“５·１２”国际护士节是为了纪念近代医务护理学创始人南丁格尔而设立的。

弗罗伦斯·南丁格尔 (Florence Nightingale) 是英国护理学先驱、妇女护士职业创始人和现代护理教育的奠基人。１８２０年５月１２日，南丁格尔生于意大利佛罗伦萨一富裕家庭，受过良好的教育，她曾在巴黎大学就读。１８５０年，她不顾家人的反对，到德国凯撒斯韦尔基督教女执士学校学习护理，并开始对英、法、德等国的护理工作进行考察研究，写出不少护理学专著。１８５３年出任伦敦患病妇女护理会监督。１８５４年至１８５６年，英、法、土耳其联军与沙皇俄国在克里米亚交战，由于没有护士且医疗条件极差，英军伤病员死亡率高达５０％。在这种情况下，南丁格尔率领护理人员奔赴战地医院，通过健全医院管理制度，提高护理质量，在短短数月内把伤员死亡率降至２．２％。在克里米亚战争中，南丁格尔以其人道、慈善之心为交战双方的伤员服务，被战地士兵称为“提灯女神”。战争结束后，她被视为民族英雄。１８５７年，在她的努力下，英国皇家陆军卫生委员会成立。同年，军医学校成立。 １８６０年， 她用公众捐助的南丁格尔基金在英国圣托马斯医院内建立了世界上第一所正规护士学校——南丁格尔护士学校，推动了西欧各国乃至世界各地护理工作和护士教育的发展。随后，她又着手助产士及济贫院护士的培训工作。她的《医院笔记》、《护理笔记》等主要著作成为医院管理、护士教育的基础教材。由于她的努力，护理学成为一门科学。她的办学思想由英国传到欧美及亚洲各国，南丁格尔被誉为近代护理专业的鼻祖。 １９０１年，她因操劳过度，不幸双目失明。１９０７年，为表彰南丁格尔在医疗工作中的卓越贡献，英国国王授予她功绩勋章，使她成为英国首位获此殊荣的妇女。１９１０年南丁格尔逝世。

１９１２年，红十字国际委员会决定，每两年颁发一次南丁格尔奖章和奖状，作为对各国护士的国际最高荣誉奖。

１９９１年，红十字国际委员会布达佩斯代表大会通过的弗罗伦斯·南丁格尔奖章规则第二条规定，奖章可颁发给男女护士和男女志愿护理工作人员在平时或战时做出如下突出成绩者：“具有非凡的勇气和献身精神，致力于救护伤病员、残疾人或战争灾害的受害者；如有望获得奖章的人在实际工作中牺牲，可以追授奖章。”

南丁格尔奖章是镀银的。正面有弗罗伦斯·南丁格尔肖像及“纪念弗罗伦斯·南丁格尔，１８２０至１９１０年”的字样。反面周圈刻有“永志人道慈悲之真谛”， 中间刻有奖章持有者的姓名和颁奖日期，由红白相间的绶带将奖章与中央饰有红十字的荣誉牌连接在一起。同奖章一道颁发的还有一张羊皮纸印制的证书。

中国第一位获得南丁格尔奖的是王琇瑛。２００３年，广东省中医院二沙岛分院急诊科护士长 叶欣 （已殉职）等１０名中国护士获得第３９届弗罗伦斯·南丁格尔奖章。２００５年， 我国５位护理工作者获得第４０届弗罗伦斯·南丁格尔奖章 。截至２００５年７月，中国已有４８名护理工作者荣获南丁格尔奖。

截至２００４年底， 我国共有护士１３０．８万名，占卫生技术人员的２９．８％ 。

２００４年国际护士节的主题是“护士与贫困者共同对抗贫穷”。

２００５年护士节的主题定为“为了病人安全，抵制伪劣药品”。

新华网资料

附:南丁格尔简介(英文)

A brief introduction of Florence.nightgale

Florence was born in 1820sintosa wealthy, English family who were, at the time of her birth living in Florence, Italy. She and her sister had all the advantages that money could provide. This included private tutors and a superb education which was not generally available to girls at that time. Florence excelled in Science and Maths; however there was little opportunity for her to use her knowledge. Women of her position in life were expected to get married and arrange all the domestic affairs that were important to wealthy families. But, Florence had a dream to become a nurse and when her father refused to allow her to train as a nurse, she was so upset that she became very ill. Eventually, her father relented and Florence started on her journey. She volunteered to work in hospitals in France and Germany and even travelled to Egypt to have formal training. Nurses were not considered to be important or valuable in those days and hospitals were generally places that only poor people would go to out of desperation. The standards of hygiene and medicine were very low. Florence began to change all that. In every hospital that she worked in she made sure that everything was clean and that the patients themselves were washed and well nourished.

　　Florence had become well known for all the wonderful improvements that she had made and for the way she had trained other young women to be good nurses. When the British army was fighting in the Crimea against Russia, the soldiers were in desperate need of medical attention. The British commander in the Crimea had heard of Florence and asked her if she would come and help. So Florence collected some of her best nurses and went to the Crimea. Conditions there were terrible. There was no water and no medical equipment. Florence and her team organized a kitchen and a laundry and worked incredibly hard to improve conditions for the injured soldiers. At night she would carry a lamp as she went round the hospital and the soldiers started to call her "the lady with the lamp". They would often kiss her shadow as she passed by. Florence and her team saved thousands of lives and earned the love and admiration of her countrymen and women.

　　In 1860 Florence started the Nightingale Training School. The Nightingale nurses were in demand all over the world. She advised the American President how to look after his soldiers who were injured in the Civil War. She was a guiding influence behind the founding of the International Red Cross. In 1907, she was honoured by the King of England, Edward V11 and given thesgroupsof Merit. She was the first woman to receive this award. She died at the age of 90 on August 10, 1910. Florence could have lived a life of luxury and comfort. She saw a need for someone to help the poor and the sick and she did everything in her power to improve the situation and to make a change. She thought little of her own comfort and she inspired thousands of young women to become nurses.

南丁格尔誓言

Florence Nightingale Pledge

终身纯洁, 忠贞职守,尽力提高护理专业标准,勿为有损之事,勿取或故用有害之药,慎守病人及家庭之秘密,竭诚协助医师治疗,务谋病人之福利
I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly,
to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will
abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or
knowingly administer any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to
maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold in
confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family
affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty
will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work, and devote myself to the
welfare of those committed to my care.

南丁格尔礼赞

[美]朗费罗

每当又创出一桩高尚的业绩，
每当又出现一项高尚的思想，
人们的心，怀着惊奇的喜悦，
思想境界升到了更高一级的水平。
光荣属于那些以光辉思想和平凡工作
帮助别人的人，
由于他们的感染，
把人们从低处提高。

深夜里我读着，
那个伟大军队的事迹时，
我想起那战壕里的湿冷，
兵营里的挨饥和受冻。

从战场上下来的士兵，
住在充满痛苦的医院中，
病房走廊里没有欢快，
地板上飘着淫雨和寒风。

看，就在那愁闷的地方，
我看到一位女士手持油灯
穿行暗淡的微光中，
轻盈的从一间房屋走进另一间房屋。

像是在幸福的梦境之中，
无言的受伤士兵慢慢的转过头去，
亲吻着落在暗壁上的
她的身影。

在英国的年鉴里，
永留下她的言谈话语，
那盏小小的油灯射出了
划时代的光芒。

持灯女士将永远载入
这个国家的史册，
高贵的精神，
女界的英雄。

　 圣洁的殿
　　　 庄严的红十字
　　 　 谱出一首首动人的曲
　　　 绘制一幅副美丽的画
　　　 洁白的帽下
　　　 衬出一双坚定的眼睛
　　　 无暇的衣中
　　　 拥裹着一片高尚的情怀
　　　 没有国界
　　　 也无须语言的沟通