Florence Nightingale as 'mentor of matrons': correspondence with Rachel Williams at St Mary's Hospital

Abstract

This paper is based mainly on archival research. It is focused on letters from Florence Nightingale to one of her favourites, Rachel Williams, the reforming 19th century matron of St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, who established the nurse training school in 1877. Discussion centres on Miss Nightingale's mentoring of Miss Williams, both in terms of personal/pastoral and more objective management advice. The discussion is then related to current theories of mentoring in nurse management. It would appear that Nightingale and modern mentors follow the same main precept of 'having the best interests of the mentored person at heart'. Differences relate more to style of expression than to the basic principles of mentorship.