nursing

Care of the sick, the very young, the very old, and the disabled. Organized training originated in 1836 in Germany, and was developed in Britain by the work of Florence Nightingale, who, during the Crimean War, established standards of scientific, humanitarian care in military hospitals. Nurses give day-to-day care and carry out routine medical and surgical duties under the supervision of doctors.

In ancient times very limited care was associated with some temples, and in Christian times nursing became associated with the religious orders until the Reformation brought it into secular hands in Protestant countries. Other early pioneers of nursing included the English prison reformer Elizabeth Fry, who set up the first training school for nurses in the UK; the Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole, who worked among the wounded of the Crimean War; and the US health worker Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross in 1881 (see medicine, 19th-century, hospital care and nursing). Many specialities and qualifications now exist in Western countries, standards being maintained by professional bodies and boards.

In the USA, though registration (RN) is the responsibility of individual states, an almost uniform standard has been established by the National League for Nursing (1952). There are a variety of degree programmes.