Florence Nightingale is credited with founding modern nursing. Her efforts during the Crimean War (1853-1856) significantly transformed the nursing profession, emphasizing sanitation and patient care. Nightingale established the first formal nursing school, the Nightingale School of Nursing, in 1860, promoting the importance of training and education for nurses. Her pioneering work laid the foundation for nursing as a respected and essential profession in healthcare, advocating for evidence-based practices and the importance of compassionate care, which continues to influence nursing standards and practices today.