Humanitarian, International Nursing and the New Zealand and Recipients of the Florence Nightingale Medal 1920-1999

摘要

The purpose of this study was to explore the history of the Florence Nightingale Medaland in particular its New Zealand recipients. New Zealand nurses have, over manyyears, contributed to international nursing by providing service during conflicts anddisasters. Several have worked with the Red Cross and, of these nurses, twenty-twohave been awarded its highest honour, the Florence Nightingale Medal.This thesis related the history of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and itsplace in humanitarian and international nursing. It traces New Zealand nursing'sinvolvement in this, and offers a history of the New Zealand recipients of the FlorenceNightingale Medal, 1920-1999. The personal and professional stories of five NewZealand nurses who were awarded the medal between 1969 and 1999 were gatheredthrough oral history interviews. Their stories are used to consider in more detail themotivations and experiences of nurses who work in these circumstances, and the way inwhich humanitarian nursing practice and Red Cross principles shaped and challengedtheir practice.The thesis therefore documents the work of five New Zealand nurses who havedemonstrated exceptional courage, dedication, and commitment to humanitarian causesand international nursing practice. As an exploratory and descriptive study which hasdrawn on both historical and contemporary sources of information, it raises awarenessabout the Red Cross and its nurses, humanitarian nursing practice in particular, andinternational nursing in general.