Comtemporary Nursing Essay

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The World Health Organization defines health as ‘A state of complete physical, social and mental well‐being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Health is a resource for everyday life, not the object of living. It is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources as well as physical capabilities’ (WHO, 1998) With this definition it is identified that a nurses role is expanded to more than just a patients physical health. The determinants of an individual’s complete health are broader than the average person assumes. One must take into account all determinants to achieve an understanding of an individual’s health and wellbeing. A nurse is required to have a knowledge of these determinants and the impacts that they, either singularly or a group of aspects in a patient’s life can affect the patients overall health status. To better understand why a nurses roles are effected by all contributing factors of health determinants, the nursing profession must be better understood. (Harris, Nagy, & Vardaxis, Eds. 2010) Nursing began as a profession around the environment within the home. Women taking place in caring for the family within a domestic environment. Taking care of the ill direct or extended family members. (Abel 2007) Sometimes in the intense that a woman was not available, men would take up these roles of caring for the ill. However this was not very common. (Sabin 2007) In Australia nursing was influenced by the standards that were expressed originally by the British standard. Florence Nightingale was known for the changes that were introduced and is highly notable for the improvements that can be seen in modern day nursing. Nightingale was known for improvements to the education of nurses. (Bradshaw, 2012). Education was once taken place in nursing hospitals where the students were trained with hands on education. This was the

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