Florence and the Contribution Promise of The Self Empowerment Pledge
“God spoke to me and called me to His Service. What form this service was to take the voice did not say.”
Florence Nightingale
“That could be the nurse’s credo, couldn’t it?” That’s what consultant Carol Jean Hawtrey said of Thursday’s Promise in The Florence Prescription.
It was a credo to which Florence devoted her life. As Mark Bostridge put it in his biography Florence Nightingale: The Making of an Icon, “Florence demonstrated that there were no limits on the lengths to which she would go to serve her soldiers.” In the only known recording of her voice, made some 50 years after the end of the Crimean War, Florence was raising money for “my dear old comrades” who were veterans of that war.
Florence demanded a great deal of the nurses she supervised at the Scutari Barrack Hospital but, with no fanfare whatsoever, she generously repaid their service. As Gillian Gill wrote in her biography Nightingales, “With scrupulous care, Nightingale completed the business of writing reports on each woman who had served, paying their wages, arranging their transport home, and finding them good positions if they needed them.”
In his conclusion to Florence Nightingale: The Making of an Icon Bostridge wrote: “If we were to derive one simple lesson from Florence Nightingale’s life and work, it would stem from this single unifying thread: that society has a collective responsibility for the health of all its members.”
As we celebrate Nurses Week and the International Year of the Nurse, it is well to remember that the reason Nursing has been recognized as the most trusted profession is, more than any other factor, this commitment to service to others.
At last - an audiobook edition!
Following many requests over the years, finally have an audiobook edition of The Florence Prescription. Even if you already have a hardcopy, hearing it on audio will be a whole new experience. A great way to celebrate Nurses Month while driving or sheltering in place at home.
Purchase the audiobook for $10 - 50% off to celebrate Nurses Month!
From Audible - $24.99 or one Audible credit