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In reality the history of nursing dates back to when man first began to walk this earth. Even in caveman times there was an informal nursing situation, where people tend to the wounds and injuries of those hurt whilst hunting, or administer to those who became stricken with an illness. Thus, ever since their have been people in need of nursing care, their have always been those dedicated few who would willingly answer the call.

However, nursing took on a more formal pattern a few centuries ago during periods of unrest, wars and conflicts throughout the war. In these times nursing was predominately a duties that became the responsibility of Christian Nuns, often volunteers who brought aid and help to those injured in war or afflicted by disease. As today, these nurses performed their roles with little thought as to the potential risk to their own health and well-being.

In the UK Florence Nightingale is seen as one of the pioneers of the structured nursing profession. Having trained to be a nurse in Germany, Florence spent many years aiding victims of various wars, military and civilians alike. It was partially as a result of the appalling conditions that she found in these hospitals that, upon both at the battlefront hospitals and in other medical establishments, Florence began to campaign for better quality of nursing and patient care, which she continued upon her return to the UK. Florence authored two books on the subject and, from the proceeds of these was able to form a nursing school dedicated to increase the skills of the nursing profession.

However, with regard to the regulation of the nursing profession and incorporating a level of required standards for nurses, this did not occur until the early 1900's when New Zealand took the lead by introducing the Nurses Registration Act. Over the past hundred years or so the nursing profession has seen many changes, many of them for the better and it has continued to evolved to met the changing needs of the medical profession and the patients being cared for.

Today, although it has lost most of the voluntary toots from where it started, nursing is considered to be a vocation which people are called to, rather than a job of work undertaken for self-motivated reasons. It is just a shame that the society, which relies so much upon the dedication and commitment of its nurses, does not adequately respect and reward them for their efforts.

Learn more about this author, Paul Lines.
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