ATTENDING THE SICK

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 22, 26 January 1924, Page 13

ATTENDING THE SICK

WELLINGTON NURSE IN AMERICA

COMMENTS ON NEW METHODS

NEW ZEALANDERS WELL

TRAINED.

After spending about three years in various spheres.of t^e nursing profession in America, Miss E. J. Port (formerly of the , Wellington Hospital) recently returned to< Wellington. During her stay in the United Sates, Miss Port worked in various leading hospitals in San Francisco, Denver (Colorado), Philadelphia, and New York. In New YorE: a considerable portion of her time was spent in public health servics in connection yiiiti the Henry Street bettlement. "Some of the incidents encountered by me in the health service work," saiU Miss Port, "were decidedly amusing. For instance, a young Hungarian girl returned from Bellevue Hospital with a new baby. She lived in the basement of a dirty tenement. The child was a fine healthy infant, but I noticed that its head was. black and sticky, while the rest of its body was beautifully clean. On bringing in a neighbour to interpret for me, I discovered that some one had advised her to wash the head and face of the chili in milk only, then cover it with grease—to which, of course, the dirt and dust stuck solidly. Fully a. month did it take of almost daily -visiting to get that baby clean, and persuade the mother- and father of the un'desirableness of such treatment.

"This social service work included vis iting nursing : and 'social welfare duty amongst the Eastside tenementrhouses, .inhabited by colonies of people from the principal countries of Europe—large numbers of whom cannot speak English. In the hospitals in many of the large cities the nurses are given from four to six months' training in the public health field of nursing. Many hospitals have their own social seivice department."

Miss Port states that thare are vast differences between the various nurses' training schools, and, if anything, the training_given in the West and MiddleWest States is not quite up to. the standard of the' schools in the Eastern States. Speaking generally, the training of nurses in the United States is, in Mss Port's opinion, quite as good as that given in Ivew Zealand. '"I observed, however," remarked Miss Port, "that, particularly lin the West, although nurses have excel,lent surgical technique, they-are often lacking in some features of general nursing, such as is shown in the arranging oi-a bed, or pillows, or in the moving of a patient after an operation. The comfort of the patient seemed to be the first consideration. Tidiness,, cleaning of the wards, etc., did not seem to claim to much attention, or at any rate, the first attention, as is the case in some hospitals in the Dominions and iii Australia. The reason perhaps for the difference is that' in ' America training schools take in1 private paying patients as well as free public patients, and as the former class of patients pay large fees they naturally expect more attention in return." ' j

\A. FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE.

Although in the larger hospitals, such as Stanford University Hogpital, " San Francisco, and the University of Pennsylvania Hospital (Philadelphia^ there is apparently all the discipline necessary for the turning out of good nurses, yet there is a freemasonry, or. social touch, between trained nurses and' probationers that does not exist in some of our hospitals. All nurses, from matron to the newest, probationer, are addressed as 'Miss So-and-So,' not 'matron' or 'nurse' or 'sister.'

'Ward patients are, usually well attended to, but I thought that in some instances patients in private roomspatients who have no special nurse—are not always visited by the nurses on that particular floor as often as I thought they should have been. However, the pressing of a button at the bedside.will, in,most hospitals, summon a nurse within a few minutes. ■' ■ -

'"The rule which generally obtains in this .Dominion against nurses one night duty indulging in a sleep is not observed with the same rigidity in many institutions in America. If. a private patient isnot seriously ill; and is'sleeping well, the-nurse in charge of such a patient, instead of sitting- at the bedside, wide awake hour after hour, will often settle down in a comfortable chair and in-dulge-in a refreshing doze. Although this practice is decidedly overdone in some cases, both by special nurses and floor nurses, I am inclined to think the rule in this country might well be relaxed to some extent.

DIFFERENT TRAINING; SYSTEMS.

"Almost all the States in America have State Board registration. In some ■it, is compulsory for outside trained nurses to become registered, while in others it is not. It is especially to be noted, that since the end of December, 1922, New York; State refuses reciprocity with New ZeaHmd, unless an examination is taken. The length of training required is three years, which includes obstetrical as well ;as general work. Another feature is the employment of one or more trained dietetians in every hospital, large or small, and all nurses do duty in the diet kitchen while they are in training. , "Another feature in American hospitals is the employment of more orderlies than in New Zealand institutions. Nurses there are riot required to attend to male patients to the extent expected of them here. Even a special nurse with a male patient will always find an orderly within call if needed. In 'male wards, orderlies are always in attendance; usually two or more being on night duty, according to the size of the hospital. "As is_ well known, the newer American hospitals are up to date in every re-'sp-ect, furnished with the latest and finest improvements and devices whTch money can buy. Fifth Avenue Hospital, New York City, is at present considered a model hospital; it is quite new. On each floor there are diet kitchens, dumb-waiters, surgical dressing-rooms (with nurses in attendance), sterilising rooms, and flower rooms, (for arranging flowers for patients). . There are. also large "sun-porches or lounges for convalescent-■ patients.

ATTENTION TO PATTENTS.

"In the majority of hoapials the nurses, both trained and; those in training, work very hard. Special or private nurses, however, do not often work the 24-hour duty in; all hospitals; and often in private homes both a day and a night nurse are on duty.x In one case recently, in Philadelphia, of diabetes— a case in which insulin treatment was being given—in addition to a day and a night nurse, a trained dietetian was engaged for several weeks."

It has been asserted in some; quarters that the system- of training in America and the existence of the latest scientific and other devices tends to make the nurses there less personally attentive to their patients than in New Zealand and other conntriee. Miss Port does not support this contention, but

found American nurses quite as attentive to' their patients as are nurses trained in the Dominion. The average American nurse is, in her opinion, fully equal to the average New Zealand nurse. Amongst the American nurses who have specially distinguished themselves, Miss Port refered to Miss Goodrick, who was recently appointed to manage the new experiment in public health nursing at Yale University. Miss Goodrich has achieved wonders for the advance of the nursing profession. . Miss Port found that the advance^ made in New Zealand in nursing, social I welfare work, and public health, more I especially it s activities in the care of infants, was known and' acknowledged in the United .States—at anyrate, in medical c.no nursing circles, our low in- I Jj»jt mortality being fully - recognised. The pay-of nurses in America is higher than it is here, and one must admit that an American nurse thinks a little more of her salary than nurses do in this country, and is inclined per- I haps to spend rather too much on dress." The cordial reception and help given by' American nurses to nurses arriving from overseas was specially emphasised by Miss Port, who acknowledged in the j most appreciative terms the assistance they had given to her. "It is amaz-' ing, remarked Miss Port in conclusion, "the number of New Zpaland nurses at present working in Canada abd the-United States, and all seem to be contented and enjoying their work there. ' I think they are always popular with both doctors and patients; in fact, a New Zealand nurse will, I think, get *on well in almost any country—our training here, being second to none,' in my opinion."