Happy International Nurses Day!

As we celebrate International Nurses Day, it is a great moment to truly reflect on the importance of them. Especially in recent months, we are being reminded of their significance in medicine as well as rehabilitation to the fullest extent.

Origins of nursing predate to the mid-19th century, though the history of professional nursing begins with Florence Nightingale. As a daughter of wealthy British parents, she decided to take the alternative path of defying standards for women of her class by taking on nursing. 

Back in the day, nursing wasn’t seen as a high-class profession. Moreover, well-bred ladies such as Nightingale were expected to nurse for only close friends of family members in their times of need, not in public hospitals. Florence believed that nursing was a great career for women, as they had very limited or no choices at all. Even more importantly, she thought that through nursing patients could recover much faster and better. 

 Her theories were put in full practice during the Crimean War of 1854. The British government heard stories of Russian soldiers being nursed by religious orders. The government invited Nightingale with a small team of women to a field hospital in Scutari (modern-day Üsküdar, Turkey). Within a week of their arrival they transformed the hospital, opening windows, scrubbing walls, preparing food, and effectively administering treatments. After a month, the death rate decreased dramatically, all thanks to Nightingale. 

Currently, nurses — much like Nightingale in 1854 — innovate ways to take care of patients. And just like the British government to Nightingale, What’s On Kyiv would like to extend its gratitude for every second of their work. Happy International Nurses Day!