Krish is staying on Nightingale Ward. He asks a nurse about the name 'Nightingale' and learns about Florence Nightingale and her achievements.
The video
Krish: Sammy, why do you think this ward is called Nightingale Ward?
Sammy: I don't know, Krish. A Nightingale is a type of bird, so maybe it's named after that.
Miriam: I've got some water for you two.
Krish: Thanks, Miriam.
Miriam: How's your leg feeling today?
Krish: Okay, it's still a bit achy.
Miriam: Well, a broken ankle takes a long time to heal, but you'll be back playing football soon, don't you worry.
Krish: Miriam, I was wondering why the ward we are on is called Nightingale Ward?
Miriam: Now, that is a very good question.
Krish: Sammy thought it might be named after the bird.
Miriam: A good guess, but not right. It's named after a very famous nurse from many years ago called Florence Nightingale.
Sammy: Can you tell us about her?
Miriam: Okay, I've got a few minutes. Florence Nightingale was born more than 200 years ago in Italy. She was British, but her parents were visiting the city of Florence at the time when she was born.
Krish: So she was named Florence after the city.
Miriam: Exactly. The family soon moved back to England, where Florence studied very hard. When she grew up, Florence travelled all over Europe, but she always wanted to care for others. She began her training as a nurse in Germany before she started working in London. Soon after a war began in a country a long way away. Many British soldiers were sent there to fight. Florence and a team of nurses made the long journey from the UK to help care for the wounded soldiers who were fighting in a place called Crimea.
Miriam: When she arrived at the Army Hospital, she found it in a terrible state. The doctors and nurses were struggling to look after all the patients. The hospital was very dirty and crowded and there wasn't enough medicine or bandages. So many of the soldiers became very ill. Florence cleaned up the hospital, set up a kitchen and made sure the soldiers were properly cared for by her team of nurses. They were bathed, bandaged and given clean water to drink and fresh healthier food.
Miriam: She became known as the lady with the lamp, as each night after all the doctors had gone to bed, Florence would walk around the hospital with a lamp, checking on all the soldiers. Remember, there were no electric lights for her to use, so she had to use an oil lamp instead. Florence became very famous for her work during the Crimean War. Back home in Britain, a big sum of money was given so that more nurses could be trained. After Florence returned to England, she continued to work hard to make hospitals better.
Miriam: She wrote over 13,000 letters to important people, soldiers, politicians, doctors to try to make hospitals everywhere cleaner and safer. She set up a nursing school called the Nightingale Training School for Nurses at a hospital in London, which taught nurses how to do all the things she had learnt about, while caring for soldiers. So, many hospital wards like this one are named after her.
Krish: Wow, she sounds like a pretty great nurse.
Miriam: She was. So many of the things she started are still really important today.
Sammy: No wonder the ward is named after her.
Miriam: And guess which day we celebrate International Nurses Day on?
Krish: Florence's birthday?
Miriam: Exactly. We celebrate it every year on the 12th of May. Right time for me to check on some of our other patients. See you later.
2. Florence Nightingale
Krish and Sammy discuss why their ward is called Nightingale Ward. Their nurse, Miriam, tells them about Florence Nightingale, giving an overview of her life and how she became a nurse. They learn about the Crimean War and the changes Florence Nightingale made to the hospital at Scutari to make it cleaner and safer. They learn why she was called the Lady with the Lamp. They then find out what Nightingale did after the Crimean War, including setting up a training school for nurses and campaigning for safer hospitals. The animation finishes with an explanation of International Nurses Day, which takes place on Nightingale’s birthday - 12 May - each year.
Duration: 3' 34"
Final speech: 'See you later.'
Questions to ask
- Why is Florence Nightingale still remembered today?
- What were hospitals like before she made her reforms?
- What changes did she make at the hospital in Scutari during the Crimean War?
Before and after watching
- Create a timeline of Florence Nightingale’s life, including key events such as travelling to Crimea and setting up the nursing school at St Thomas’s hospital.
- Create a role play of the hospital ward in Scutari before Florence Nightingale arrived. What would it have been like? Write a description of it. Role play Florence Nightingale arriving and making her changes, ensuring the children are aware of the changes she introduced, such as hand-washing and better ventilation.
- Write a letter home in role as a soldier in the hospital, telling your family about the nurse Florence Nightingale and what she is like, what changes she has made, etc. Describe why is called the Lady with the Lamp.
- Colour in images from the animation showing the key points of Florence Nightingale's life, for children to place in chronological order.
