Civil War Nursing

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During the mid to late 18th century, nursing had transformed into a respectable and accepting career. With the significant advances brought on by Florence Nightingale, nurses were now viewed as suitable care takers. This was especially true during the Civil War, where many women were sent out to take care of the soldiers. “Lessons from the Crimean War and Florence Nightingale had made it clear to Americans that nurses (even if they were untrained) were needed in times of war to care for wounded and ill soldiers (Judd/Sitzman, 97).” In this essay, I will compare the images, training, education, and work performed by American nurses in the Civil War between Louisa May Alcott’s Civil War Hospital Sketches to that of the History of American Nurses. …show more content…

“At the time, infantrymen who received nursing care expressed gratitude and appreciation (Judd/Sitzman, 100).” The image of nursing was transitioning into a more professional and acceptable career, with the establishment of nursing training schools and the arrival of religious nursing orders. As stated in, History of American Nurses, women who worked as nurses were beginning to be looked at as conservative, loyal, docile, submissive, and dedicated individuals. The profession had converted from the previous imagery of the lower class of society into a “middle-class realm of respectability”. Nonetheless, there was still plenty of work to be done to get nurses where they are today, beginning with proper …show more content…

This is demonstrated in Alcott’s, Civil War Hospital Sketches, “go nurse the soldiers, said my young brother, Tom, panting for the tented field (Alcott, 1).” Alcott is tossed into the duty of nursing, upon arrival to Washington she is not given any prior training only her womanly intuition on how to care for the sick. “What shall we have to do...wash, dress, feed, warm and nurse them for the next three months (Alcott, 19).” Training as described in History of American Nursing, also confirms the type of training that many nurses received. Training usually insisted of heavy cleaning, cooking, and laundering responsibilities; with a gradual transition to patient care. While many nurses training wasn’t idea, it is obvious that things were beginning to move in a new direction and work duties were beginning to be outlined more

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