A Comparison of Theories: Nightingale versus Leininger
Nursing is a profession that requires skill, compassion and knowledge. In order for nurses to use these qualities in an efficient and appropriate way, many theories are collaborated and used in everyday practice. Two major theorists are Florence Nightingale and Madeleine Leininger. Although the theories developed by these famous nurses are extremely different, it is easy to see the amazing impact that they have both had on today’s nursing practice. Background and Influences on Theory
Madeleine Leininger was born within a farming community in Sutton, Nebraska in 1925. Leininger started her education in Denver, Colorado at St. Anthony Hospital School of Nursing. She became extremely well educated with a bachelor of science in…show more content… This became the first step in her theory of transcultural nursing (Leininger, 1978). After this breakthrough, Leininger returned to school to receive her PhD in Anthropology, becoming the first nurse anthropologist. Thus, her theory of transcultural nursing care was largely based off of her anthropological background (Rosenbaum, 1986). She has since created many transcultural nursing courses for baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral programs, as well as conducting extensive research, creating many publications and participating in field work (Rosenbaum, 1986). Florence Nightingale was born in England during the Victorian era to a privileged family. The wealth of her family provided her with experiences such as her education, travelling and exposure to political and societal leaders (Hegge, 2013). At a young age she was well versed in language, mathematics and philosophy. It is said that her strongest influence was a call from God at the age of 16 to help others. Her family was Unitarian, meaning they followed