History Commons^™

World War I Volunteer Nursing, Megan L. Schmedake

The Purdue Historian

In spite of the hardships of World War I, women volunteered as nurses out of patriotism and because of their desire to fulfill their traditional roles as caregivers. Due to the thousands of women who volunteered as nurses throughout the war, the idea that war was primarily a male experience was challenged. Many women made a conscious effort to support the war, and they pushed for equality by seeking to share the same wartime experiences as men. Women experienced the gruesome conditions of war alongside men and learned the best surgical practices of the time by assisting doctors. Because of …