Virginia Henderson

• Virginia Henderson - “The First Lady of Nursing”
• Virginia Henderson - The unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge
• Nursing Need Theory - emphasizes the importance of patient independence so that the patient will continue to progress after being released from the hospital
• Substitutive - doing something for the patient
• Supplementary - helping the patient to do something
• Complementary - working WITH the patient to do something
• Henderson’s Subdivision of the 14 Needs:

  - Physiological Components, Psychological Aspects of Communication and Learning, Spiritual and Moral, Sociologically Oriented to Occupation and Recreation
• Environment - a supportive situation conducive to health is one of her 14 activities for client assistance
• Health - mean balance in all realms of human life
• Health - is equated with the independence or ability to perform activities without aid in the 14 components or basic human needs
• Nurses - key persons in promoting health, preventing illness, and curing
• Good health - a challenge because it is affected by numerous factors such as age, cultural background, emotional balance, and others
• Nursing - to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge
• Nursing - key goal is to make the patient complete, whole, or independent
• Virginia Henderson - "The First Lady of Nursing", "The Nightingale of Modern Nursing", "Modern-day Mother of Nursing", "The 20th century Florence Nightingale"