Today is the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the pioneer behind modern nursing and reform of hospital sanitation.

Named after the city of her birthplace-Florence, Italy-in 1920, Nightingale fought against family and society to make a difference.

Born into a privileged life, Nightingale sacrificed everything, including a marriage to an aristocrat, to serve others.

"[I am] always amazed that she would go from her elite status and spend so much time in service," said Rose Ann Jarrett, public relations supervisor for the nursing program.

Nightingale changed how people perceived nursing. Society and especially her family considered it an unsuitable job for any educated woman.

"[I am] grateful that she broke free from society's ideals about women," said Glenda Christaens, associate teaching professor in the nursing college.

Florence Nightingale trained at Kaiserwerth, Germany and Paris, France. She later rendered her service during the Crimean War.

It was during the Crimean War that Nightingale made a name for herself. The surgeons there did not welcome her arrival in Turkey. Surgeons at that time believed that nurses merely got in the way. Nevertheless, Nightingale went straight to work.

Nightingale's work in hospitals changed hospital sanitation forever. She believed that poor sanitary conditions were what lead to soldiers' unnecessary deaths and made drastic changes. Making sure that proper nutrition was administered to soldiers and that the hospital was kept up to her standards of sanitation, the mortality rate of soldiers dropped.

In 1860 Nightingale was able to establish the Nightingale Training School for nurses at St Thomas' Hospital in London. Almost 150 years later, Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, continues to play a leading role in medical research and training.

Nightingale was able to bring attention to issues such as public health, hospital sanitation and epidemiology. Nightingale also wrote a lot on public health and sanitation. Because of her, hospitals today are kept in relatively sterile conditions. She ultimately was able to impact the health of the world.

Christiaens said Nightingale looked at the whole picture, much like a holistic healing nurse does. Christiaens also said that it was because of Nightingale that she learned "how to care for the world."

Nightingale, in her 90-years of life, did a lot to change the face of nursing. She believed in her work and stood by it.