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Disappointing advertising
Australian Critical Care
Letter
the Crimean war. She implemented these simple ideas and became a hero. Back in England the media whipped up a legend and the public poured many dollars into a fund for her to train nurses in this new and wonderful way. She returned a hero and spent the public money on military hospitals. Eventually there was an outcry and she had to set up her famous school of nursing at St Thomas' hospital.
and perusing its insightful papers. However, I was very disappointed with the advertisement for Code Blue Specialist Nurses inside the cover of the May edition. This advertisement is ostensibly to promote interest in working for an agency. I wonder how they hope to possibly attract nurses when their key message defames the woman who purportedly made nursing an acceptable career in the western world and who took patient care from neglect and disease to a skilled and informed approach.
All nurses had to be pure, virtuous, single, female and poor. The wealthy women like her were made hospital supervisors. She did not believe in nurses being educated, rather they were to be doctors' handmaidens. Nurses were locked up at night in nurses' homes and worked for the 'calling' with very long hours and poor pay. Florence retired to her political position in society and extrapolated how it was all to be done. There is minimal evidence that she ever nursed but was rather an administrator.
Code Blue's message is disrespectful, both to a nursing icon and to the very people it hopes to attract. It states history should never be repeated. This allusion makes no sense. If in today's world women attempted to achieve the changes brought about by Florence Nightingale and her supporters, we might see nurse practitioners in our cities and remote/rural regions flourishing and working in partnership with their medical practitioner counterparts. Nurses would be renowned statistical experts while there would be a federally appointed Chief Nursing Officer recognised by the world as a champion of the profession.
In this day and age we are still trying desperately to throw off the shackles of her ideas that have been forever enshrined in the way doctors, hospitals, politicians and the public at large view nurses. Florence did not bring about the great changes that you claim. There are people amongst us in this time that have contributed far more to the cause of nursing that Florence ever did. She existed in a time and place in history that is no longer relevant to this era of nursing. History should never be repeated and the legacy of her enslavement needs to be buried once and for all.
To add further insult, this advertisement states that there are no 'relics' at their agency! Frankly, with this attitude, hopefully an outcry from our aging nursing population will result and no-one will be at their agency. At the least, an apology is required for their implied debasement of such a powerful advocate for patient care and the profession of nursing.
One might read between the lines and think that maybe you do not approve of nursing agencies. At least some people in the agency industry have stood up in the face of the current system and have been modem nurse advocates. We claim that nurses need to be paid for what they are worth and need recognition for their skills, regardless of administrators and politicians crying poor. I have a great deal of respect from our aging nurse population who do care about lives, children and their financial future over and above misplaced idealism. I have to ask who is reaUy making inflammatory comments!
Whilst not everyone would agree with my view of Ms Nightingale, the advertisement clearly is inflammatory and, at its most simple level, is in very poor taste. I would appreciate the Editorial Board reviewing its policies in regard to material it wishes ACCCN to be associated with - particularly in its published format. Sincerely,
Sincerely,
Maureen Edgtton RN, RPN, IC Cert, Cert Neuro, MHScEd, Clinical Associate (USyd), M e N (NSW), M R C N A Clinical Nurse Consultant Intensive Care, Liverpool Health Service
Rod J Hancock BA CCRN Clinical Nurse Specialist/AAUM Grad Dip CC MHSc - PhD (Research incomplete) Managing Director, Code Blue Specialist Nurses Agency
A
RESPONSE I am writing in response to the criticism of the Code Blue ad in which I use Florence Nightingale. In all sincerity I am most surprised at the seriousness of the response by Maureen Edgtton. There is rarely a public figure in history that someone hasn't taken a shot at out of fun. I do think that people need to maintain a sense of humour.
EDITOR'S N O T E After considering the letters and comments to the editor in respect to the advertisement under discussion, it has been agreed that the advert will be withdrawn from future use. The editor encourages robust debate via letters to the editor, asking only that opinion be expressed in a professional and accurate fashion. The views expressed in correspondence are not necessarily supported by the editor or editorial board or ACCCN.
The facts are that Florence is not an icon to all of us. I think your view of the significance of Florence is historically incorrect. History dearly shows Florence was the daughter of a wealthy politician and Volume 15 Number 3 August 2002
92
Letter
the Crimean war. She implemented these simple ideas and became a hero. Back in England the media whipped up a legend and the public poured many dollars into a fund for her to train nurses in this new and wonderful way. She returned a hero and spent the public money on military hospitals. Eventually there was an outcry and she had to set up her famous school of nursing at St Thomas' hospital.
and perusing its insightful papers. However, I was very disappointed with the advertisement for Code Blue Specialist Nurses inside the cover of the May edition. This advertisement is ostensibly to promote interest in working for an agency. I wonder how they hope to possibly attract nurses when their key message defames the woman who purportedly made nursing an acceptable career in the western world and who took patient care from neglect and disease to a skilled and informed approach.
All nurses had to be pure, virtuous, single, female and poor. The wealthy women like her were made hospital supervisors. She did not believe in nurses being educated, rather they were to be doctors' handmaidens. Nurses were locked up at night in nurses' homes and worked for the 'calling' with very long hours and poor pay. Florence retired to her political position in society and extrapolated how it was all to be done. There is minimal evidence that she ever nursed but was rather an administrator.
Code Blue's message is disrespectful, both to a nursing icon and to the very people it hopes to attract. It states history should never be repeated. This allusion makes no sense. If in today's world women attempted to achieve the changes brought about by Florence Nightingale and her supporters, we might see nurse practitioners in our cities and remote/rural regions flourishing and working in partnership with their medical practitioner counterparts. Nurses would be renowned statistical experts while there would be a federally appointed Chief Nursing Officer recognised by the world as a champion of the profession.
In this day and age we are still trying desperately to throw off the shackles of her ideas that have been forever enshrined in the way doctors, hospitals, politicians and the public at large view nurses. Florence did not bring about the great changes that you claim. There are people amongst us in this time that have contributed far more to the cause of nursing that Florence ever did. She existed in a time and place in history that is no longer relevant to this era of nursing. History should never be repeated and the legacy of her enslavement needs to be buried once and for all.
To add further insult, this advertisement states that there are no 'relics' at their agency! Frankly, with this attitude, hopefully an outcry from our aging nursing population will result and no-one will be at their agency. At the least, an apology is required for their implied debasement of such a powerful advocate for patient care and the profession of nursing.
One might read between the lines and think that maybe you do not approve of nursing agencies. At least some people in the agency industry have stood up in the face of the current system and have been modem nurse advocates. We claim that nurses need to be paid for what they are worth and need recognition for their skills, regardless of administrators and politicians crying poor. I have a great deal of respect from our aging nurse population who do care about lives, children and their financial future over and above misplaced idealism. I have to ask who is reaUy making inflammatory comments!
Whilst not everyone would agree with my view of Ms Nightingale, the advertisement clearly is inflammatory and, at its most simple level, is in very poor taste. I would appreciate the Editorial Board reviewing its policies in regard to material it wishes ACCCN to be associated with - particularly in its published format. Sincerely,
Sincerely,
Maureen Edgtton RN, RPN, IC Cert, Cert Neuro, MHScEd, Clinical Associate (USyd), M e N (NSW), M R C N A Clinical Nurse Consultant Intensive Care, Liverpool Health Service
Rod J Hancock BA CCRN Clinical Nurse Specialist/AAUM Grad Dip CC MHSc - PhD (Research incomplete) Managing Director, Code Blue Specialist Nurses Agency
A
RESPONSE I am writing in response to the criticism of the Code Blue ad in which I use Florence Nightingale. In all sincerity I am most surprised at the seriousness of the response by Maureen Edgtton. There is rarely a public figure in history that someone hasn't taken a shot at out of fun. I do think that people need to maintain a sense of humour.
EDITOR'S N O T E After considering the letters and comments to the editor in respect to the advertisement under discussion, it has been agreed that the advert will be withdrawn from future use. The editor encourages robust debate via letters to the editor, asking only that opinion be expressed in a professional and accurate fashion. The views expressed in correspondence are not necessarily supported by the editor or editorial board or ACCCN.
The facts are that Florence is not an icon to all of us. I think your view of the significance of Florence is historically incorrect. History dearly shows Florence was the daughter of a wealthy politician and Volume 15 Number 3 August 2002
92