Nursing education changes wanted

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33254, 18 June 1973, Page 6

Nursing education changes wanted

(N.Z. Press .Association)

AUCKLAND, June 16. Changes in the administration of nursing education are recommended in a report printed by the Nurses Reform Association, Auckland. Copies have been sent to the Minister of Health (Mr Tizard) and the Minister of Education (Mr Amos).

The report recommends University Entrance as the mihimum academic qualification, provided provision is made for high quality entrants without this to be accepted at the Nursing Council’s discretion. Trainees should have full status as students and not be paid a training salary as at present but given a two-year bursary after which they should be paid a salary as a hospital intern for the final year of training. The selection of entrants should be by a committee, not by one person as in most hospital boards now, and the three-year course should be retained.

The report sees proposals for a basic undergraduate university programme as unobtainable now, and unjustified, provided adequate

post certificate course is developed within universities for nurses going on to advanced teaching, administrative, and clinical positions. Nursing education in technical institutes is opposed. Colleges of nursing similar to primary teacher training coleges are favoured instead. Hospitals now depend on student nurses for much basic nursing care, the report says, and this would be only slightly reduced since much work would still be part of training. The report notes that private hospitals in New Zealand and hospitals overseas have managed to staff their institutions without the use of students.