Military, an 830-page report assessing her Crimea combat experience, was written by Nightingale (V.A. Anokhin, 2020). The publication focused on making recommendations for other military emergency clinics. The work prompted the Army Office’s legislative office to be rebuilt and a Royal Commission for the Military’s welfare in 1857. Nightingale was ahead of her time in every way in Florence.
Clara Barton
Clara Barton is another prominent figure in the field of nursing. One of her most important accomplishments was assisting in the founding of the Red Cross. Clara Barton assisted throughout the Civil War, despite not having been properly trained as a caregiver. She acquired a passion for caring for soldiers in the field, a duty that had never been filled by a woman before. Clara volunteered to help wounded soldiers during the war. Clara devised ways to link supplies to places where they were required.
Mountain Barton went on to serve as a medic for the wounded at the Battle of Cedar. Later after the war, Barton proposed the Establishment of correspondence with allies of the lost men of the United States Military and devoted the next four years to assist 22,000 households in locating lost and unidentified service members. During this time, she worked at the infamous Union forces detention center in Andersonville, Ga., where she identified 13,000 men’s tombs. She created the United States Red Cross in 1881, which was founded on her wartime experience. She was president from 1904 until 1908 when she pushed for nursing by using her devotion to encourage others to enter the industry.
Nursing Organization
American Nursing Association (ANA)
The American Nursing Association is a well-known healthcare institution (ANA). The American Nurses Association is vital to caring because it campaigns for caregivers, patients, and efforts to improve health care quality. The American National Association (ANA) was founded in 1896, and it is the most powerful voice for the field, with membership in all 50 states and U.S. colonies. The ANA is also significant because it advocates for nurses, sick people, and the progress of the medical field. The ANA’s services include publications, free webinars, academic research, learning modules, skills training, and professional progression.
The ANA also offers career services, which assist in organizational management through preparation and discounts on professional qualifications, seminars, and training programs (ANA, Member Welfares 2020). In 2015, membership cost $15 per month or $191 per year. COVID and the lack of healthcare practitioners are two current topics on which the ANA is working. In addition, the American Nurses Association is working on vaccinations, immunization exemptions, healthcare aid in dying, and campaigners for DACA student nurses. The ANA also advocates for trafficked persons, the field of expertise, and caregivers in legal matters.
International Council of Nurses (ICN)
The Nursing and Midwifery Council is another prominent nursing body (ICN). The ICN is essential because the institution symbolizes nursing internationally, aims to promote the welling of nursing staff, supports health policies, and advances the profession of nursing. Employment prospects, networking, savings on education programmers, and access to research articles are some of the services given by the ICN. Other member perks and resources include connecting participants with NGOs, international agencies, industry, and important stakeholders to maximize impact and grant invoices and corporate governance. The membership costs are determined by whether a nation’s origin is based on World Bank classifications that indicate whether a state is a high, moderate, or economically disadvantaged country.
Presently, the price per organizational member per year is around 1-2.6 Swiss francs. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has approximately 27 million members globally (Hutton et al., 2019). Working on the COVID response internationally, promoting patient care, assisting in the U.N.’s achieving sustainable development, and supporting nursing globally are some of the contemporary affairs that the ICN is continuing to work on. Nursing organizations play a vital role in the progress of the profession. These organizations provide nurses with information, learning programs, and care. Finally, professional nursing organizations have a role in influencing the formulation and execution of educational, financial, and sociopolitical law at the national and worldwide levels to improve the nursing profession and its challenges.
Importance of Professional Organizations to Nursing as a Profession
Professional organizations may constitute the backbone of nursing education. Nursing association involvement brings nurses together with their colleagues. When nurses confederate, they have a greater public representation at the local, regional, and national levels. Nurses can also benefit from education and training, certification opportunities, participation capabilities, and educational conferences professional organizations provide. These institutions also assist specific specialties, allowing nurses to be on the cutting edge of practice developments. Evidence-based practice is promoted and encouraged among nursing groups’ members. They also give caregivers the chance to network with qualified nurses from all over the world.
Conclusion
Finally, Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton contributed significantly to the history of nursing. They managed to establish hospitals where the sick went to seek medical assistance. They demonstrated care for the suffering and supported families in tracing their relatives who got lost in the Military. The nursing care they provided created a significant impact that nurses in today’s world need to enumerate. American Nursing Association (ANA) and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) have contributed positively to the nursing profession. They have assisted nurses in developing into professional caregivers hence providing quality services.
References
Khominich, S. (2019). Regarding the relationship between the legal categories «public order» and «public safety» in ensuring the security of justice. Legal Novels, 2(8), 49-54. Web.
Hutton, A., Veenema, T., & Gebbie, K. (2019). Review of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Framework of Disaster Nursing Competencies. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 31(6), 680-683. Web.
Anokhin, V.A. (2020). Assessing combat capability of army formations in terms of disruption of control. Military Thought, 29(001), 71-80. Web.