History of Nursing

• Nursing has changed vastly but is still impacted by events, contemporary practices and sociological and historical factors.
• Nursing's evolution is tied to societal needs, influenced by gender roles, religion, war, societal attitudes, and leadership.

Women’s and Men's Roles

• Traditionally, women have been caregivers as wives, mothers, daughters, and sisters.
• Men have contributed to nursing since before the Crusades.
• Men comprise 9.1% to 12% of the nursing workforce.

Religion's Influence

• Christian values like "love thy neighbor" have significantly shaped Western nursing.
• Christian women in the Roman Empire established early care facilities

War's Influence

• Wars have emphasized the need for nurses.
• Florence Nightingale improved military hospitals during the Crimean War through sanitation practices.
• The American Civil War saw contributions from Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Clara Barton, and Dorothea Dix.
• Nurses in the Vietnam War were the youngest wartime medical personnel.
• 6,326 nurses were deployed during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars from 2001–2015.

Societal Attitudes

• Before the mid-1800s, nursing lacked organization and status, with women restricted to domestic roles.
• Florence Nightingale elevated nursing's image.
• Campaigns enhanced nursing's image and promoted it as a career.

Nursing Leaders

• Nursing leaders include Florence Nightingale, Clara Barton, Linda Richards, and Mary Mahoney.
• These leaders influenced change and serve as models for nurse activists.

Florence Nightingale (1820–1910)

• Florence Nightingale set new standards for treating war casualties during the Crimean War.
• She contributed to hospital reform and public health policy.
• Nightingale is known as nursing's first scientist-theorist.
• She published Notes on Nursing: What It Is, and What It Is Not (1860/1969).

Clara Barton (1821–1912)

• Clara Barton volunteered as a nurse during the American Civil War.
• She founded the American Red Cross and linked it to the International Red Cross.

Linda Richards (1841–1930)

• Linda Richards was the first trained nurse in America.
• She introduced nurse's notes and doctor's orders and initiated nurses wearing uniforms.
• Richards contributed to psychiatric and industrial nursing.

Mary Mahoney (1845–1926)

• Mary Mahoney was the first African American professional nurse.
• She advocated for the acceptance of African Americans in nursing.
• The ANA awards the Mary Mahoney Award biennially for contributions to interracial relationships.

Political Nurse Activists Today

• Nurses are leaders addressing public needs and advancing the profession.

Nursing Education

• Nursing is regulated by state boards and professional organizations.
• Nursing education equips nurses with skills for hospital-based care.
• Nursing education prepares nurses for diverse roles, reflecting the scope of practice.

Types of Nursing Education

• Baccalaureate program
• Masters program
• Doctoral program
• Licensed practical nursing program: lasts 9-12 months.
• Diploma program

The Nursing Metaparadigm

• The nursing metaparadigm includes person, environment, health, and nursing.
• Person: Recipients of nursing care, including individuals, families, groups, and communities.
• Environment: Internal and external factors affecting the client.
• Health: The level of wellness or well-being experienced by the client.
• Nursing: Actions and attributes of nurses providing care collaboratively with clients.
• Key themes include: Nursing is caring, an art, a science, client-centered and holistic.

Definitions of Nursing

• 1973 (ANA): Nursing as “direct, goal-oriented, and adaptable."
• 1980 (ANA): Nursing as “the diagnosis and treatment of human responses."
• 1995 (ANA): Emphasized the significance of caring.
• 2010 (ANA): Nursing as the protection, promotion, and optimization of health.

Recipients of Nursing

• Recipients of nursing care are consumers, patients, or clients.
• Consumer: An individual, group, or community using a service or product.
• Patient: An individual receiving or awaiting medical treatment, derived from the Latin word meaning "to suffer."
• Client: Suggests active participation in care and decision-making.

Scope of Nursing

• Nurses care for individuals, families, and communities.
• Nursing practice encompasses promoting health and wellness.
• Nursing practice encompasses preventing illness via immunization, prenatal and infant care etc.
• Nursing practice encompasses restoring health via direct care, assessments and treatments.
• Nursing practice encompasses caring for the dying with dignity and comfort.

Roles and Function of the Nurse

• Nurses fulfill multiple roles depending on client needs.

Caregiver

• Provides physical and psychological support and offers full, partial, and supportive care.

Communicator

• Identifies client problems and communicates them to the healthcare team.

Teacher

• Assists clients in learning about health.
• Responsibilities include assessing learning needs and setting goals.

Client Advocate

• Protects clients' rights and represents their needs.

Counselor

• Supports clients emotionally and psychologically.

Change Agent

• Assists clients in behavioral changes.

Leader

• Influences individuals to achieve health-related goals.

Manager

• Oversees nursing care and delegates tasks.

Research consumers

• Nurses utilize research to enhance client care.
• Understanding Research: Gaining knowledge of the research process and terminology.
• Protecting Rights: Ensuring the rights of human subjects in research are safeguarded.
• Identifying Problems: Participating in recognizing significant, researchable issues in clinical practice.
• Evaluating Findings: Critically analyzing and applying research outcomes to improve care.

Expanded Role Nurse

• Nurse Practitioner
• Clinical Nurse specialist
• Nurse anesthetist
• Nurse midwife
• Nurse researcher
• Nurse administrator
• Nurse educator
• Nurse entrepreneur
• Forensic nurse

Nursing Theories

• Nursing theories provide a foundation for nursing practice.
• They help nurses describe, predict, and guide interventions.
• Theories are categorized by scope and nature, offering broad perspectives or focusing on specific aspects of care.
• Theories provide a foundation for education, research, and clinical practice.
• Theories guide nursing by knowledge development and shaping practices

Examples of theories:

• Nightingale's Environmental Theory highlighted factors essential for patient recovery.
• Orem’s Self-Care Theory focuses on individuals' ability to care for themselves.
• Leininger’s Cultural Care Theory emphasizes cultural competence in nursing,
• Neuman’s Systems Model views patients as systems interacting with stressors.
• Roy’s Adaptation Model describes how individuals adapt to environmental changes.