FUNDAMENTALS

• Nursing (as an art)


  The art of caring for sick and well individuals. It refers to the dynamic skills and methods in assisting sick and well individuals in their recovery and in the promotion and maintenance of health. It involves the creative application of knowledge in the service of people
• Nursing (as a science)


  The "body of abstract knowledge" arrived through scientific research and logical analysis. It is the scientific knowledge and skills in assisting individuals to achieve optimal health. It is the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual or potential problems.
• Florence Nightingale's definition of nursing

  Nursing is the act of utilizing the environment of the patient to assist him in his recovery.
• Virginia Henderson's definition of nursing


  Nursing is the act of assisting the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to a peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will, or knowledge, and to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible.
• American Nurses Association (ANA) definitions of nursing


  • 1973: Nursing was direct, goal oriented, and adaptable to the needs of the individual, the family, and community during health and illness.
  • 1980: Nursing was the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual or potential health problems.
  • 1995: Nursing has 4 essential features: attention to the full range of human experiences and responses to health and illness without restriction to a problem-focused orientation, integration of objective data with knowledge gained from understanding of the client or group's subjective experience, application of scientific knowledge to the processes of diagnosis and treatment, and provision of caring relationships that facilitates health and healing.
• 21st century definition of nursing


  Nursing is the glue that holds a patient's health care journey together. Across the entire patient experience, and wherever there is someone in need of care, nurses work tirelessly to identify and protect the needs of the individual.
• Nurse


  Comes from a Latin word "to nourish" or "to cherish". One who cares for the sick, the injured, and the physically, mentally, and emotionally disabled. One who advises and instructs individuals, families, groups and communities in the prevention, treatment of illness and diseases and in the promotion of health. An essential member of a health team who cares for individuals, families and communities in disease and illness prevention and in the promotion of health.
• Periods of nursing history

  • Intuitive Period
  • Apprentice Period
  • Educative Period
  • Contemporary Period
• Intuitive Period


  • Nursing performed out of feeling of compassion for others, desire to help, and wish to do good. Nursing given by women. Shaman used white magic to counteract black magic and were the doctors. Trephining (drilling the skull) used to treat psychotic patients believed to be possessed by evil spirits.
• Growth of religion, civilization, and the law of self-preservation inspired man in search of knowledge
• Nursing did not change but there was progress in the practice of medicine. Care of the sick was still closely allied with superstitions, religion and magic.
• Different civilizations

  • Babylonians
  • China
  • Egyptians
  • India
  • Hebrew
  • Greece and Roman
• Babylonians


  • Code of Hammurabi: 1st recording on medical practice, established medical fees, discouraged experimentation, had specific doctors for each disease, gave patients the right to choose treatment between charms, medicine, or surgical procedure.
• Egyptians


  • Art of embalming: mummification, removing internal organs, instilling herbs and salt. Documented "The 250 Diseases".
• Hebrew


  • Teachings of Moses: created Leviticus, father of sanitation. Practiced values of "Hospitality to strangers" and "Act of Charity". Leviticus contained laws controlling spread of communicable diseases, governing cleanliness, food preparation, and purification. Mosaic Law meant to keep Hebrews pure to enter sanctuary without affronting God.
• China


  • Used pharmacologic drugs, had "Materia Medica" book indicating drugs used for treatment. No knowledge on anatomy, used wax to preserve dead bodies, developed paper making. Prohibited dissecting of human body, hampering scientific study.
• India


  • Sushuruto: 1st recording on nursing practice. Hampered by taboos due to social structures and animal worship. Medicine men built hospitals. Nurses were lay brothers, priest nurses, combination of pharmacist, masseurs, PT, cooks. Decline in medical practice due to fall of Buddhism.
• Greece

  • Aesculapius/Asclepius: father of medicine in Greek mythology. Hippocrates: father of modern medicine, rejected idea of diseases caused by evil spirits, applied assessment, practiced medical ethics. Caduceus: insignia of medicine.
• St. Elizabeth of Hungary


  Patroness of nursing, a princess who saw her calling to give care for the sick, fed thousands of hungry people.
• St. Catherine of Siena

  "Little Saint", took care of the sick as early as 7 years old, "1st Lady with a Lamp".
• Rise of religious nursing orders

  • Orders of St. Francis of Assisi
  • Beguines
  • Oblates
  • Benedictines
  • Ursulites
  • Augustinians
• The Dark Period of Nursing


  • From 17th to 19th century, also called the Period of Reformation until the American Civil War. Hospitals were closed, nursing was done by the least desirable people (criminals, prostitutes, drunkards, slaves, and opportunists). Nurses were uneducated, filthy, harsh, ill-fed, overworked. Mass exodus of nurses. American Civil War led by Martin Luther, a religious upheaval that resulted in the destruction of the unity of Christians and everything connected to Roman Catholicism in schools, orphanages, and hospitals.
• Theodore Fliedner


  A pastor who reconstituted the Deaconesses and later established the School of Nursing at Kaiserswerth, Germany where Florence Nightingale had her 1st formal training for 3 months as a nurse.
• Florence Nightingale


  • Practiced her profession during the Crimean War, known as the "Lady with a Lamp". From a well-known family, went to Germany to study.
• Florence Nightingale Era (Educative Period)


  • Began in June 15, 1860 when Florence Nightingale opened the School of Nursing at St. Thomas Hospital in London, England, where the 1st program for formal education of nurses began and contributed to the growth of nursing in the US. Factors that influenced development of nursing education: social forces, trends resulting from war, emancipation of women, increased educational opportunities.
• Florence Nightingale


  Mother of Modern Nursing, Lady with the Lamp. Born on May 12, 1820 in Florence, Italy. Her self-appointed goal was to change the profile of nursing. She compiled notes of her visits to hospitals, observations of sanitation practices, and entered the Deaconesses School of Nursing at Kaiserswerth, Germany for 3 months.
• Florence Nightingale's concepts on nursing school

  • School of Nursing should be self-supporting, not subject to the whims of the hospital. Have decent living quarters for students and pay nurse instructors. Correlate theories to practice. Support nursing research and promote continuing education for nurses. Introduce teaching that disease could be eliminated by cleanliness and sanitation. Opposed central registry of nurses. Wrote "Notes on Nursing, What it is and What it is Not" and "Notes on Hospitals".
• Other schools of nursing

  • Bellevue Training School for Nurses - New York City
  • Alexian Brothers Hospital School of Nursing in US exclusively for men, opened in 1348 and closed in 1969.
• Linda Richards


  The first graduate nurse in US, graduated on September 1, 1873.
• Nursing associations/organizations that upgraded nursing practice in US

  • American Nurses Association
  • National League for Nursing Education
• Contemporary Period


  • World War II - present. Refers to the period after World War I and the changes and development in the trends and practice of nursing occurring since 1945 after World War II. Includes scientific and technological development, social changes occurring after the war. Nursing is offered in colleges and universities.
• Developments and trends in contemporary nursing

  • WHO established by UN to fight diseases by providing health information, proper nutrition, living standard, environmental conditions.
  • Use of atomic energy for diagnosis and treatment.
  • Space medicine and aerospace nursing.
  • Medical equipment and machines for diagnosis and treatment.
  • Health related laws.
  • Primary health care - nurses involvement in CHN.
  • Utilization of computers.
  • Technology advances such as development of disposable equipment and supplies.
  • Development of the expanded role of nurses.
• Factors affecting nursing today

  • Economics
  • Politics
  • Social
  • Technological
  • Educational
• World War II – present refers to the period after World War I and the changes and development in the trends and practice of Nursing occurring since 1945 after World War II
• Nursing is offered in College and Universities
• W.H.O


  • Established by U.N to fight diseases by providing health information, proper nutrition, living standard, environmental conditions
• Technological developments

  • The use of Atomic energy for diagnosis and treatment
  • Space Medicine and Aerospace Nursing
  • Medical equipment and machines for diagnosis and treatment
• Developments and trends

  • W.H.O established
  • The use of Atomic energy for diagnosis and treatment
  • Space Medicine and Aerospace Nursing
  • Medical equipment and machines for diagnosis and treatment
  • Health related laws
  • Primary Health Care – Nurses involvement in CHN
  • Utilization of computers
  • Technology advances such as development of disposable equipment and supplies that relieved the tedious task of Nurses
  • Development of the expanded role of Nurses
• Factors affecting Nursing today

  • Economics
  • Consumer's Demand
  • Family Structure
  • Information and Telecommunications
  • Legislation
• Beliefs About Causation of Diseases: Caused or inflicted by other person (enemy or witch), Evil spirits