Why is Florence Nightingale famous?

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Florence Nightingale is famous for changing the way nurses were perceived during her time, raising the standards for nursing, and educating nurses.

First of all, when she arrived in Turkey in 1854 during the Crimean War, she found the conditions in the hospital to be horrid. Wounded soldiers were lying in filth which included dirty clothes and bloodied bandages. Most were dying from the spread of disease rather than their wounds. The first thing she did with her team of nurses was scrub the hospital from top to bottom, provide clean clothing, and make conditions, overall, sanitary.

Secondly, prior to Nightingale, nursing was thought of as a lowly profession, much like that of a servant. She fought to raise the standards of nursing, highlighting sanitary conditions, educating patients so they could care for themselves, and assessing patients' conditions around the clock. When she made her way to check on the patients during the night, she carried a lamp with her. For this she was named "The Lady with the Lamp." Her patient assessment is now known as "making the rounds" in today's modern hospitals. Because of her dedication, nursing became an honored profession.

Lastly, she was recognized by Queen Victoria, who gave her a jeweled brooch. Also, she was the first woman to be given honorary membership in the Royal Statistical Society. Nightingale also published a book on nursing. She is famous for these remarkable feats.

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Florence Nightingale is famous for two things, both related to nursing.  First, she is famous for her actions (which some say were exaggerated, in the Crimean War).  Second, she is famous for essentially founding the modern discipline of nursing in the years after the war.

Nightingale became famous because of her work in the Crimean War.  She became famous because of the fact that she went to the Crimea and worked to help wounded and sick soldiers.  She was lionized in the press as a heroine for the efforts that she put in on behalf of the soldiers.

Even during the war, Nightingale had been pushing the government to make reforms that would improve the health of the soldiers.  After the war, she continued as a social reformer who was pushing for reforms that would improve the health of all people in British society.  As part of these reforms, she helped to found the profession of nursing.  She was the main mover in creating an educational system that would turn out nurses who had professional qualifications and could be very helpful in the healthcare system.

Because of these actions to improve health in Britain, Nightingale remains famous today.

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What is Florence Nightingale famous for in nursing?

"The Lady with the Lamp," Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was so named for her fearless nursing of wounded soldiers at night during the Crimean War. The Nightingale Training School at London's St. Thomas Hospital was the first established non-religious nursing school in history, and it instituted the advent of professional nurses. International Nurses Day is celebrated on her birthday, and the "Nightingale Pledge" taken by nurses worldwide is dedicated in her honor. Her book, Notes on Nursing (1859) is still considered a classic introductory nursing text. She was an advocate of better sanitary and medical conditions in British hospitals, a pioneer in statistical graphics and a leader of the British feminist movement. 

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