This paper provides a critical analysis of primary sources, such as publications, diaries and letters by the battlefield nurses and secondary sources addressing the involvement of women nurses (battlefield angels) in the American civil war. Battlefield Nurses during the Civil War Volunteer nurses were invaluably resourceful during the civil war by providing aid and comfort to wounded as well as sick soldiers. At the beginning of the national struggle, the nursing profession was dominated by men due to the consideration that women were too frail to handle the severities of administering to the wounded and sick. The insufficient medical supplies and insufficient medical treatment in
Women helped cure many troops during the war. Because of the numerous amounts of soldiers being wounded in the trenches everyday, women were brought to the front line to help and cure the injured by joining the humanitarian organization, the American Red Cross. It was surely not an easy task, for the women ran the risk of being hit by a stray bullet, or even shelled during the enemy’s bombardment. Women without any medical knowledge usually served as drivers in ambulances, also
Women had many roles during World War II. They helped the military, worked in factories, and became nurses. Before the war, many women were just home makers. During World War II women could do anything. Even famous Rosie the Riveter once said, “We Can Do It!” (Panchyk 57) Women played a huge role in World War II.
Many women performing nursing functions in the almshouses (medical care for all by the Elizabethan Poor Law provided minimal care, most often in almshouses supported by local government, sought to regulate where the poor could live as to provide care during illness) and early hospitals in Great Britain were poorly educated, untrained and often undependable (Stanhope & Lancaster 2012) . Florence Nightingale’s vision to train nurses and her model of nursing education for the nursing profession indirectly influenced the development of public health nursing in the United States (Stanhope & Lancaster 2012) . During the Crimean War, the care of the sick and wounded soldiers was inadequate with cramped quarters, poor sanitation, lice and rats, and limited food and supplies. Nightingale was appointed and sent to Asia Minor to address the situation with 40 ladies, 117 hired nurses, and 15 paid servants. I t was at this time, Nightingale’s concept of public health nursing began to identify health care needs that affected the entire population to mobilize resources and organize themselves and the community to provide needs (Stanhope & Lancaster 2012).
Thirdly the general extent role of the Canadian played as a contributor to the war. The world’s wars were events in history that helped society move towards accepting women in non-traditional roles. Women’s roles in both wars were very limited. During World War I, women weren’t allowed to participate directly in battle. They served as Red Cross Ambulance drivers in France and Belgium carrying wounded soldiers between trains from the western front to hospitals.
The High Burnout and Turnover Rate of Registered Nurses Registered Nurses are the backbone of any major medical facility. They are the medical personnel you have your first interaction with in a hospital. Nurses are trained to put the needs of others before themselves. They endure emotional stress, as well as, other stress factors usually involved with the healthcare profession. There is an ongoing shortage of nurses, which along with emotional stressors, is said to be the cause of burnout among nurses.
A Review of: And If I Perish Frontline US Army Nurses in World War II By Dennis M Jack, RN D’Youville College NUR 609 Professional Role Development And If I Perish Frontline US Army Nurses In World War II (Monahan & Neidel-Greenlee, 2004) is a compelling story of the courageous female registered nurses, as male registered nurses were forced into infantry duty rather than their trained profession, that volunteered for service in the US army along with other medical professionals and their patients during the battles of world war II throughout the European and North African theaters of war. The many stories of caring for the wounded allied and enemy troops made it a difficult but mesmerizing read. From the training they received
First, women’s contribution to the war effort was definitely a major factor in granting women the vote in 1918. To start with, women’s role was to stay at home and encourage men to fight. However, many realised this was total war, involving civilians as well as the soldiers. Women were needed to fill roles of men who had gone off to war, and so women of all classes volunteered to help the war effort. Many women were nurses and ambulance drivers on the front line.
By 1858 Florence nightingale a English nurse known as the lady of lamp Changed the face of nursing from a mostly untrained profession to a highly skilled and well respected medical profession. Making her the mother of modern nursing, Florence nightingale then went onto training nurses and eventually sent 5 of her best trained nurses commonly known as Lucy Osborn, Mary
She became increasingly involved and interested in psychiatric issues when serving in the United States Army and working at the 312th Station Hospital and School for Military Neuropsychiatry for the European Theatre, during World War II. The patients would arrive with what we know today, as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Silverstein, 2008). Peplau witnessed various experimental treatments these soldiers recieved, “...with horror.” (Silverstein, 2008, p. 725). She felt that some of these treatments, like insulin shock therapy and ether treatments just worsened their conditions both mentally and physically, often with permanent consequences. Despite their mental state, she felt it was important to try to talk