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How did Florence Nightingaleâs nursing-school model spread to other countries?
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Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale at the Barrack Hospital in Scutari (ĂskĂŒdar), writing letters for wounded soldiers of the Crimean War, 1855.
Florence Nightingaleâs model of nursing education spread globally primarily through the success of the Nightingale School of Nursing, which she established at St. Thomasâ Hospital in London in 1860.12
The model was disseminated worldwide by matronsâwomen supervisors of public health institutionsâwho were trained in her methods. As the schoolâs reputation grew, it prompted the establishment of similar training institutions internationally. Notable examples of this expansion include:23
- Australia: The nursing school at the Sydney Infirmary and Dispensary (now Sydney Hospital) opened in 1868 under the leadership of Lucy Osburn, a nurse trained at St. Thomasâ.3
- United States: The Bellevue Training School for Nurses in New York, founded in 1873, was the first institution in the U.S. established specifically on Nightingaleâs principles.3
- China: The first Nightingale-based teaching institution in China was established in Fuzhou in 1888 by American nurse Ella Johnson.3
By the end of the 19th century, these pioneering schools had successfully established the value of educated, scientifically trained nurses across the Western world.43