n Our Post Lies Our luture

1he hlsLory of nurslng ls lnLerLwlned wlLh Lhe hlsLory of nurslng educaLlon and
nurslng's quesL for a professlonal ldenLlLy LducaLlon has been vlLal ln provldlng Lhe
knowledge skllls and ablllLy Lo glve quallLy care Lo our paLlenLs elevaLlng nurslng Lo
a professlon and galnlng Lhe respecL of oLher professlons 1he paLh Lo nurslngs
ldenLlflcaLlon as an lndependenL professlon has noL been an easy one as nurslng
domlnaLed by women was lnlLlally bound Lo Lhe vlcLorlan ldeal of women and
hosplLals need for an lnexpenslve source of workerswhlch consplred Lo slow
nurslngs progress Loward sLaLus as a professlon hyslclans whlle recognlzlng Lhe
need for nurslng care feared LhaL lf nurses were glven Loo much educaLlon Lhe nurse
would supplanL Lhem 1hese were challenges LhaL nurses needed Lo overcome glven
Lhe enormous challenge slowly (some say Loo slowly) nurses have rlsen Lo Lhe
challenge Lhus was Lhe professlon of nurslng bullL
Why Study History?

One question that I've been asked is: why study nursing history? How is the history
oI nursing and nursing education relevant to current nursing practice? In 1907,
Adelaide Nutting and Lavinia Dock wrote in the preIace to their book on the history
oI nursing

". . . the modern nurse, keenly interested as she is in the present and Iuture oI
her proIession, knows little oI its past. She loses both the inspiration which
arises Irom cherished tradition, and the perspective which shows the relation
oI one progressive movement to others. Only in the light oI history can she
see how closely her own calling is linked with the general conditions oI
education and liberty that obtain - as they rise, she rises, and as they sink, she
Ialls."
The study oI nursing history encourages critical reIlection and assists in deIining
our proIessional identity. As such, it is relevant to current nursing practice.

"Indeed, nursing history should be included as part oI the nursing curriculum;
including nursing history into the curriculum will allow us to educate rather than
"train" our students. In so doing, we will give them a sense oI proIessional identity, a
useIul methodological research skill, and a context Ior evaluating inIormation.
Overall, it will provide students with the cognitive Ilexibility that will be required Ior
the Iormation and navigation oI tomorrow's health care environment" (Borsy, 2009).
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vluLC
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ory/