Background:

The foundation of the Spanish Red Cross can be traced back to the third Carlist War, the purposes, principles, and service of this institution had an impact on the development of the nursing profession at the time.

Objective:

to determine the involvement of the Spanish Red Cross in nursing professionalization between 1912 and 1939.

Methods:

A bibliographic search was carried out in the main search portals, as well as in specialized libraries in nursing history.

Results:

The Spanish Red Cross participated in the development of nursing care and training, founding and running its own hospitals and field hospitals to care for the wounded from various wars, such as the Carlist Wars themselves, the Rif War or the Spanish Civil War. In the training they founded various Hospital-Schools that provided theoreticalpractical training, supervised by religious nuns.

Conclusion:

The participation of the Red Cross in the professionalization of nursing lies in the collaboration, care, and assistance of the wounded in numerous armed conflicts at the national level, such as the Carlist Wars, the Rif War and the Spanish Civil War. The Red Cross also participated in the advancement and improvement of regulated training up to that time, with figures such as the Lady Nurse, professional nurses, and specialist nurses.

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