Report expected on nursing changes

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33045, 12 October 1972, Page 18

Report expected on nursing changes

(By our education reporter)

A radical change in nursing education in New Zealand, involving technical institutes, is being considered by the Cabinet.

A report on suggested changes will be made soon in a joint statement by the Minister of Health (Mr Adams-Schneider) and the Minister of Education (Mr Pickering). The changes will mean the gradual phasing-out from mid-1973 of the control of nursing education from hospital boards to the Department of Education and possibly the universities. This is in line with recommendations made in March, 1971, by Dr Helen Carpenter, a nursing consultant to the World Health Organisation. INITIAL STAGES In the initial stages, it is understood, demonstration programmes of “outside hospital” education will be provided by the Auckland, Waikato, and Christchurch technical institutes and the Wellington Polytechnic. These would take two years and a half to complete, and involve student nurses in practical experience in hospitals in the same way as a teachers’ college arranges for students to go out to schools “on section.” The new scheme cannot be introduced en masse for New Zealand’s 7500 student nurses because of the pressure it would place on the staffing of hospitals. There is also understood to be some opposition within the Cabinet to the suggestion that technical institutes [undertake such a large part I of the training because of the large capital costs involved ' in providing more facilities at I the institutes. It is generally accepted by the more enlightened medical I and nursing groups that [nursing must get away from [the idea that the student’s [job was to serve the hospital with only spare time given ito study. The withdrawal of nurses ! from ward service, though [leaving big gaps in hospital ; staffing, could be overcome by a drive to attract back to the service large numbers of registered nurses in the community. This would follow a similar plan used by schools, when longer periods of training were introduced [for teachers. “PLAN OF ATTACK” Asked to comment on the : possible changes in nursing education, the president of the Nurses’ Association (Mrs M. Bazley) said that nurses

fully supported the idea of training within the technical institute and university system, as part of their desire to see their training based more in the community.

“However, if we do not hear something very, very soon on our repeated requests for Government action on training changes, then our nurses have a plan of attack which we will put into action. That action will be taken, if necessary, before the General Election," Mrs Bazley said.