Florence and the Perspective Promise of The Self Empowerment Pledge

“Florence Nightingale wanted the army to use the current calamity to make real progress in treatment of diseases and wounds.”

Gillian Gill: Nightingales

When Florence Nightingale arrived at the Scutari Barrack Hospital during the Crimean War, she walked into a medical catastrophe. “Surely,“ she wrote in a letter home, “this is the kingdom of hell.“ Another eyewitness called the hospital “a vast field of suffering and misery.“

Over the next two years, Nightingale laid the foundation for nursing as a true profession. She also established organizational structure, process, and physical design principles that are still evident in hospitals today. In a very real sense, she was architect of the modern hospital (Nightingale’s Lasting Legacy for Healthcare is adapted from the afterword of The Florence Prescription). 

In the face of terrible adversity, Nightingale had the strength to impose discipline upon chaos; the compassion that earned her the sobriquet lady with the lamp; and the grace to see the sick, wounded and dying soldiers under her care as human beings at a time when their military commanders routinely referred to them as “the scum of the earth“ and treated them as disposable cannon fodder.

The current coronavirus pandemic is giving us many opportunities to put Saturday’s Promise on Perspective into practice. As one example, the acceptance of telehealth has made progress over the past three months that otherwise might have taken three years or more.

The crisis is also an opportunity for, and a test of, our compassion. Will use this crisis as a call to address the social, economic, and racial disparities in our nation that have been made so evident? Will we reach out to help countries where extreme poverty magnifies the cost of disease?

When I ask people at hospitals we work with what their biggest concerns are, at or near the top of every list is worry about the emotional fallout. People on the front lines are exhausted and in some cases traumatized (see this article from modern healthcare). Millions of people have lost jobs or worry about losing jobs. Families have experienced tragic loss, and social distancing has for many created a sense of isolation.

Will we have the grace, in our rush to return to business as usual, to make time to heal the hurt?

At Values Coach our purpose is transforming people through the power of values and transforming organizations through the power of people. We do that by helping leaders build a stronger Culture of Ownership on a Foundation of Values. Learn more at www.ValuesCoach.com.