The merited nurses

"A man is great not because of what he/she has,
not of who he/she is, but because of what
he/she shares with the others."John Paul II

Developing and presenting knowledge about the profession’s history is extremely beneficial mostly for the nurses, but also for the public. Nowadays, in time of enormous technological progress, commercialization and consumption, a system of moral and ethical values grounded on humanism is disturbed. A rich inheritance of the leaders of Polish nursing is the field from which we shall derive from personal behavioural patterns.

History presents outstanding Polish nurses, which attitude, values, and actions reflect the essence of nursing, its assumptions and mission. Solus aegroti, suprema lex – a sick’s benefit is the highest law. Awareness and knowledge of individual roots as a reason for proud influence positively a shape of professional identity, empower relations, and stimulate increase of sense of self-worth. Better self-evaluation is an important element of better image of modern nurse, empowering professional status and prestige.

Being aware of values and richness of the history of Polish nursing, one cannot allow for treating this inheritance as a forgotten relict of the past. We are morally obliged to preserve it against oblivion.
Personal models presented below let become a source of inspiration, a reason for pride, and motive for profound reflection, according to John Paul II thought:

"A man is worth as much as he/she can give to the other"

Elaborated by Jadwiga Gnich