What made Dr. Warren-Taylor change her childhood dreams of becoming a lawyer to become a compassionate nurse taking care of elderly people? Her grandparents whom she loved passionately raised her. Her grandmother always told her to be the best. She was Dr. Warren-Taylor’s role model. First her grandfather died due to sub standard treatment. When her grandmother died, her aunt, who was tending to her was sent home and told to collect the body the following day. The attitude towards bereaved members of the family at such a critical time made Dr. Warren-Taylor indignant. Overwhelmed by grief with the departing of their loved ones and then to be treated with such indifference was just not acceptable to Dr. Warren-Taylor. As such, she knew the practice
Vivian Bearing did not show a lot of kindness or compassion to her own students as she did not think that it was important. Now as her death is approaching she comes to realize that is what she has been missing. Her nurse Susie patiently explains the treatment plan to Vivian in terms that she can understand; including the DNR (do not resuscitate) and that it was her decision, Susie allowed Vivian some control over her life by giving her this choice while she fought for her dignity. As her nurse strives to provide her with compassion and empathy this is important to Vivian in her final days as compassion is connected to our human spirit; as she was approaching death (Frost, 1999, p127). Patients often experience quicker healing rates when they receive compassion as opposed to those who do not (Dossey, 2007). Susie told Vivian when she was semi conscious that they were putting a catheter in; even though Doctor Jason said :why are you bothering?” Some people, such as nurse Susie, will go out of their way to make others comfortable and put the patients need before there own, we just have to be mindful of emotional burnout if our own needs are not being met (Brehony, 1999, p
After retiring in 1984, Johnson did not stop contributing to her community. Leaving the Army as a Brigadier General and Chief of the Army Nurse Corps, Johnson decided to spread her wisdom with others by being the head of the American Nurse Association’s government. On top of that, she was also busy with directing George Mason University’s Center for Health Policy. In 1997, she was appointed as a nursing professor at Georgetown University. Being an excellent educator, she was passionate about sharing her knowledge, experience, and wisdom with the thousands of potential nursing students she had taught. Gloria Smith, Hazel Johnson-Brown’s sister stated that she was a well-rounded person and that, “She treated everyone the same and always was a people person.”
My advanced practice specialty area is adult through gerontology primary care. At age 16, the love of my grandmother led me to apply for a housekeeping position in the nursing home she resided. Toileting my grandmother, performing evening hygiene, and placing my grandmother into bed after work every evening was an honor. My grandmother’s nursing
One aspect of nursing that has changed since the early 1800’s is nursing education. There was no question about the credibility of the women providing care to soldiers after the war. For many years untrained nurses and consequently nursing students cared the sick without any supervision. In 1873, the need for educated nurses was sought but was opposed by untrained physicians who thought trained nurses would pose a threat to their jobs (Gary & Hott, 1988). “Nurses have evolved
Time spent at my mother’s bedside in the intensive care unit changed my perception of the nursing profession. I realized what unique value was integrated in comprehensive nursing care, which was built on excellence, compassion, and respect. I knew right then and there that nursing was a professional path which I would like to take. Changing my college major to nursing was not a difficult decision – I wanted to repay for all that courteous care my family received in the most vulnerable time of our lives.
Nursing is defined in journal articles as protection, promotion, and optimization of health, prevention of illness, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations. Nurses save lives daily and are important members of health care system. They monitor patients, determine what patients need, and provide care. The nursing profession is rich with various contributors in the areas of research, education, and practice, as well as roles. In her book “Ordered to Care” (1987) , Susan Reverby describes nursing as the order in a society that refuses to value caring. However, with the obligation to care, nurses have tried to determine how they would provide care, be it at bedside or at legislative laws, Clara Barton was
Nightingale, F. (1860).Notes on nursing: what it is and what it is not. New York:D.Appleton And Company.
Alice Magaw was born November 9, 1860, in Cashocton, Ohio. Besides her contribution to nursing, little is known about Alice’s personal life and what inspired her to enter the field on nursing. However, one can guess that she saw a demand for nurses and had a passion for caring for others. During this time period, nursing schools were incorporated into hospitals. Alice Magaw attended the Women’s Hospital School of Nursing in Chicago from 1887 to1889, around the time that nursing began to transform from a lower class occupation to a respectable profession. After graduation Alice worked as a private duty nurse in Chicago. In 1893, Alice began her work under Dr. William J. and Charles H.
Clara Barton had many different sources of inspiration for her career in nursing. Barton was a person of strong values since her youngest years, and her family had a huge impact on all of her choices and ways of thinking. Evans writes about a serious incident in Barton’s life that occurred when she was 11 years old that nobody knew would have such a huge impact on her career goals. Barton’s brother suffered a major head injury, and through the whole healing process she learned from the doctor and his staff on how to be the best and most appropriate nurse for her brother. The whole two years of her brother’s recovery Barton learned how to most efficiently care for her brother’s sensitivities, which advanced her patience and ability to handle extensive injuries. This event in her life led her to have a strong will to help those in need of medical assistance
As a little girl growing up, I watched my mother as she cared for nuclear and extended family members, people in the community and at church; it seemed like she was always taking care of people with a smile and a look of contentment. In the more than 30 years that she worked as a pediatric nurse, I looked forward to the one time in the year she was allowed to take me to work. Without realizing it, my admiration for my mother developed into a desire to help people and this influenced my dream to become a nurse. The final factor that defined my aspiration was the 14-year Liberian civil war; during this time I saw firsthand how much suffering people were going through with shortage in hospitals, doctors and nurses. A lot of people died because of poor health care and lack of qualified health care professionals.
She was an older lady who had just under gone major brain surgery months prior and had loss her speech. The very first day I began to care for Mrs. Smith she moaned and cried about everything because she couldn’t physically tell me what she wanted for breakfast or when or if she had passed a stool. So my job for the rest of my time caring for her was to figure out with out her telling me what was more comfortable for her and what she would prefer if she could tell me. By the end of my 6 days caring for Mrs. Smith there was not a moan or cry to be heard from her room. Not only did I find the best way to care for her and to provide the utmost amount of comfort for her during this difficult time; I made her smile. I not only physically cared for her; I showed Mrs. Smith that even though she was unable to express her thoughts and feelings, that they were still present and that they mattered. But through my experience caring for Mrs. Smith I wasn’t the only one teaching, Mrs. Smith taught me that it takes a certain type of person to be a nurse, and without patience and determination there is no progression. There is no doubt in my mind that I will not only be an asset to your nursing program itself, but to the nursing field in general. Becoming a nurse would not only be a professional success, but a personal success as well. Nursing is not a conscious choice that was cultivated by my pushy parents or a college advisor; it is who I am- it is my past,
Conducting an interview with someone makes you see things in many different perspectives and in a new light. The person I interviewed saw nursing as a broader term that saw things in a different way even though she has just started. She knows that special people need to take roles in being a nurse. I interviewed my aunt, Ann Juknevicius. She is 30 years old and she has been a nurse for 2 years in Illinois now. Relatively she is a new nurse. One of the main reasons why I started the nursing program is because I look up to Annie a lot and she showed me so many different perspectives on how to look at people, different situations, and the way you handle things. I thought that it would be a great interview session to see if Annie’s expectations were the same as the nursing reality.
The profession of nursing has matured from the time of Florence Nightingale. Nursing has gone from just treating dying soldiers on the battlefield to helping guide people through their entire lives from birth to death. The maturation of nursing has led to changes in nursing philosophy and allowed for practitioners of Nursing to meld these philosophies together to form their own philosophy. In this paper I will explain my philosophy of nursing and compare it to Virginia Henderson 's definition of nursing along with discussing some of the changes to Nurse philosophy I will also discuss some of the difficulties to being a patient advocate.
Like any scientific discipline, the nursing profession has evolved over time. Nurses, once regarded as housemaids and lower class citizens, now hold positions of authority and stature in our modern society. These changes in the profession are attributed to the many nurse theorists who devoted their lives to the improvement of patient care. Through their theoretical advancements, the public perception of nursing has gone from dismissive to reverential. Today, our culture considers the nursing profession to be one of the most rewarding and respected career paths an individual can pursue. Through a review of one such patient theorist, Dorothea Orem, one can witness this change in the perception of the nursing profession. As a first semester student in a professional nursing course of study, Orem has already influenced my personal nursing philosophy.
The roles and functions of nurses have a very fascinating history and have evolved since the 19th century. Landale (1895), in her letter to the editor of the Nursing Record and Hospital World gave us a glimpse of what a nurse should be during that period. Referring to a nurse as a woman in uniform, it gave us an idea that nursing was a female dominated vocation and not to be treated as an economical occupation for financial gain. Landale (1895) placed an emphasis on the characteristic of being a servant and being devoted to service in order to be a nurse who was worthy of the uniform.