Nightingale’s Legacy
The legacy left behind by Florence Nightingale was so strong that it is still relevant in the twenty-first century. My main thought related to the Millennium Goals is associated with the idea that each person on any place in the world has his or her own role. Florence Nightingale is a bright example of tearing apart the social conventions and traditions of her time and showing that women are capable of becoming true professionals who bring immense value to the community and help people improve their lives. Her example deeply influenced my perceptions about the nursing practice as well as the rights of women in general because today so many women around the world, especially underdeveloped countries, are still experiencing equality and discrimination. The idea of equal education for all was also heavily supported by Nightingale who promoted the establishment of nursing as a profession and believed in educating nurses before training them (Selanders & Crane, 2012). It is always important to pay tribute to people like Florence Nightingale who played a crucial role in changing the world, so it becomes what it is today.
Millennium Goals
It is our duty as nurses to promote what Nightingale advanced and advocate for the established millennium goals targeted at improving the health of global communities. The goals on which I would like to focus are Goal 4 “Reduce Child Mortality,” Goal 5 “Improve Maternal Health,” and Goal 7 “Ensure Environmental Sustainability” (United Nations, 2010). In order to succeed in advancing Goal 4, it is important to educate parents on the key causes of child mortality (neonatal causes, malaria, and measles) as well as teach them about how they could prevent such causes from affecting their children. For example, nurses can educate parents about the importance of using mosquito nets around children because these insects transfer malaria.
To aid in advancing Goal 5, we as nurses should also educate mothers-to-be about how they can improve their health, consult them individually, as well as volunteer in maternity wards to help mothers through tough labors. Goal 7 is a complicated one to face for nursing professionals, however, as individuals, we can engage in sustainable practices and encourage our patients to support them. Despite the fact that the concept of sustainability in nursing is under-researched, the key sustainability practices include ecology, environment, globalism, holism, and maintenance (Anaker & Elf, 2014). Nursing education should include subjects such as sustainable development as a part of the academic program.
Supporting Millennium Goals
An example of advancing the mentioned Millennium goals is creating an online support group that will give information about how every community member can contribute to reducing child mortality. People can either share valuable knowledge or donate to charities that fight for this cause. Creating pamphlets and how-to guides about protecting children from danger will also be a great cause because spreading awareness of such an important issue will significantly contribute to its resolution. With regards to sustainability efforts, nurses in the community can set up a donation account for helping people in third-world countries that lack fresh water and food. This charity can also fund relief efforts to help communities that suffer from the effects of global warming: natural disasters and extreme weather, air and water pollution, sea level rises, temperature changes, and other effects.
References
Anaker, A., & Elf, M. (2014). Sustainability in nursing: A concept analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 28(2), 381-389.
Selanders, L., & Crane, P. (2012). The voice of Florence Nightingale on advocacy. Journal of Issues in Nursing, 17(1), 1-11.
United Nations. (2010). Millennium development goals. Web.