Reflective Journal

This time in history was very tumultuous. There was a lot going on and a lot about to be going on whether people knew it or not. This time period was a kind of priming for what was to come. It makes sense then that nursing history followed suit. From the American branch of the red cross to the American Nurses Association this period was packed with things going on that would lead to some great things in the near future. There was no shortage of fantastic nurses during this time period either. These were usually woman that most of us aspire to be like both as nurses and just as women in general. These woman such as Clara Barton, Isabel Hampton Rodd, or  Ana Caroline Maxwell, and many countless others. These few women mentioned were instrumental in the set up of some of our most well known organizations such as the American Red Cross that serves thousands of people for various needs on a daily basis. It is the period of time where nursing started to become an option for woman on a re...

In the United States there was a lot happening for nurses. The driving force behind these changes was the American Civil War. Everything from woman routinely in the battle front hospitals to former slaves and abolitionists serving as nurses was taking place.

There was so much to be learned in nursing history this week. From the very inspiring stories of Dorothea Dix and Florence Nightingale who both worked for the betterment of nurses and their patients to the nefarious character of Amelia Dyer  who used her skill in nursing for personal gain and killed countless children in her baby farming operation. I actually really enjoyed watching the documentary on Florence Nightingale because it gave a very different perspective of the nursing icon. She wasn't perfect, she wanted to be the boss, and she didn't like working with other people very well.  It also made me realize how important working with other people really is because although Florence worked endlessly to help her patients in Crimea, she failed to see some major, deadly problems in their environment. Dorothea Dix wasn't even a trained nurse and yet was so good at her calling that she was given leadership opportunities and went on to make some huge changes in medicine ...

I am going to get real here. This week was a little difficult. Not because there was a lack of information really but because there was a lack of information about anything or anyone other than Florence Nightingale. The woman was remarkable but I am positive, and have since had my suspicions confirmed, that there was more going on in medical and nursing history at that time rather than Florence Nightingale. This was a little bit of a dead time. Looking back there wasn't a ton going on yet. It was kind of the beginning of things happening and there were necessary lulls during this time that let the world of medicine expand exponentially. As far as nursing goes in the UK and in Europe, nurses were still largely nuns. This remained true into the 1900's. Nursing was not considered a delicate profession. Here in the United states though, the term nurse began to become synonymous with the word midwife. There wasn't really another place for women in medicine during this time perio...

The history of nursing is vast and dynamic. When delving into it there is a lot of information that makes up this web of championing, sorrow, misery, betrayal, victory, etc. Nursing in the 1700's and 1800's was no less tumultuous as I have learned this week.  There was a large discrepancy between American nursing and English nursing. My understanding is that in Europe the class system stood until well into the 1900's which made for difficulties in women being able to be educated and work. Often times nursing was left to women who were uneducated and poor to nurse other poor people armed with only experience of tried and failed ventures. Until Florence Nightingale came along female nurses were not allowed in army hospitals and other than for nuns it was frowned upon for a woman to take care of others outside of her own family. Even while Florence was fighting her way to the top of military control she was being faced with a huge discrimination towards women taking care of...

After having researched nursing before the 17th century, I am eternally grateful to have opportunity to practice and broaden my skill and art in today's society. As a woman I am increasingly aware of the fight and struggle that other women went through so that today I can have the courage to work for the benefit of health with out being accused of being "a lady of the night" or a witch. I also learned about some of the amazing people that set the foundation for nursing as it is today. People who's mission it was to heal people not only in spirit but in body as well and others who made it their ambition to serve their patients as their masters. Some of these people risked life and soul to help their fellow humans. With out these people who in some cases laid down their lives for the right and the privilege to practice nursing I would not be blessed with the tremendous opportunities that I am afforded today. Those people set the bed rock of what nursing is and  can be a...

My  name is Sara Allred and I am an aspiring student who hopes to one day expand my already diverse and complex set of skills and become a Registered Nurse. I still have a lot to do but now that the ball has begun to roll and the forward movement is happening I know that with due diligence I will eventually be reflecting on this time through the eyes of a practicing nurse who has completed the process and moved on to other things. The purpose of this blog is to help me to maintain the forward thrust and keep a hold one why this is important to me and also to keep a record of the progress I have made. Sometimes as a student it is hard to see how far you have come when you look forward and there is still so far to go. With this journal I will be able to keep a hold on my successes and continue on.