The Dominion FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1928. THE LOT OF THE HOSPITAL NURSE

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 290, 7 September 1928, Page 10

The Dominion FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1928. THE LOT OF THE HOSPITAL NURSE

There has been a good deal of public discussion lately on the lot of the hospital nurse. A representative of The Dominion, in a recent interview -with the Chairman of the Wellington Hospital Board, gathered certain information concerning the hours worked and the time allowed off, which would appear to support the suggestion that the conditions of the nurses ought to be reviewed. The Chairman said that at present the nurses were required to be on duty for eight hours daily, with one half-day off per week. This is clearly stated in the rules of the Hospital, but it appears that the operation of this rule is subject to the proviso—implied, not expressed—that the half-day off is granted if circumstances, permit. The Hospital nursing staff at present numbers 245, and at the time of the interview from 25 to 30 were on the sick list. Cases of partial or complete breakdowns are not infrequent. Mr. Luke says that the circumstances of hospital work makes it desirable that rules governing nurses’ hours and time off should be elastic. Contingencies arise that cannot be foreseen. 1 his one can readily understand. At the same time, organisation and management, if efficient, should be able to reduce the number of lost halfdays to a minimum. When instances occur, as has been stated, of nurses having no half-day off' for as long as ten weeks, there is surely ground for protest. Such conditions are apt to swell the casualty list of the nursing staff instead of reducing it. According to Mr. Luke, the problem comes back to the question of finance. If the boards had more money, they could employ more nurses, and so be in a position to keep faith in the matters of hours and time off. He may be right. It is possible, however, to make too much of this aspect of the case. It must be assumed that those who made the eight-houi duty day and the half-day a week off rule conceived that the hospitals could be run on that basis of staffing. The trouble about an “clastic” rule is that it is more often honoured in the breach than in the observance. In the majority of cases, girls who enter the nursing profession remainon it from the pure love of the work. The material rewards are insignificant, and the “plums” are not very many. It is work, however, that makes a powerful appeal to the ministering instinct of the sex. But it is not easy work. Their hours are not only long, but strenuous. Nursing is an excellent test of character. Patience, cheerfulness, sympathetic feeling, and a high sense of duty are the i equisite qualities for success. It is surely due to the nurses, theiefoie, that adequate and regular rest periods should be provided, either by efficient management or more stringent regulations.