Podcast

Nursing Standard podcast: is Florence Nightingale a nursing icon? 

Professor of nursing policy Anne Marie Rafferty discusses her legacy

King’s College London professor of nursing policy Anne Marie Rafferty. Picture: Barney Newman

Is Florence Nightingale a nursing icon? 

This question is discussed by King’s College London professor of nursing policy Anne Marie Rafferty, and Nursing Standard senior nurse editor Richard Hatchett, in the latest episode of our podcast.

Professor Rafferty, who is also RCN president, talks about Ms Nightingale’s relevance today, including how her teachings on hygiene as the defence against infection were ‘spot on’.

She also explores the contradictory character of the ‘lady with the lamp’, and says Ms Nightingale’s idea of teaching the characteristics of nursing can guarantee high-quality care. 

Professor Rafferty has written about the impact of Ms Nightingale’s work in the book she co-edited, Notes on Nightingale: The influence and legacy of a nursing icon.


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