The Lady with the Lamp
Florence Nightingale challenged accepted wisdom as regards standards of care for patients, the role of women in public life and pioneered statistical methods that proved the need for reform in the delivery of healthcare.
Nightingale was 'the lady with the lamp'. That lamp represented not only the compassion and professionalism she exhibited to patients. Her lamp allowed Nightingale to shine light into the corners of the healthcare establishment, highlighting the areas of nursing practice that required reformation and development. Nightingale's lamp drew other women into the nursing field and led the way for the establishment of rigor in nursing education, that lives on in modern nursing practice and education.
In 2020, the world celebrates the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth and reflects on her achievements and the Nightingale legacy that still helps to define the face of nursing. The International Council of Nurses has set the theme for International Nurses Day on May 12, 2020: Nursing the World to Health, focusing on the "true value of nurses to the people of the world."