Building the Profession of Nursing (Essay Sample)

Building the Profession of Nursing Student’s Name Institution Professor Course Date Building the Profession of Nursing Since the beginning of time, the nursing profession has existed, even though it has drastically evolved throughout history. Today, nurses are among important professions in the health care industry. They practice a variety of work-related responsibilities that are utilized in various settings across the world. Historical account traces the beginning of the nursing profession in the Roman Empire's heights around 300 A.D (Egenes, 2017). At this time, the empire wanted to place a hospital in every town under its rule. However, in the U.S, nursing took a different path than similar nations during its development. As a result of minimal Catholicism in America, nuns did not initiate the nursing field. It officially began in the early 1700s due to the first almshouse in Philadelphia. After that, many established facilities were influenced by the fear of disease spreading from local governments to the more wealthy population. During this period, the primary roles for nurses revolved around attending to the elderly and those with sickness, including flu and the common cold. Important Historical Events Nursing in the Middle Ages The middle ages of nursing practices saw many developments and inventions realized in the industry, assisting in forming some roots of modern nursing. The nursing industry was primarily focused on a religious perspective in this period. The majority of nurses were nuns and monks in some circumstances. Hospital works followed different ways, including accommodation of lepers and immigrants identified among the most sick and injured individuals. This aspect made it impossible for nurses to have a range of responsibilities compared to what is currently practiced. In the late 5000s and 600s, Spain established the first hospital in Merida, with several nurses provided by the Catholic Church (Egenes, 2017). They received instructions provide services for all irrespective of their origin or religion. Nursing began to develop throughout the dawn of the 10th and 11th centuries due to changes in European rulings. For instance, the monasteries began to establish housing hospitals in their premises and distinct hospital, even though it was only supposed to for those identified as a religion. Nurses in these monasteries were supposed to help patients, including the outside care services. Florence Nightingale and the Introduction to Modern Nursing When tracing the history of contemporary nursing, especially in Europe, it is significant to point out the contribution of Florence Nightingale. She facilitated the changing nature of the nursing profession. Up to the late 1900s, the field of nursing was changing to be significant than ever since more nurses were required during the wars, from the Crimean War to the Civil War (Ellis, 2020). Nurse profession were required to provide services to injured soldiers during the war. Nightingale started her memorable profession as a nurse in the Crimean War, which occurred in the mid-1850s. She attended to soldiers who were injured in the battle. Throughout the Crimean War, deaths caused by wounds were usually as a result of poor hygiene and the vast amounts of fatal contagions from the injuries. She encountered this effect and requested for support from the British government that permitted much better hygiene during the war. His influence helped minimize the rate of death, which dropped for some time during the war. She advocated for sanitary living conditions after that and provided the same plans to be applied in infirmaries, an ideal that helped transform the entire nursing profession. Professional Nursing Organizations American Nurse Association (ANA) ANA was first established in 1896. It is a premier organization that represents the interest of the county’s 4 million registered nurses. This organization has members from all 50 states plus the U.S. territories emerging as the most vital voice for nursing. The organization exists to develop the profession through encouraging a safe and ethical work setting, raising high standards of nurse exercise, promoting field issues affecting nurses and the general public, and bolstering the health and wellness of nurses. This organization works to support nurses to lead change in their profession. It understands that recognizing the essential values of nurses is just the beginning and the safety of nurses is paramount. The current cost of joining ANA is only $15 a month, which comes with various benefits to the members (Snyder & Gartley, 2021). For instance, as a member, one is entitled to access unequalled professional advancement opportunities latest news in nursing, and support from its network of about 200,000 nurses across the country. The organization is currently working with the current administration to address the healthcare issues of COVID-19 and social determinants of health. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) AACN is currently the world's leading nursing organization with over 100,000 national and international members. The organization offers solid professional and individual support to pursue the best conceivable patient care. AACN is known for being a pioneer in determining the significance and the characteristics of a healthy work environment. The organization promotes its primary mission of providing critical care nurses with the professional understanding and the encouragement to achieve their undertakings to patients and their families’ at the most defenseless times of their lives (Sendelbach & Stacy Jepsen, 2013). Their apparition is committed to generating a healthcare system compelled by the necessities of patients and relatives where acute and critical care nurses make their ideal assistances. As ...