SHORTAGE OF NURSES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 33, 9 February 1939, Page 7

SHORTAGE OF NURSES.

SERIOUS POSITION. EMPLOYMENT OF REFUGEES. (By Tplejrmph.—PrpKd Association.) NEW PLYMOUTH, Wednesday. The shortage of nurses, both registered and pupil nurses, in the Dominion, together with the methods to be adopted to meet the position, which, it was Muted. w«« becoming very eerious, formed the subject of a considerable discussion at the conference of the Hospital Boards' Association of New Zealand to-day. The cause of the shortage, as well as suggestion* for rectifying the position, wns reviewed by Miss M. I. Lambie. Director of Nursing Services. Remits covered a wide range, including the possibility of training male nurses. Miss Lamhie stated that nurse* trained in England and Australia had been encouraged to come to New Zealand. The Nurses and Midwives' Registration Board had also agreed to a certain number of German and Austrian refugee nurses being admitted to New Zealand training schools for a year's further training. Applications for admission were under consideration. A \ icheme for the training of nursing a idea / was being prepared for legislation in the coming session. Consideration had also been given to the establishment of central preliminary training schools for groups of hospitals. There were *ix bursaries available for Maori girls to take tip the nursing profession, said the chairman, Mr. J. W. Dove, when Mr. H. E. Mawley (Wairarapa) moved that the Health and Native Departments be asked to make - provision to encourage the training of Maori girls in public hospitals, so that their services after training would be available in Maori settlements. Remit* concerning the introduction of Wale mimes into hospitals were referred to the executive to take up with the Health Department.