Nightingale's Influence On Health And Social Care

Although Nightingale’s work in the Crimea hurt her health, she still was able to make an impact on the nursing career and influence many people. By the time she left Scutari, the troops and public admired Nightingale as the “ ‘Lady with the Lamp.’ ” (Farnsworth 133) Nightingale rescued many people and brought about international improvements in hospital administration and nursing by the end of the war (“Nightingale, Florence” 216), and her work lowered the death rate by two-thirds (Farnsworth 133). England greeted Nightingale’s return in 1856 with huge celebrations (“Nightingale, Florence” 216), but instead of taking part in the celebrations, Nightingale went silently home to her family (“Nightingale, Florence” 216). The Queen rewarded Nightingale’s work by awarding her with an engraved

She became an expert on the scientific care of the ill (“Nightingale, Florence” 216) and throughout the United States Civil War, she was often asked about how to best run field hospitals (Biography.com Editors 4). Nightingale earned many honors (“Nightingale, Florence” 217) and was the first woman to receive the Order of Merit (Bostridge xx). Nightingale became a person of public appreciation (Biography.com Editors 3), and people referred to her as a “ ‘saintly woman.’ ” (“Nightingale, Florence” 215) Young women wished to be like her (Biography.com Editors 3), and even women from higher classes started enrolling at Nightingale’s Training School for Nurses (Biography.com Editors 3). Thanks to Nightingale, the higher class no longer disgraced nursing, and they came to view it as a noble occupation (Biography.com Editors 3). Nightingale had not been aware of the events going on around her for most of the last 10 years of her life (Bostridge xix), and she had been oblivious of the instant attention that people were paying to her name (Bostridge