BACKGROUND: During the 8 years of Iran-Iraq war, the work of Iranian nurses was essential and efficiently performed, and played a very important role in maintaining the wellbeing of the forces. A review of nurses' activities reveals their experiences and the nature of their activities, an area of study that has not been given due consideration. METHOD: By adopting the oral history method and in-depth interviews with the participating nurses it was possible to demonstrate the significance and humanistic nature of their work. FINDINGS: The majority of the health care assistants and nurses who joined the armed forces, despite not having prior training in this area of nursing, were able to adapt themselves to the situation very quickly and perform their task successfully. CONCLUSION: Nurses' efforts and experiences and their outstanding achievement, contributes to our understanding of wartime nursing.
BACKGROUND: During the 8 years of Iran-Iraq war, the work of Iranian nurses was essential and efficiently performed, and played a very important role in maintaining the wellbeing of the forces. A review of nurses' activities reveals their experiences and the nature of their activities, an area of study that has not been given due consideration. METHOD: By adopting the oral history method and in-depth interviews with the participating nurses it was possible to demonstrate the significance and humanistic nature of their work. FINDINGS: The majority of the health care assistants and nurses who joined the armed forces, despite not having prior training in this area of nursing, were able to adapt themselves to the situation very quickly and perform their task successfully. CONCLUSION: Nurses' efforts and experiences and their outstanding achievement, contributes to our understanding of wartime nursing.