Nightingale's system

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Florence Nightingale

The Nightingale System or Nightingale System is an organizational and training model in nursing initiated by Florence Nightingale . The principles of the system, initially applied around 1860 at the Nightingale School of Nursing in London's St Thomas' Hospital , revolutionized nursing, which had hitherto been doctor-dominated, and represented an essential part of the Victorian nursing reform.

Basics and origin

Nightingale recognized early on both the need to professionalise nursing and the importance of self-image and meaningfulness in the context of professional practice. Nursing shouldn't just be a job for making money. Instead, she demanded that nursing should also be about love and commitment to one's neighbor. On the other hand, she was aware that people who have livelihood worries can only live these required values ​​with difficulty.

During the Crimean War , the British public realized the lack of well trained nursing staff who could have taken care of the wounded soldiers. A large amount of donations came together spontaneously (approx. 4000 pounds). These went to the newly established Nightingale Fund. In 1860 he set up the Nightingale School of Nursing at St Thomas' Hospital in London. Sarah Wardroper , who was also the superior of the hospital, took over the management .

Principles

With Notes on Nursing: What it is and What it is Not , Florence Nightingale was the first modern woman to introduce a nursing book in 1860. In it she developed a nursing theory that was strongly based on ancient Greek dietetics in the sense of Hippocrates . A balanced, health-conscious lifestyle and care should prevent the development of diseases and accelerate recovery. The Nightingale, who was strongly influenced by military nursing, also presented a very clear hierarchical concept that also targeted training for young professionals. Until then, nurses were employed for individual wards. Here they learned all the work involved. They were subordinate to the respective ward doctors.

The Nightingale system now provided that the care of a superior from the upper class ( Lady Superintendent of Nurses ) was subordinate. Several heads of department ( head nurses ) were assigned to her, who in turn were subordinate to day and night nurses. Young women ( probationers ) who passed through various departments over the course of a year were accepted for training. They learned the nursing practice mainly through learning by doing . The main focus of the training was on character education, little is known about other content-related focuses. Schoolgirls who did not come from the upper class received accommodation, uniforms and food as well as a small fee during their training through the Nightingale Foundation. Accordingly, they were seen as workers, and training often took a back seat. If the students proved themselves, they were included in the Nightingale Fund register after a year. They had to commit to being available to the fund for three years.

Success of the system

The Nightingale system was very successful due to the significantly improved organizational structures in hospitals and the professionalization of nursing. In contrast to the religious training in Germany, France, Austria or Italy, it was characterized by the lack of religious motivation. Nevertheless, the moral control that was exemplary for Victorian society and also the clear curtailment of emancipatory tendencies were very much appreciated by the public, and nursing was given a clear social appreciation. Hospitals across the UK and the rest of the Commonwealth called on groups of Nurses from the Nightingale Fund to reform the home system. In the United States , too , the Nightingale System formed the basis for a largely autonomous development of nursing education and self-administration of nursing. Due to the common origin, care could take a strong position in the affected countries. This is shown e.g. B. in the mandatory professional registration of all nurses, as it has been demanded in vain in Germany for many years. Internationally, Virginia Henderson (USA), Liliane Juchli (CH, I), Monika Krohwinkel (D), Nancy Roper (GB-Sc) and Cicely Saunders (GB, palliative care as a specialization) have made significant contributions to the further development up to the present day .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ M. Baly: Florence Nightingale and the Nursing Legacy. Croom Helm, London 1986.
  2. ↑ Florence Nightingale: Notes on Nursing; What it is and What it is Not. Longman, London 1859.
  3. ↑ Florence Nightingale: Notes on Hospitals. Longman 1859.
  4. ^ R. Schmidt-Richter: A review of the introduction of systematic training for nurses at the Royal Infirmary Edinburgh 1872–1879. Univ., Master of science in nursing and health studies, Edinburgh 1993. Master thesis R. Schmidt-Richter
  5. ^ M. Baly: Florence Nightingale and the Nursing Legacy. Croom Helm, London 1986.
  6. ↑ R. Schmidt-Richter p. 22 ff.
  7. ↑ M. Baly: The Nightingale Nurses 1860-1870. The History of Nursing Group at the Royal College of Nursing. In: Bulletin. 8, Autumn 1985, pp. 8-25.
  8. ^ R. Schmidt-Richter, p. 56 ff.
  9. ↑ B. Groß: Professionalization in nursing: establishment of a nursing chamber and comparison with other countries. Grin Verlag, Munich 2011.

literature

  • Sioban Nelson: Say Little, Do Much: Nurses, Nuns, and Hospitals in the Nineteenth Century. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001, Chapter 4, Section: "The Nightingale System", ISBN 0-8122-3614-9 , pp. 77 ff.
  • Olga Maranjian Church: The Emergence of Training Programs for Asylum Nursing at the Turn of the Century. In: Christopher J. Maggs: Nursing History: The State of the Art. Routledge, 1987, ISBN 0-7099-4637-6 , pp. 107-123.