Nurses recite it at induction or pinning ceremonies, the moment a student becomes a professional and recommits to ethical practice. It is a short statement of nursing ethics and principles: avoid harmful practice and care for the sick with everything you have. Modern versions lean into nursing's independence and current ethical standards.
Original Version
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 shall abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and shall not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug. I shall 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. I shall be loyal to my work and devoted towards the welfare of those committed to my care.
1935 Revised Version
The 1935 revision widened the nurse's role to include public health and human welfare. The revised version, with changes italicized:
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 aid the physician in his work, and as a missioner of health, I will dedicate myself to devoted service for human welfare.
Modern Practical Nurse Pledge
Through the 1970s, the original pledge was recited at graduations across North America. It has since been altered or dropped to reflect nursing's autonomy and to put patient protection ahead of physician loyalty. The modern version:
Before God and those assembled here, I solemnly pledge; To adhere to the code of ethics of the nursing profession; To co-operate faithfully with the other members of the nursing team and do carry out faithfully and to the best of my ability the instructions of the physician or the nurse who may be assigned to supervise my work; I will not do anything evil or malicious and I will not knowingly give any harmful drug or assist in malpractice. I will not reveal any confidential information that may come to my knowledge in the course of my work. And I pledge myself to do all in my power to raise the standards and prestige of the practical nursing; May my life be devoted to service and to the high ideals of the nursing profession.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote the Nightingale Pledge? Lystra Gretter, an instructor at the Farrand Training School for Nurses in Detroit, led the committee that composed the pledge in 1893. It was named in honor of Florence Nightingale, though Nightingale herself did not write it (Vanderbilt University School of Nursing).
When was the Nightingale Pledge first recited? Graduates of the Farrand Training School first took the pledge in 1893. Through the twentieth century it spread to nursing schools across North America as a graduation and pinning tradition.
Is the Nightingale Pledge the same as the Hippocratic Oath? No, but it was modeled on it. The pledge adapts the spirit of the Hippocratic Oath for nursing, emphasizing purity of practice, confidentiality, and doing no harm.
Why has the pledge been revised over time? Early versions pledged loyalty to the physician, which no longer fits nursing's autonomous, patient-centered role. The 1935 revision added public health and human welfare, and later versions put patient protection ahead of physician loyalty.
Do nurses still recite the Nightingale Pledge today? Some programs still use it at pinning or induction ceremonies, but many have modified or replaced it. The American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses is now the profession's formal, regularly updated ethical standard.
What does the pledge actually promise? In plain terms: practice your profession faithfully and with integrity, never knowingly give a harmful drug or take part in malpractice, hold patient and family information in confidence, work to raise the standard of the profession, and devote yourself to the welfare of those in your care.