Abstract
ABSTRACT Background Following stabilisation in hospitals and on hospital ships wounded and sick servicemen in World War 1 were transferred to auxiliary (also known as convalescent) hospitals for convalescence and rehabilitation. Exploration of the work of the auxiliary (convalescent or rehabilitation) nurse is sparse. Aim To identify the Australian trained and untrained nurses and their nursing work in an Australian auxiliary hospital in England during WW1. Methods Digitised primary and secondary sources were used to identify nurses and their work. To account for names and spelling variances a process of data validation was employed. Findings Formally unrecognised, auxiliary (rehabilitation) nurses had a high patient load and worked long hours. Nursing activities spanned the acute, mental health and rehabilitation domains. Discussion Analogies can be made between perceptions of wartime auxiliary nursing work and the continued debate around contemporary rehabilitation nurses’ scope of practice. Conclusion The complexity of WW1 auxiliary (rehabilitation) nurses’ work and workload was underestimated. Rehabilitative techniques gaining recognition today were embraced by auxiliary nurses over a century ago.
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