The First World War and later the Second World War increased the feelings of insecurity, uncertainty and threat in Swiss society and politics (Kreis et al., 2014). During these years, the formation of nurses became an important issue to face the diverse difficulties. The formation of the nurses was not directly coordinated by the federal government, but by the Swiss Red Cross (SRC). Many state hospitals, private hospitals and religious congregations had their own nurse-formation (Bühler, 2007), while the SRC and the Swiss nursing association coordinated the admission, curriculum and certification on behalf of the cantons (Bender, 2011).

The interwar period led to a different categorization of risk depending on the involved levels. The military was calculating their need for nurses, the local hospitals estimated their need of nursing services and their capacity to train future nurses, while the total of potential future nurses was limited (Dätwyler/Lädrach, 1987). A glance at the historical reports of the nurse-training-programmes show, that the risk for women of not-finishing their training or of an early abandonment of their nursing career due to marriage or for health reasons was quite high. Thus, crash courses in nursing were implemented in response to the lack of professional nurses (Schweizerisches Rotes Kreuz, 2016). These short trainings were problematized by the profession, as they were perceived as a risk to the professional status and image of conventionally trained nurses (Fritschi, 1990).

This paper focuses on the development of the nursing training during the years from 1930 to 1955. A special focus lies on the assessment of training candidates, the content of the training and its institutionalization. Furthermore, the relationship between the SRC and the diverse local institutions is analysed. In doing so, the two following questions are of interest: What risks and challenges were identified by the  training institutions and the SRC regarding the formation of nurses in these years? How did the formation-institution respond to social, professional and military challenges (concerning future nurses)?

To answer these questions, the annual reports and archives of a secular and a religious nursing school in Zürich are analysed. The design of the paper allows a comparison of secular and protestant nursing tradition. We aim to empirically and case specifically verify the hypothesis, that in times of great risk, society puts high hopes and expectations in the formation and the quantity of the trainees, while the years of rehabilitation (after the time of risk) lead to renegotiation and institutional path-dependency (Pierson, 2004; Pierson/Skocpol, 2002; Tröhler, 2009).

This paper is based on a bigger project that collects data on the historical development of the educational system in Switzerland. The vocational training system is especially focused of the ongoing research interests. For the formation of the future nurses, the “Schweizerische Pflegerinnenschule mit Frauenspital in Zürich”, the “Diakonissenanstalt” in Zürich, the “Ecole romande de soins infirmiers de la Croix-Rouge Suisse”, the “Lindenhofschule” in Bern are of special interest. For this paper, the national archive collection (Gosteli-Stiftung Bern) will be searched for relevant sources. The periodical of the Swiss Red Cross will be a contrasting part of the analyses. In doing so, hardly noticed sources in the history of education will be explored and analysed concerning the question, whether the feeling of risk and uncertainty influences educational institutionalization.

First findings indicate that the feeling of risk led to the perception of two main problems the training institutions attended to. Very present was the perception, that not enough nurses were ready to serve, if Switzerland would have been attacked. A major challenge was the high fluctuation of already trained nurses or nurses in formation due to death or for health reasons, marriage or unsuitability. The uncertain future not only made it difficult to estimate the prospective numbers of trained nurses needed, but also raised the questions about the relevant skills to be taught and the decisive criteria when choosing training candidates. Another challenge was seen in the potential coordination of the civil and military service. In the case of war mobilisation, a significant number of nurses would be drafted into the army that were urgently needed at their home institution to uphold their nursing service. As individual nurses frequently changed their place of work, it was challenging to guarantee a stable work force to serve the local community and to train nursing students, as well as having at hand a specific number of trained nurses suited for army service. In addition, many nurses of religious congregations were involved in the nursing service within their care of elderly sisters. Our findings provide insight into the ways in which the perceptions of the challenges and problems at hand varied over time and between the different institutions involved in nursing education. The sometimes conflicting strategies of the SRC, the military and the various training institutions have fundamentally shaped the curriculum and institutionalization of nursing education.

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