Nurses are such an important part of the medical profession, it’s hard to imagine a world without them.
But a report compiled by Shadow Health Secretary Donald Cameron claims 12,000 nurses and midwives, almost 20% of nursing professionals, are aged 55 or over.
This has led to fears of a ‘retirement time bomb’, with a big gap in health services.
This means there’s never been a better time to put your nursing skills to good use. But if you’ve ever doubted your own talents, there are role models to inspire you.
These are the young nurses who had to fight for their place but went on to innovate and transform their profession.
Clara Barton (1821-1912)
Clara was only 10 when she began caring for her older brother. She went on to found the first American branch of the Red Cross and served in the Civil War, demanding the same pay as her male counterparts. Quite right too!
Her skills in a crisis make her a role model for any aspiring surgical or theatre nurses.
Florence Guinness Blake (1907-1983)
After graduating from nursing school at 21, Florence went on to become the world’s finest paediatric nursing scholar.
She wrote child and family-centered nursing care books still used in universities.
Her care for children paved the way for today’s experts in paediatric nursing.
Helen Fairchild (1885-1918)
Helen served as a frontline nurse in France during World War I. This heroine stitched, sewed and saved her way into the history books.
Her heartfelt letters to her family, depicting the brutal realities of war and her skills in combat and humanitarian nursing, still inspire today.
Mary Mahoney (1845-1926)
Mary was restricted from studying or practicing because she was an African American woman, so she worked for 15 years as an unofficial nurse’s assistant.
In 1939 she became the first ever African American to graduate and work as a professional staff nurse.
Margaret Sanger (1879-1966)
Margaret was inspired to enrol at White Plains Hospital aged 21 after learning of the pain her mother endured during 18 pregnancies.
She was a critic of the impact outdated attitudes on birth control had on lower classes and was an active feminist and socialist.
After years of struggle, in 1916 she opened a family planning and birth control clinic before creating the American Birth Control League.
Without her midwifery skills, nursing would not be what it is today.
Make your own name in medical history with a nursing role from s1jobs