Florence Nightingale Medal

History

The medal was initially set up to be awarded to six nurses annually, although the first 42 awards were only made in 1920 due to the disruption of the First World War. The first recipients came from Great Britain (including the then British Empire), Austria, Belgium Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Romania and the United States. Included in the nine nurses from Great Britain and the then British Empire were: Beatrice Isabel Jones, Margaret MacDonald, and Hester Maclean. The six American nurses were: Florence Merriam Johnson, Helen Scott Hay, Linda K. Meirs, Martha M. Russell, Mary E. Gladwin, and Alma E. Foerster, and three German nurses including Elsbeth von Keudell. Ida F. Butler was the fifteenth American recipient of the award in 1937.

The medal was restricted to female nurses until regulation changes in 1991. Under the new regulations, it is open to both women and men and is awarded every two years to a maximum number of fifty recipients worldwide.

Medal description

The vesica piscis-shaped medal is composed of gold and silver-gilt and bears a portrait of Florence Nightingale surrounded by the words "Ad memoriam Florence Nightingale 1820–1910". On the reverse, the name of the recipient and the date of the award is engraved, surrounded by the inscription "Pro vera misericordia et cara humanitate perennis décor universalis" ("true and loving humanitarianism – a lasting general propriety"). The medal is attached to a white and red ribbon by a clasp featuring a red enamel cross encircled by a green laurel crown. Recipients are also presented with a parchment diploma of the award and, from 1927, a miniature version of the medal that could be more easily worn. The medal and a diploma are usually presented by the head of state at a ceremony in their own country, which is required to have "a formal character, in keeping with the founders' wishes".

Sets of medals

In 2007, the 41st set of medals was awarded to 35 recipients from 18 countries.

In 2009, the 42nd set of medals was awarded to 28 recipients from 15 countries, including one for the first time to a nurse in Afghanistan, Sister Anisa.

In 2011, the 43rd set of medals was awarded to 39 recipients from 19 countries, including for the first time to two Kenyan nurses, as well as to the first recipient from the Central African Republic - Sylvie Ngouadakpa.

In 2013, the 44th set of medals was awarded to 32 recipients from 16 countries, including one posthumously to Khalil Dale MBE, a delegate from the British Red Cross.{{cite news|title=Florence Nightingale Medal to aid worker Khalil Dale

In 2015, the 45th set of medals was awarded to 36 recipients from 18 countries, including one posthumously to a Sierra Leonian nurse, Mr Morison Musa, who had worked in an Ebola treatment centre.

In 2017, the 46th set of medals was awarded to 39 recipients from 22 countries, including one to Rear Admiral Sylvia Trent-Adams, the Acting Surgeon General of the United States. Roselyn Nugba-Ballah was the first ever Liberian recipient of the medal, due to her work in the Ebola epidemic.

In 2019, the 48th set of medals was awarded to 29 nurses from 19 countries, including one to Captain Felicity Gapes, a New Zealand Red Cross nurse.

In 2021, the 49th set of medals was awarded to 25 nurses from 18 countries, including two posthumously to: Bernadette Gleeson, an Australian nurse, and Arasta Bakhishova, an Azerbaijani nurse.

In 2023, the 50th set of medals was awarded to 37 nurses from 22 countries, including three posthumously to: Meggist Menil Abetew, and Amidekrose Aregaw Gebiru, both Ethiopian ambulance drivers who were shot dead in the Tigray region; Margita Kosturikova, a Slovakian nurse. In 2023, Wilbroad William Rwenyagira became the first Tanzanian awardee of this medal.

In 2025, the 51st set of medals was awarded to 35 nurses from 17 countries.

The ICRC Library's research guide on the Funds and Medals of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement provides online access to the complete list of Florence Nightingale Medal recipients, as well as circulars of attribution, regulations, and related reports.

References

References

1. (2003). "Florence Nightingale Medal". [[International Committee of the Red Cross]].
2. "Medals and Badges: Florence Nightingale Medal". [[British Red Cross]].
3. (5 June 1920). "The Florence Nightingale Medal". British Journal of Nursing.
4. Nelson McDowell Shepard, [https://books.google.com/books?id=7_4KAAAAIAAJ&dq=Florence+Merriam+Johnson+nurse&pg=PA646 "The Florence Nightingale Medal"] ''Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine'' (November 1921): 646–647.
5. Kreuz, Deutsches Rotes. (2019-05-21). "1912".
6. (1937). "News about Nursing". The American Journal of Nursing.
7. (12 May 2009}}{{Dead link). "Florence Nightingale Medal: 2009 recipients". [[International Committee of the Red Cross]].
8. (13 May 2007). "Florence Nightingale Medal: 2007 recipients". [[International Committee of the Red Cross]].
9. (11 Aug 2010). "Afghanistan: following in the footsteps of Florence Nightingale".
10. (13 May 2011). "Florence Nightingale Medal: 2011 recipients". [[International Committee of the Red Cross]].
11. (12 March 2011). "La RCA vers des soins infirmiers de meilleure qualité".
12. (12 May 2015). "Florence Nightingale Medal: 2015 recipients".
13. (12 May 2017). "Florence Nightingale Medal: 2017 recipients".
14. Harmon, William Q.. (2017-12-01). ""A True Patriot," Nurse Roselyn Ballah, Gets Nightingale Award Presented".
15. (12 May 2019). "Florence Nightingale Medal: Honoring exceptional nurses and nursing aides – 2019 recipients". International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Council of Nurses.
16. "Kiwi Red Cross nurse awarded highest international nursing award". TVNZ.
17. (11 May 2021). "Florence Nightingale Medal: Honoring exceptional nurses and nursing aides – 2021 recipients". International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Council of Nurses.
18. Wockner, Cindy. (11 February 2022). "If only there were more in this world like Detta Gleeson".
19. (12 May 2023). "Florence Nightingale Medal: Honoring exceptional nurses and nursing aides – 2023 recipients". International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Council of Nurses.
20. (12 May 2025). "Florence Nightingale Medal: Honoring exceptional nurses and nursing aides – 2025 recipients". International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Council of Nurses.
21. (15 May 2025). "Funds and Medals of the ICRC and the Movement – documents from the ICRC Library".