Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why was nursing strangers not considered a respectable career for wealthy women before Florence Nightingale?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

A young doctor or nurse uses a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope to measure the blood pressure of an elderly man seated at a clinic office desk. — Nursing A nurse uses a sphygmomanometer to check a patient's blood pressure.

Before the work of Florence Nightingale, nursing strangers was not considered a respectable career for wealthy, well-bred women because of prevailing social conventions. During that era, it was expected that if women wished to nurse, they should do so only for their own family members or intimate friends.1

The profession of nursing was not yet viewed as a viable or dignified path for women of higher social standing. Nightingale challenged these rigid societal norms by arguing that well-educated women could use scientific principles and health education to significantly improve patient care. By establishing the Nightingale School of Nursing at St. Thomas’ Hospital in 1860, she helped formalize nursing education, ultimately transforming it into a respected and independent profession for women.12