The Nightingale Pledge is a pledge of ethics and devotion to the nursing profession. It was named after Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, and was first written in 1893 by Lystra Gretter, a graduate of the Nightingale School of Nursing at St. Thomas Hospital in London, England. The pledge is typically taken by nurses upon graduation from nursing school or upon joining a professional nursing organization. The pledge reads:
“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 me to the welfare of those committed to my care.”