Florence Nightingale

The founding father of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale was a British nurse, statistician, and social reformer. During the Crimean War, Nightingale was given the responsibility of caring after British and ally soldiers in Turkey. She spent a lot of time in the wards, and her night rounds caring for the injured helped to give her the reputation of the "Lady with the Lamp." In order to formalize nursing education, she founded the first nursing school with a scientific foundation at St. Thomas' Hospital in London, the Nightingale School of Nursing (opened 1860). She also played a key role in organizing the training of midwives and nurses at the hospitals of workhouses. She was the initial female recipient of the Order of Merit (1907).

She was appointed inspector of all Crimean hospitals in 1855. It required making arduous journeys in the cold, rain, and snow. She damaged her health, but she wouldn't go until the last soldier had left. She didn't return home until peace was declared in 1856, and she would remain disabled. Every year on May 12, the world marks her birth and recognizes the vital role that nurses play in providing healthcare.