To Pledge or Not to Pledge

To Pledge or Not to Pledge

Introduction

The nursing profession is one of the oldest professions in the field of medicine. Since the past till now, this profession has been subjected to a number of advancements and modernizations. Regardless of the technologies that have been introduced on the profession, the hard work and proficiency of the nursing experts is an important phenomenon that holds prime importance.

The nightingale pledge is an oath that is a sort of promise taken by the nursing professionals. This is a nursing adoption of the Hippocratic oath that most of not all nursing schools require graduates to take. This essay explains the historical origin of the nightingale pledge, its function, purpose, and its ethical benefits and limitations

Discussion

The Nursing Profession

The nurses are considered as the pillars of the healthcare system. The nursing profession roots back to the ancient times, when there was no technology and the treatment and care were done using herbal products. Since that time, till now, the profession has been subjected to massive advancements. The proper definition of nursing emerged in the year 1980, by the American Nursing Association. It was then, when this essential profession started getting recognition in the medical science.

The oath refers to a promise that is taken by the professionals, t practice in accordance with the ethical limitations and boundaries of a profession. In the past, this promise exited in the profession of medicine for the doctors only. However, with the passage of time, the oath of Hippocrates was modified as the nightingale pledge. Today, the debate on of whether to take the pledge or not, is an important discussion that is discussed in the nurturing facilities widely.

Historical Origin and Background

The alternate manifestation to the Hippocratic Oath in the nursing profession is known as the Nightingale Pledge. This oath has been named on the organizer, pioneer and legendary founder of the modern nursing profession, Florence Nightingale.

The practice of encompassing a part of a convinced expertise, taking promise to a definite set of rules and guidelines is an old practice that has been present from now and has propelled ahead through the ages. The vital of this guarantee or oath taking is penniless upon the reasoning that it secures an awareness of diverse longings to submit to the models and morals of the calling. It shapes the estimations of the supporters and bovines their layout. In this way, it was grasped that a pledge was wanted for the nurturing moreover (American Journal of Nursing, 2006). It does not mean that at the time the nightingale pledge did not exist. In fact, it did exist in the form of “The Oath of Hippocrates”.

It was in the year 1893 when the oath of hypocrites took the final shape of nightingale pledge for the professional nurses. Mrs. Lystra E. Gretter's name olds key importance in the development of this pledge, in association with the Farrand Training School for Nurses. Since that period, there have been certain changes that have been ...