Nursing has evolved over centuries from women assisting male physicians in ancient Egypt and Greece to becoming a modern profession. Key developments include Christianity establishing nursing's role in charity, Florence Nightingale revolutionizing nursing practice and establishing the first nursing school in the 1800s, and the 20th century seeing nursing become established as a science-based profession through standardized education and regulatory bodies.

1. Evolution of Nursing
Historical perspectives in nursing
Dr. Saja Hashem

2. Introduction:-
Nursing has been called the oldest of the art, and the
youngest of the profession. As such, it has gone through
many stages and has been an integral part of social
movements. Nursing has been involved in the existing
culture, shaped by involved in the existing culture,
shaped by it. The trend analysis and future scenarios
provide a basis for sound decision making through
mapping of possible futures and aiming to create
preferred futures

3. Nursing began as a desire to keep
people healthy and to provide comfort
and assurance to the sick.
Although the general goals of nursing
have remained relatively the same over
the centuries, ever-advancing science
and the changing of society’s needs
have deeply influenced the practice of
nursing.

4. Stages of Nursing
•
1- Early Civilization
Egyptian physicians are believed to have
specialized in certain diseases (such as internal
diseases, fractured bones, and wounds). They also
hired women, later known as midwives, to assist
with childbirth. These women were the first
records nurses.

5. Greece
The Greeks believed in Apollo, the
Greek god of healing and prayed to him for
magic cures for their illness. 400 B.C., the
famous Greek physician Hippocrates believed
that disease had natural, not magical, causes.
Roman Empire
After 300 B.C., early physicians built on
the groundwork of their Egyptian and Greek
predecessors. The Romans are best known
for advances in the health of the public.

6. 2- Christianity
With the beginning of Christianity,
nursing began to have a formal and more
clearly defined role.
Led by the belief that love and caring for
others were important, women made the
first visits to sick people, male gave
nursing care and buried the dead.
Nursing became a respected vocation

7. 3- Middle Ages
More hospitals were built.
Nurses delivered custodial care and depended
on physicians for direction.
Nurse midwifery, as one of the oldest nursing
roles, flourished.
Much nursing care was provided by monks
and nuns, which was segregated by sex

8. 4- Fifteenth to Nineteenth Century
The extensive population growth in cities, the lack of
hygiene and sanitation and the increasing poverty resulted
in serious health problem.
Society changed from religious orientation to emphasized
warfare, exploration, and expansion of knowledge
Many monasteries and convents closed, leading to a
tremendous shortage of people to care for the sick.
Women who had committed crimes were recruited into
nursing in lieu of serving sentences.
The only acceptable nursing role was within a religious
order where services were provided as part of Christianity
charity

9. 5- Period of Nightingale
Florence Nightingale was born in 1820 in a
wealthy family
she was determined to become a nurse since
she believed she was “called by God to help
others and to improve the well-being of
mankind”;
the outbreak of the Crimean War gave
Nightingale an opportunity for achievement;

10. Nightingale and her nurses transformed the
military hospitals by setting up diet kitchens, a
laundry, recreation centers, and reading rooms,
and after the war, Nightingale established the
Nightingale Training School for Nursed at St.
Thomas’ hospital in London;
the school served as a model for other training
school;
as the founder of modern nursing,
Florence Nightingale established the first nursing
philosophy based on health maintenance and
restoration.

11. DEFINITIONS of NURSING
 Nursing is a profession focused on advocacy
in the care of individuals, families, and
communities in attaining, maintaining, and
recovering optimal health and functioning .
 Modern definitions of nursing describe it as a
science and an art that focuses on promoting
quality of life as defined by populations,
communities, families, and individuals,
throughout their life experiences from birth
through the end of life.

12. The Aims of Nursing
The aim of Nursing is to:-
 Maintain and promote wellness,
prevent illness, care for and
rehabilitate the sick of disabled
through the human science of
nursing.
 Reduce stress.
 Provide comfort to the client during
diseases process.

13.  Provide service to individual families
and societies.
 Work independently with other
health workers assisting the client to
gain independence as quickly as
possible.
 Develop interaction between nurse
and client.
 Focus on a man a living unity and
man’s qualitative participation with
experience

14. Is nursing a profession
Characteristics of a Profession
• Requires an extended education of its
members
• Has a theoretical body of knowledge leading
to defined skills, abilities, and norms
• Provides a specific service
• Maintains autonomy in decision making and
practice
• Has a code of ethics for practice
a

15. Professional Roles
• Caregiver
• Advocate
• Educator
• Communicator
• Manager

16. Development of modern nursing
In the early twentieth century, a movement
toward a scientific, research-based defined
body of nursing knowledge and practice was
seen as
1- Nursing Education:
in 1923, the Rockefeller Foundation funded a
survey on nursing education, which
recommended that nursing schools be
independent of hospital and on a college level;

17. 2- Nursing practice:
by 1920’s, nursing specialization was
developing;
the concept of the clinical nurse
specialist arose;
from period of Nightingale, the system of
nursing management has been improving

18. Concept of Nursing
3 stages of the concept of nursing:
o disease centered,
o patient centered and
o human health centered
Tasks of Nursing
o Relieving pains
o Maintaining health
o Restoring health
o Promoting health and wellness

20. Nurse Practice Acts
Purpose is to protect the public
Formalized contract between society
& the profession
ensures minimum standards for entry
into practice
helps the profession maintain
standards in practice

21. Level of Practice
 Dependent
- implementing a professionals orders
 Interdependent
- actions resulting from the collaborative
relationship with other health care providers
 Independent
- autonomous nursing actions
- interventions found in the nursing care
plan

22. Nursing Organizations
1- American Nurses Association (ANA)
 Purpose: To improve the quality of nursing
care.
 Established 1911.
 Establishes standards for nursing practice.
 Establishes a professional code of ethics.
 Develops educational standards
 Oversees a credentialing system.
 Influences legislation affecting health care.

23. 2- National Association for Practical
Nurse Education and Service. (NAPNES)
 Purpose: To improve the quality, education,
and recognition of nursing schools
 Established 1941.
 Provides workshops, seminars, and
continuing-education programs.
 Evaluates and certifies continuing-education
programs of others.
 Provides individual student professional
liability insurance program.

24. 3- National Federation of Licensed
Practical Nurses. (NFLPN)
 Purpose: Provide leadership.
 Established 1949.
 Encourages continuing education.
 Establishes principles of ethics.
 Represents and speaks Congress.
 Offers members best type of low-cost
insurance

25. National League for Nursing
(NLN)
 Purpose: To identify the nursing needs
of society and to foster programs
designed to meet these needs.
 Established 1952.
 Accredits nursing education programs.
 Conducts surveys to collect data on
education programs.
 Provides continuing-education
programs.