Notes on Nursing: What It Is, and What It Is Not

This makes a wonderful gift for a nursing student who is graduating, a nurse who is retiring or one who is being promoted. It is fascinating reading from a historical aspect will be relevant until the end of time.

Nursing is a vocation; not "just a job." Miss Nightingale knew this, and this book reflects this philosophy. Nursing-schools, many years ago, designed the curriculum--and educated the aspiring nurses--with this in mind. Sadly, many present-day nurses (and nursing-schools) have lost this ideal...and the state of affairs in nursing bears this out. If you're seriously considering nursing--or are a nurse who is "burned out," read this book. It will enlighten and edify you.

This is a wonderful book that should be a required reading for anyone working in or around the healthcare field. It is a sad reminder of how little we have done to maintain her work ethics,especially, in regards to cleanliness ,ventilation, and wholistic treatment of the infirm. Nightingale has a certain " tongue in cheek" way of speaking in parts of this book. She suffered no ignorance nor laziness. It is striking to me how people of this modern age think their thoughts are so "cutting edge" and "innovative". Read this book and you will see Florence was thinking it long before they thought it. She speaks of the implications a certain painting might have on an ill person viewing it day in and day out as well as every other detail affecting the sick person. As a nurse,I am in awe of her;and, as a nurse, I see how much we have failed her in modern hospitals and healthcare systems. I recommend this book to everyone: young/old, and all backgrounds.

Florence Nightingale was the first "modern" nurse. Her methods were revolutionary in her time, and they form the basis for the techniques of patient management that have been taught ever since. This volume is a great overview, in her own words, of her ideas on care, cleanliness, and the nursing process in general. Her directives are widely applicable today. Anyone interested in the healthcare process, nursing, or notable women in history would do well to read this little volume. Highly recommended.

Much of what Florence Nightengale is still pertinet today when you get back to the basics of nursing. Excellent commentaries by various authors at the beginning of the book provide insights on how Nightengale's thoughts and theories apply to modern nursing.