The 203rd birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, founder of modern nursing falls on May 12th, 2023.
Who was Florence Nightingale?
- Florence Nightingale, (12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing.
- Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager of nurses trained by her during the Crimean War, where she organised the tending to wounded soldiers.
- She gave nursing a highly favourable reputation and became an icon of Victorian culture, especially in the persona of “The Lady with the Lamp” making rounds of wounded soldiers at night.
- Nightingale (1820-1910), who had considerable mathematical skills, is credited with being the first healthcare professional to use data to show that infection control improves health outcomes.
- Through her career she stressed a practice that is relevant as ever today — handwashing. The irony is that the pandemic has not only ruined her anniversary but is also threatening part of her legacy.
- International Nurses Day (IND) is an international day observed around the world on 12th May (the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth) of each year, to mark the contribution that nurses make to society.
- The theme for this year’s International Nurses Day is Nurses: Our Nurses, Our Future.
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