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FINDING A ROLEI was born in Florence, Italy, though we returned to England when I was still very young. My father was a wealthy landowner, and my mother came from a well-to-do family of merchants, so my sister and I had a very privileged life.At that time, most girls didn’t go to school or receive any education at all. However, my father was keen that my sister and I learn about the world. He gave us lessons in science, history and maths. I also learned how to speak Latin, Greek, German and French, which would prove useful later in life. And when I wasn’t studying, I often helped to look after the ill and poor in the village that neighboured my family’s estate.In Victorian England, women from wealthy families, like me, weren’t expected to work. My job was to marry and look after the home. But I felt strongly that my role in life was to help others.When I told my parents that I wanted to be a nurse, they were shocked and upset. Nursing was not a respectful profession, and hospitals were filthy, horrible places where sick people died – certainly no place for a refined girl like me. My father tried hard to change my mind, but I was determined.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2Fa47bf12661de4202a98a2c88f4587240" alt="" style="width: 421.333px; height: 316px;"> NURSE AND WARTIME HEROIn 1853, I became a nurse in London. I worked hard and cared very much for my patients and within a year, I was promoted to superintendent.I also volunteered at the Middlesex Hospital and had to deal with a cholera outbreak. I saw that the unclean conditions were one of the reasons for the rapid spread of the disease. So my mission became better hygiene – and as a result far fewer people were dying at the hospital.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2Ff7ef84c5c7f64c74ae60bd2adaba7727" alt="" style="width: 420.693px; height: 292px;"> In October 1854, I joined 38 female nurse volunteers, and we travelled to Scutari, Turkey, to help care for the soldiers of the Crimea war. We pressed for better hygiene as too many men were dying of infections and I had to prove to doubtful doctors that clean equipment and sterile dressings saved lives. As well as making these changes, I was busy gathering evidence to prove my point. What I didn’t know was that back home, word of my work was growing.On my return to England, I was given a hero’s welcome. I did my best to avoid it; I just wanted to do my job and make changes to save lives.Soon after my return home, I became very ill. I couldn’t leave my room, but I wanted to keep going.&nbsp;A BIGGER ROLEQueen Victoria came to me to ask for my advice on health issues including the health of the army. My report, The Sanitary Commission of 1857&nbsp;demanded clean water. We also demanded hygiene and cleanliness in hospitals.My work and fact-finding were proving that good hygiene could save lives.In 1860, I used money that Queen Victoria had awarded me to start St. Thomas' Hospital and the Nightingale Training School for Nurses.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2F846b64c1fdc14ffbb95df770f810eaa0" alt="" style="width: 407.133px; height: 273px;"> Doctors in hospitals were amongst the hardest people to convince about good hygiene and nursing. But by the time I was 65, I could see progress. Nursing was now a job to be proud of.Even though I was confined to my bed, I continued to press for change until 1895, when I lost my sight.In 1907, I became the first woman to receive the Order of Merit,&nbsp;an award given by the Queen for my work. And in May of 1910, I received a congratulatory message from King George on my 90th birthday.I had dedicated myself to a life of service and elevating the status of nurses and nursing. It was a life full of obstacles and hardships, but it was rewarding to see that my work had positive effects on the world.GLOSSARYCholera&nbsp;– an infectious and often fatal bacterial disease of the small intestine, typically contracted from infected water supplies and causing severe vomiting and diarrhoea.LEGACY AND RECOGNITION<ul><li>Florence Nightingale is known as ‘The Lady with the Lamp’ because at night she walked amongst the beds checking wounded men while holding a light in her hand. The image captured the public’s imagination.</li><li>Her work and reports led to changes to army military care and vast improvements to healthcare and the training of nurses.</li><li>International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world every May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth.</li><li>In 1907, Florence Nightingale was the first woman awarded the Order of Merit. It can be awarded to those who have provided especially excellent service in the armed forces.</li><li>The Nightingale Training School for Nurses, in 1860, developed into The Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care. It continues to train nurses and midwives today.</li><li>There is a statue of Florence Nightingale in Waterloo Place, London, which stands next to the Guards Crimean War Memorial.</li></ul>IMAGE CAPTIONS AND CREDITS<o:p></o:p>Hospital Ward at Scutari, William Simpson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons<o:p></o:p>Florence Nightingale, The Lady with the Lamp,&nbsp;The Illustrated London News, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<o:p></o:p>Florence Nightingale at St. Thomas,&nbsp;Former BBC, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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