Letter from Florence Nightingale to Dr. W. Gill Wylie about the role and significance of nurses

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Description:

In this letter to Dr. W. Gill Wylie, Florence Nightingale speaks at length of the role that nurses play in the medical care of patients. She makes a point of saying that nurses are there to carry out the orders of doctors and surgeons; that they are not medical men nor medical women. She also states that it is her belief that nurses should be under the direction of a Matron, one who was very familiar with nurses and their management, as well as nursing procedures. Nightingale felt it was not the administration of the hospital nor the doctors who should oversee the nurses. Nightingale feels that a strict hierarchy is what creates a suitable work environment and discipline among nurses. She goes on to give examples of poor nurse and hospital management. Nightingale then states that she would send Dr. Wylie a report that was used often in hospital that gave advice on the proper training methods for nurses as well as the day-to-day procedures for nurses to follow.

Notes:

This metadata was created by Wayne State University Library System.

Date Issued:

1872-09-18T00:00:00Z

Data Provider:

Wayne State University. Libraries

Collection:

Florence Nightingale Collection

Place:

London, England

Subject Topic:

Medical care, Nursing, and Health services administration

Format:

letters (correspondence)

Rights:

Users can cite and link to these materials without obtaining permission. Users can also use the materials for non-commercial educational and research purposes in accordance with fair use. For other uses or to obtain high resolution images, please contact the Wayne State University Library.

URL:

http://digital.library.wayne.edu/item/wayne:NightingaleFN_9