Nurses Who Made a Difference

We tend to forget how much nurses do for people and the medical system. They are often overlooked, underpaid, and seemingly receive no recognition compared to doctors. Nurses work in the community, involved in research, policy, and can be active in advocacy. There are over two million registered nurses in America alone. We don’t know how long before Florence Nightingale, nurses where on the scene, but this is where traditional nursing began. She became the leader in the field on how to treat patients, make sure that things were sterile, and changed the way people viewed health care. Years ago, people took care of people at home, not is hospitals, nurses like Nightingale influenced the medical field, and made it what it is today. She was not the only one, of course. Even horse rider "Calamity Jane" worked as a nurse in the West!