ASSIGNMENTONPHILOSOPHYANDLOGIC

Name:ABIKA CATHERINE ONYENATURUCHI

TOPIC:ETHICALLYANALYZEFLORENCENIGH
TINGALE'SPLEDGE
CLASS...GENERALNURSINGNOV.2023.
LECTURE:REVFR.JOHNPA
ULIGBO 4THJAN2024.

INTRODUCTION
FlorenceNightingaleisregardedasthefounder,pioneer,a
ndlegendofthenursingfield.In
honorofNightingale,in1893,Mrs.LystraE.Gretterandth
eFarrandTrainingSchoolforNurses
createdanurseoathtooutlinetheethicalandmoralunderpi
nningsofnursing.TheNightingale
PledgeisaHippocraticOathfornurses.Itfocusesontheeth
icalissuesandprinciplesthatall
nursesmustadoptintheirlineoftheprofession(Nelson&
Rafferty,2010).Sincethe
establishmentofthenurseoath,differentchangeshavebe
enmadetoittomakesurethat nursesvaluethewell-
beingofpatientsundertheircare.Inthislight,arecitationo
fthepledgeis
arequirementfornursesduringtheirgraduationaftercom
pletingtheirnursingprograms,
especiallyfromUSnursinginstitutions.Thispaperexplor
estheNightingalepledge’smeaning
andhistory,thefunctionsandpurposesitseekstofulfill,nu
rsingpledgeexamplesofethical
benefits,anditslimitations.
ABRIEFBIOGRAPHYOFFLORENCENIGHTINGA
LE
FlorenceNightingale,wasbornonMay12,1820,inNighti
ngale,Italy.Shewastheyoungerof
twochildren.HerBritishfamilybelongedtoelitesocialcir
cles.Herfather,WilliamShore
Nightingale,awealthylandowner.Shewasanursewhoco
ntributedtodevelopingandshaping
themodernnursingpracticeandhassetexamplesfornurse
swhoarestandardsfortoday’s
profession.Nightingaleisthefirstnursetheoristwell-
knownfordevelopingtheEnvironmental
Theorythatrevolutionizednursingpracticestocreatesani
taryconditionsforpatientstoget
care.Sheisrecognizedasthefounderofmodernnursing.D
uringtheCrimeanWar,shetended
towoundedsoldiersatnightandwasknownas“TheLady
withtheLamp.”
THENIGHTINGALEPLEDGEHISTORY
The NightingalePledge,
getsitsnamefromthereveredBritishnurse,
FlorenceNightingale.It
wasnotpennedbyNightingaleherself,butbyLystraGrett
er,anurseeducatorworkingatthe
historicHarperHospitalinDetroit,USA.Grettercreatedt
hispledgein1893asanoathfor
graduatingnursesinhonourofNightingale.TheNighting
alePledgeseekstofoster
responsibilityamongnursesthroughethicalandprinciple
aspectsthatmustbeobserved
strictlyfortheprofessiontoenhanceitsefficiencyinservin
ghumanity.Thepledgestrivesto
shapetheperceptionsofthenursesandguidestheircourse
ofaction(DeNisco&Barker,2013).
Inthelate19thcentury,thefieldofnursingwasundergoing
significantchanges.Social
standardsatthetimeadvocatedforhighethicalconductan
dcontributiontosociety,whichis
reflectedinthePledge'scontent.TheNightingalePledge
wasinitiallyadoptedatthegraduating
ceremonyatHarperHospital,rapidlygainedpopularity,a
ndsoonbecameawidelyaccepted
oathacrosstheglobe.However,thecreatoroftheNighting
alePledge,LystraGretter,wasa
staunchChristian,whoobservedreligiousvalueskeenly.
Sheiscreditedforpresidingovera
committeethatfacilitatedthecreationofthepledgein189
3.Theoathwasprimarilyfocusedon
theethicsandprinciplesthatwereperceivedasessentialfo
rthenursingprofession.Arevision
ofthepledgewasdonein1935toincludeanoaththatviewe
danurseasa“missionerofhealth”
seekingtoimprove“humanwelfare”asamovetowardswi
deningthescopeofthenurses’roles
(Creasia&Friberg,2010).
THENIGHTINGALE'SPLEDGEPR

OPER TheOriginal1893Pledge:

IsolemnlypledgemyselfbeforeGodandinthepresenceof
thisassemblytopassmylifein
purityandtopracticemyprofessionfaithfully.Ishallabsta
infromwhateverisdeleteriousand
mischievousandshallnottakeorknowinglyadministeran
yharmfuldrug.Ishalldoallinmy
powertomaintainandelevatethestandardofmyprofessio
nandwillholdinconfidenceall
personalmatterscommittedtomykeepingandallfamilya
ffairscomingtomyknowledgeinthe
practiceofmycalling.Ishallbeloyaltomyworkanddevot
edtowardsthewelfareofthose committedtomycare.
TheUpdated1935Pledge:
IsolemnlypledgemyselfbeforeGodandinthepresenceof
thisassembly,topassmylifein
purityandtopracticemyprofessionfaithfully.Iwillabstai
nfromwhateverisdeleteriousand
mischievousandwillnottakeorknowinglyadministeran
yharmfuldrug.Iwilldoallinmypower
tomaintainandelevatethestandardofmyprofessionand
willholdinconfidenceallpersonal
matterscommittedtomykeeping,andallfamilyaffairsco
mingtomyknowledgeinthepractice
ofmycalling.WithloyaltywillIendeavortoaidthephysici
aninhiswork,andasa'missionerof
health'Iwilldedicatemyselftodevotedservicetohumanw
elfare.
ModernPracticalNursePledge:
Whilethepledgehasn’tdrasticallychanged,manynursin
gschoolsthatstillusetheNightingale
Pledgehavemadeupdatestotheearlierversions.Onechan
gewasmadespecificallytoremove
thephrase,“loyaltophysicians”topromotemoreindepen
denceinthenursingprofession.
BeforeGodandthoseassembledhere,Isolemnlypledge;
Toadheretothecodeofethicsofthe
nursingprofession;Toco-
operatefaithfullywiththeothermembersofthenursingte
amandto
carryoutfaithfullyandtothebestofmyabilitytheinstructi
onsofthephysicianorthenurse
whomaybeassignedtosupervisemywork;Iwillnotdoan
ythingevilormalicious,andIwillnot
knowinglygiveanyharmfuldrugorassistinmalpractice.I
willnotrevealanyconfidential
informationthatmaycometomyknowledgeinthecourse
ofmywork.AndIpledgemyselfto
doallinmypowertoraisethestandardsandprestigeofprac
ticalnursing;Maymylifebe
devotedtoserviceandtothehighidealsofthenursingprofe
ssion.
EXAMPLESOFETHICALADVANTAGES
Nursesaretrainedtobeethicalindividualswhostrivetoma
kedecisionsthatmaintainmoral
actionsintheirfield.TheNightingalePledgefostersethica
lbehavioramongnurses,which
impliesthatthestakeholderswouldbenefitcollectively.T
hepatient'ssafetyisenhancedbythe
presenceofanenvironmentthatupholdsthesafetyofpatie
nts.Thisaspectimpliesthatnurses
wouldseetoadministerdrugsthatareappropriateforapart
icularconditionwithouterrorsthat
maydeterioratethecurrentconditionsofpatients(Butts&
Rich,2015).Therefore,thepledge
enhancestheimplementationofasafenursingenvironme
ntthatfocusesonthepatients’wellbeing.
Thepledgecongratulatesdelineationandthecreationofpr
ofessionallimitswithclientsseeking
nursingservices(Butts&Rich,2015).Inthisregard,nurse
salwaystrytocurtailanybehavioror
attitudethatwouldcauseemotional,verbal,orphysicalab
usetothepatients.Thepledgealso
tendstohinndersnursesfromsexualactivitiesthatwouldb
eregardedasunethicalbythe
patients,authorities,andthepublic.
Thepledgeadmonishesthepracticeofprivacyduringthed
iagnosisandtreatmentofthe
complicationsaffectingclients.Therefore,theconfidenti
alityoftheclient's’informationis
upheldanditisonlymadereachabletotherelevantparties
whennecessary.Asaresult,mutual
respectbetweenthenursesandclientsisachieved,thuslea
dingtoimprovedrelationshipsthat
promotetheclient’swell-
being(DeNisco&Barker,2013).
Thedignityandindividualityoftheclientsinthenursingse
ctorareenabledthroughthenurses’
faithfulnesstotheNightingalePledge.Theapplicationoft
hepledgeimpliesthatpatientsmust
beapproachedwithrespectandcourtesyinawaythatportr
aysequaltreatmentirrespectiveof
theirhealthconditions(Creasia&Friberg,2010).Thenur
ses’devotiontothewelfareofthe
individualsundertheircaremeansthatapproachingclient
swithrespect,courtesy,and
understandingvaluestheirdignity.
THENIGHTINGALE'STHEORY
FlorenceNightingale'sphilosophyandteachingsemphas
izethatthenursemustuseherbrain,
heartandhandstocreatehealingenvironmentstocarefort
hepatient'sbody,mindandspirit.
Nursing,sincethetimeofNightingale,hasbeenbuildingt
heholisticparadigm,inallschoolsof
thought,withaviewtoahumanisticapproachtothehuman
beingintheirindivisible
relationshipwiththeenvironment.
Sheidentified5environmentalfactors:freshair,purewate
r,efficientdrainage,cleanlinessor
sanitation,andlightordirectsunlight.
THENIGHTINGALE'SPLEDGELIMITATIONS
Thepledgehasseverallimitationsthathavebeenthesourc
eofwidespreadcriticism.
ExamplesoftheselimitationsincludereferencetoGod,pl
edgetopurity,andpledgetosupport
physiciansintheirduties.Incontemporarysociety,theple
dgesdonotmeetthestandardsof
thediversepopulationthatsubscribetodifferentbeliefs,re
ligions,andvalues(Russell,&Cohn,
2012).Thepromisetosupportphysiciansistwo-
sided.First,itisfeministandsecond,it
underminestheautonomityofnursingasaprofession.
Initially,thepledgedirectednursestoliveapurelife.Howe
ver,peopleperceiveandinterpretthe
issueoflivinginpuritydifferently.Somenursesmayinter
pretpuritytomeancelibacywhile
othersmayperceiveitastrustinessorlegitimacy.Therefor
e,differentinterpretationsmay
confusenursingpractice(Butts&Rich,2015).
Thenurses’autonomytendstobecurtailedbytherequirem
entthatnursesmustbeloyaltothe
physiciansinagreementwiththeNightingalePledge(Mir
acle,2009).Theloyaltyaspectshows
thatnursesplayasubservientroleintheprovisionoftheirs
ervices,andthustheyareexpected
tobesubmissivetothephysicians.Thenursingprofession
helpsnotonlythephysiciansand
othermedicalpractitionersbutalsothepatientsandtheirfa
milymembers.Therefore,nurses
areexpectedtoactfreelyandtakecontroloftheirfieldofex
pertise.
CONCLUSION
ThecreationoftheNightingalePledgeasspearheadedby
Mrs.LystraE.Gretterhasplayeda
significantroleinthepromotionofethicalbehaviorinthen
ursingprofession.Issuesofprivacy,
confidentiality,respect,faithfulness,andprofessionalis
mhavebeenaddressedbythepledge,
whichunderscoresitssignificance.However,somepartie
sinthenursingindustryhaveoptedto
adapt,alter,ordropthepledgeconsideringitsstrengthsorl
imitations.Theshortcomingsofthe
pledgeareportrayedinthereligious,purity,andloyaltyas
pectsresultingincontroversiesthat
demandvariousalterationstothepledge.
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