Nursing assistants began as a volunteer group, according to the The Red Cross Nurse in Action. Citizen volunteers during the Revolutionary War were women who were not trained before in the art and science of nursing. They were citizens who cared for the people that were sick and wounded whenever American military personnel were engaged in the battle situations. Throughout the twentieth century, nursing assistants worked with nurses in a variety of healthcare settings.until the 1960s, nursing service departments organized nurses and nursing assistants teams. Registered nurses were team leaders; licensed nurses dispensed medications and completed physician ordered treatments such as changing surgical dressings,instilling indwelling catheters,and monitoring vital signs. The entire staff that worked with the patient reported the patient observations and patient care outcomes to the team leader. Doctor’s use of medical technologies and equipment enabled hospitals to treat large numbers of patients with AIDs, drug and alcohol related diseases, and diseases linked directly to