HISTORICAL

INFLUENCES ON
NURSING EDUCATION
Civil War
1861 to 1865

Area of Interest

As a young girl, I was taken to Shiloh, TN

each summer to pay respect to those who
lost their lives in the Civil War, as it was only
minutes from the town where my parents
had grown up.
My ancestors fought for both sides;
however, predominantly for the Confederate
Army, as many resided in TN.
Most of the grave sites at Shiloh are actually
for Union soldiers, not Confederate. Many
soldiers were buried in mass graves.

Inception of American Nursing

If modern nursing was born in the

Crimean War, then American nursing was
born a few years later in the Civil War,
Author Unknown (RN, 1971).
Civil War started with the firing on Fort
Sumter on April 12th, 1861.
Over 600,000 dead; nearly 400,000
wounded, but surviving.

Social Forces Affecting

Education

There were no formal nursing programs

to date.
Nursing was not viewed as a profession
and duties commensurate with nursing
were primarily carried out by males.
Kahn (2005) stated the reason for this
being society and military protocols
mandated that women were too frail to
cope with the demands of caring for the
sick and injured, p. 344.

Political and Economic

Forces

Due to increasing numbers of casualties,

women would assume the role of the
nurse in the Civil War, albeit with no
formal training.
Dorothea Dix was named Superintendent
of the Women Nurses of the U.S. Army by
the Secretary of War.
Nurses were paid 40 cents per day.

Mother Bickerdyke
Northern nurse from Galesburg, IL started
caring for troops on their way to
the front; later moving into
the battle zone. She cared for
both Confederate and Union
soldiers, noting that they
would always have two
friends: God and her.

Impact of War on Higher

Education

War was viewed as the primary catalyst

for changes in higher education.
Student and faculty enlistments.
Economic and demographic impact
resulting in shorter or canceled terms,
closings, physical destruction.
New level of partnership between
governments and institutions of higher
learning.

Post War Changes

Cohen (2012) described post war

changes to higher education to include
broader curriculum and the vast
expansion of student populations to
include African Americans, veterans, nonelites, and more women, p. 217.

Post War Changes

Higher education was no longer just

focused on the classics.
Morrill Act, product of the war, federal
government developed broader
curriculum, military training academies
and started regulating education with the
creation of the Department of Education
shortly after the war.

Nursing Education

1873 Bellevue Hospital School of Nursing

opened their doors.
1955 School of Practical Nursing began;
one year program.
1960s Diploma programs wax and wane
as a result of the introduction of
Associate Degree programs.
1985 American Nursing Association (ANA)
recommended to establish the BSN as the
minimum educational requirement.

Lessons Learned

During the Civil War, prejudices were held

toward the women who decided to perform this
laborious work with men who were strangers;
questioning their moral fiber.
Despite the ridicule and criticism, many women
came forward to care for ALL soldiers, with no
regard for the color of their uniform or skin.
This type of care and empathy for all needs to
be a lesson that continues to grow as our patient
population and student population continues to
become more diversified; providing culturally
competent care.

Influence of Civil War On

Nursing Education

Department of Education regulates nursing

education programs.
Changes in curriculum; broader scope and
federal government interplay.
Cultural competency has been integrated
into nursing programs to provide patientcentered care.
Nursing students are taught historical
perspectives from nursing leaders, such as
those in the Civil War and how it relates to
current events such as the Ebola Crisis.

References

Cohen, M. (2012). Reconstructing the

Campus: Higher Education and the
American Civil War. ISBN 978-0-81393317-7.

Kahn, B. (2005). The Evolution of

Orthopaedic Nursing at the Hospital for
Special Surgery. Orthopaedic Nursing,
24(5), 343-348.