The Girl Scout Hospital Aide program was launched in 1942 to answer the need for help in America's hospitals. World War II had drastically depleted the supply of able volunteers that routinely helped in the hospital setting. Senior Girl Scouts completed training and volunteered their time in a hospital type setting.  According to the American Journal of Nursing's January 1944 article High School Girls and Hospital Service  the type of training they received varied with the hospital they worked in. Some Senior Girl Scouts received several hours of formal classroom type training before getting to work, others were given on the job training.

 

GSUSA never offered an official uniform for this program, so some creative Girl Scouts sewed pinafores out of green and white striped fabric, to look similar to the "candy stripe" hospital volunteers. Others wore armbands, or simply their Senior Girl Scout or Mariner uniform with a white smock.