Melanie Ann Wicher
Abstract: Nursing During World War II: Nurses Emerging as Leaders Personally and Professionally
In times of war, the need for nursing and the care nurses provide increases exponentially. Because of the increasing demand for their role and respect for their health care contributions, nurses gain position and power and consequently advance nursing as a profession. This study consists of an oral history as a case study from an active duty nurse in World War II. With the advent of the Women’s Army Corps, female nurses assumed new roles as leaders and professionals. They used the experience and skills they gained during war to advance their roles personally and professionally. The career of Lieutenant Parker is followed from nursing school, through her time in the army, to her career in public health after the military. Her development as a nurse and leader are discussed as a case study concerning the development of nurse leaders in the military during World War II.
This research illustrates how nursing was affected by the change in role expectations present during World War II. The entrance of nurses into the Army particularly allowed them to develop and pursue leadership roles as individuals and professionals. No research to date has specifically focused from a primary perspective on how nursing and the role of nurses changed within the framework of World War II. Discussion of the role of nurses before, during, and after the war illuminates the historical and societal implications World War II and the nurses involved in this war brought about in individuals and in the field of nursing.
