The development of Lithuanian Nursing

Lithuania, a small country located on the
eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, was the first country to
break away from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. The
door was opened to collaboration with professional
colleagues from all over the world. Hence, a study of the
history of Lithuanian nursing with emphasis on one of the
major transitional periods, 1935 to 1945, became possible.
Strauss (1991) described the study of social worlds and
defined them as professional or occupational groups that
shared a common activity. Five aspects of the social world
of Lithuanian nursing were examined in this study.
Significant individuals and events that contributed to
changes in Lithuanian nursing were described. An analysis
beyond 1945 revealed that no trends were continued from the
interwar period (1918-1940). Lithuanian nurses were led
down paths chosen by, and agreeable to, occupying military
regimes. An incidental purpose of this study, the first
compiled history of Lithuanian nursing with emphasis on
1935 to 1945, provides a basis for future comparison with
nursing development in other Eastern European countries.