THE EFFECTS OF WAR ON NURSING

Running Head: EFFECTS OF WAR ON NURSING 1
Effects of Civil War, World War I and World War II on Nursing
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EFFECTS OF WAR ON NURSING 2
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Effects of Civil War, World War I and World War II on Nursing
The events that occurred during the civil war had a significant impact on nursing
and healthcare in general. Civil war took place between the year 1861 and 1865.
According to Egenes, (2017), the civil war launched the profession of nursing in the
United States as well as globally. The work done by the people who were recruited to
become nurses at the time proved that contrary to Victorian believes of that duration,
women could offer comprehensive care for men they were unrelated to while
upholding ethics and discipline. The heroics of women during the civil war convinced
the citizens and the government of the modern-day USA that women were more
naturally gifted in caring for the sick as compared to men (Nolan, 2017). This,
therefore, prompted the opening of the first American nursing schools modelled after
Florence Nightingales schools of England. The schools admitted white women only.
The events of the civil war, therefore, created the perception that women can also be

EFFECTS OF WAR ON NURSING 3
nurses. The civil war also resulted in more than 20,000 women being recruited to the
war as military nurses.
When World War 1 began in the year 1914, more women were involved in the
military. This was because they had proved during the civil war that they could take
care of men injured at battle with a lot of professionalism and without any scandals
(Butts & Rich, 2019). Before this period, most nurses operated from home, and there
were no female nurses at hospitals or in the warzone. Women who volunteered went
through a series of medical training. At Queen Alexandria Imperial Military Nursing
Service, training was mandatory. There were also volunteer nursing groups who were
offered minor training and were assigned secondary nursing tasks. After World war I,
more women were willing to join the nursing profession. The stereotypes about
women in healthcare had reduced significantly. More women joined the business
partly because many countries had lost a lot of men during the war and also because
women had proved their ability during the war.
During the Second World war, not only did the number of women nurses in the
army increase, but they played a more central role in offering medical care to the
wounded (Smith, 2018). Women who volunteered to join the military as nurses had to
undergo a unique military training. The war led to a specialization in the nursing
profession, and this has lasted up to date. Women were given specialized training in
areas such as filed sanitation, psychiatry and anaesthetics (Lee, 2017). The nurses
were also taught new skills, such as setting up medical facilities and assembling
medical machines and equipment (Lee et al., 2017). During the Second World war,
the responsibilities of nurses were also elevated. This is because there was a vast
number of people injured at the battle and hence they had to attend on the wounded at