The Women Who Revolutionised Nursing

Any story about groundbreaking women in nursing simply must begin with Florence Nightingale (1820–1910). In 1860, the daughter of an influential British family laid the groundwork for modern professional nursing by founding the first nursing school. But she had already demonstrated her dedication years earlier, when she followed the British Army to war in 1854. At the field hospital, she witnessed first hand the grave consequences of ongoing deplorable conditions: patients lying in their own excrements, contaminated drinking water, doctors in bloodstained coats going from patient to patient. She observed that more and more patients were dying of infections — far more than of war injuries. The rules Nightingale introduced may seem simple yet were novel for her times and were to save many lives: wash your hands, thoroughly air the room, practice cleanliness. After war ended, Nightingale developed a healthcare reform proposal that would not only raise the standards of hygiene — and with that improve nursing — but would also lay the foundation for making nursing a well-respected profession¹.

In 1903, Agnes Karll (1868–1927) changed history when she founded the German Nurses Association, which was later named Agnes-Karll-Verband in her honour. Until then, there had neither been a clear definition of the nursing profession nor a standardised education, no regulated work hours let alone fixed rates for wages. At its inception, the association had 30 members. By 1912, it had already grown 3,200 members strong. The association accomplished better prevailing conditions for nurses as well as more respect for profession in general: Job placement, insurance coverage and legal counselling were among the many benefits members enjoyed. What’s more, Karll fought for a comprehensive three-year nursing education².

Hildegard Peplau (1909–1999), born in Pennsylvania in the early 20th century, is one of nursing’s best-known theorists. She coined the term „psychodynamic nursing,“ which focuses on the interpersonal relationship between nurse and patient. Her theory is the first to describe the nurse-patient relationship as a process. It focuses on understanding the patient on the medical as well as on the emotional level as way of treatment. Thus, patients can feel their best possible, even while ill or disabled. And healthcare professionals benefit from real-life learning experiences. This approach has earned Peplau the moniker „mother of psychiatric nursing“³.

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_{¹https://www.aerzteblatt.de/archiv/213977/Florence-Nightingale-(1820-1910)-Hoehere-Tochter-in-medizinischer-Mission
¹https://www.pharmazeutische-zeitung.de/ikone-der-pflege-117522/
²https://www.dbfk.de/de/ueber-uns/150ster-Geburtstag-Agnes-Karll.php
³https://www.dpv-online.de/pdf/agergeb/Peplau.pdf
⁴https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Gesundheit/Gesundheitspersonal/_inhalt.html}