THE NEW ZEALAND NURSE

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 52, 29 August 1925, Page 13

THE NEW ZEALAND NURSE

GREAT SOCIAL SERVICE

STATE SYSTEM OF TRAINING AND REGISTRATION

HIGH STANDARD OF EFFICIENCY

Of all the offices which illustrate good citizenship that of the night sister touches imagination most. For all sufferers there is about her a charm of mystery, coming to her from the shadowy spaces, which are her province, and the solemn hours in which she reigns. To the exalted fancy of the sleepless, as they watch her moving to and fro . amid their pains, she becomes the most tutelary of mortal beings. She breathes communicable strength, when in tho dead of night hfo ; pauses *in the veins, and men fear. »" In the hour when hope ebbs far she comes among them for a sign of rallying and new resistance. The eyes of the fearful turn to her; she seems the column upon which their unsure fates are stayed. Night after* night she looks on mournful things and is still strong; she has seen the worst that man endivres „and yet has comfort; therefore, men trust her. It is she who putß to flight surrendering thoughts, ' fans courage to its last flicker, and rejoices with tho indomitable soul.— W. Compton Leith, in "Domus Doloris.

Florence Nightingale may be said to have bequeathed a definite spirit to the profession of nursing. Her lofty ideal* and sound judgment did much to found the high traditions at present distinguishing this great sphere of social service, and the present standard of nursing in New Zealand reflects the impulse of her work. The fine record of our nurses during the war will not be soon forgotten, nor their present ministrations in tho many hospitals and homes of this land. It is, therefore, considered to be of interest to review some aspects of the problems affecting their profession and the work of the Department of Health in this direction.

Bightly we are proud of our present nurses, but it ia profitable at the same time to pay tribute to thoae who in the past helped to lay the foundation of nursing in this country. The history of the care of the sick in early days is fragmentary, and few records are reliable until the times when, population becoming more concentrated, in some centres, it was found necessary to provide hospital- accommodation for the people. In' thoae days the lady superintendents appointed in the hospitals in the chief centres did excellent pioneer work, but probably the greatest step forward was the appointment by the Government of Mts. Grace Noill as Assistant Inspector of Hospitals in 1900. The late- Dr. MacGregor, the then Inspector of Hospitals, in his annual report of 1900 stated : "Owing to i recent political and social developments ! it. was felt that tJn time had come when the numerous and delicate questions affecting s women which have to be dealt with in connection with our system of charitable aid and our hospitals and asylums ought to bo 'handled in the first instance by a woman. Mrs. Neill, who has been appointed Assistant Inspector, combines in a very high degTee the ability, knowledge, and sympathy required for this position." * Two, very distinct advances in New Zealand for which Mm. Grace Neill was largely responsible were: (1) Th» enactment of the provision for the registration of nurses and midwives; (2) the establishment of our St. Helen* hospital!. Reports submitted by her to the Government show her breadth of vision and her clear appreciation of the difficulties to bo overcome in safeguarding the lives of mothers and new-born infants. ' > .=■ REGISTRATION OF NURSES ' The Nurses' Registration Act wai passd in (LSOI and has since been subject only to minor amendments. Since this Act came into force, no fewer than 4262 nurses have been registered in New Zealand i and on an average 300 locallytrained nurses and 30 overseas nurses Have been registered every year. The Hospitals Department, which is now merged in the Health Department, had in 1895 only one nurse on its staff — Mrs. Grace Neill. To-day the Department of Health employs 138 trained nurses, 89 probationers, and 14 masseuses in various departments of its work. MIDWIVES' REGISTRATION The Midwives' Registration Act was placed on the statute-book in 1904. At the present moment there are on the register 2018. midwives, who have qualified by examination, and 448 who have become eligible in virtue of lone practice. Last year 172 New Zealand train-. Ed midwives were registered and seven overseas midwives wore admitted. PROPOSED CHANGES At present the Director-General of Health is the Registrar of Nurses and Midwives, and the Department of Health is responsible for the course of training and the standard of examination. In the Amending Bill at present before Parliament it is proposed that these powers shall be taken away from the Director-General of Health and conferred upon a board comprising representatives of the Department, the medical profession, nnd nurses and midwives Another provision is the raising of the I age at which candidates for the nursing profession may be accepted for training. i Or late years, entrants, have been taken at'the age of eighteen, but in future it is proposed that no one shall be accepted for training until she lias attained the age of 20 years. ST. HELENS HOSPITALS Under the Midwives' Act of ISO 4 the establishment of one or more. State Maternity Hospitals was authorised. They were designed not only to provide facilities for training midwives and maternity nurses but also to provide skilled assistance at confinement for wives of working men, at a moderate fee. These hospitals have been established at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Gisborne, and Wanganui. Tho Department of Health has 25 registered nurses rendering most valuable service in these institutions. These hospitals not only provide for the confinement period but also give a large amount of prenatal supervision and advice on the care of infants. Their medioal officers are- in attendance at special hours on certain days, when any women desiring medical advice during pregnancy may secure it free of charge, whether she is registered tojiave her confinement at the St. Helens Hospital or not. In these hospitals last year there were 1837 births (living children) in comparison with 1666 for previous year, 623 outdoor cases were attended and 90 pupil midwives qualified, showing an increase respectively of 29 and 11 over the year 1923.

SUPERANNUATION OF NURSES The'fcDeparlment has striven long to bring iwout a scheme for the superannuation of nurses, and its aim in this diroution no doubt in the near.future will lie ftcpampliEhcdp. Under tilt Hospital* and

Charitable Institutions Amendment Act, X 920, Hospital Boards are empowered to provide pensions for .matrons of ten years' service, and several boards have already taken advantage of this provision. RECOGNITION OF EFFICIENCY It will ba remembered that Dr. ValinI tine, Director-General of Health, who is | at present abroad, recently indicated in a cable message that: "The European and American nurses are not equal to the smart British type, which is maintaining throughout the Empire the Nightingale traditions in the highest degree. He would like to see Australia encourage that superiority by introducing a system o£ State registration like that in New Zealand." A considerable amount of evidence can be adduced to show that the standard of nursing in Now Zealand compares very favourably with that of other countries. The General Nursing Council for England and Wales has agreed to accept a certificate of registration in New Zealand as sufficient evidence of fitness for admission to the register of the council. The council further stated that it makes no conditions as to the number of beds -in the hospitals recognised as training schools, and is content to accept the New Zealand certificate without further restriction. The council has thus opened, the door very wide, apparently recognising that New Zealand training may be implicitly accepted. So far as can be ascertained, New Zealand is the only country to which England and Wales have extended the privilege of full reciprocity in regard to registration. References made by various authorities also show the high esteem in which the New Zealand nurse is held. DURING THE GREAT WAR In connection with their .war work, ifc is recorded that in Egypt the sisters who first arrived from New Zealand were sent to Imperial hospitals and made their mark, and were so valued that they were retained. The British Matron-in-Chief, Miss Oram, R.R.0., greatly appreciated the New Zealand ■ sisters; "They were," she said, "always ready for anything, and were so adaptable and resourceful." The surgeons found them' well trained and careful. The nursea were Bought after by the matrons of the various Imperial hospitals. When directed to open a new hospital, one British matron said: "I will not mind doing it if I may have'some New' Zealand sisters." They were given responsible positions, and justified the trust thus placed in them. One matron said, when so promoting them: "You girls deserve it, for y.ou have helped me through a most trying time, and- I always feel I can depend on my New Zealand sisters in any emergency. In fact, I consider them the backbone of my hospital." One cannot 'conclude this article without referring to the invaluable services rendered by the nurses during the Great War. That the nursing profession did its share is shown by the fact that 550 nurses were on military service in that stupendous stru-gle, and fifteen made the supreme sacrifice. It is impossible to express adequately the great burden of debt the sick and wounded were under to this band of devoted women, but the following tribute paid to them by a New Zealand soldier at the New Zealand General Hospital in Egypt may well be quoted as showing the sentiment they inspired:— "Not even Florence, in the dark Crimea, Tending her stricken heroes, lamp in • hand, Surpasses those who came. from our dear land To do this work o£ love and mercy hero. Tongue cannot utter, pen may not express , Their sympathy, their kjnd and gentle care. How oft ascended an unspoken prayer to Heaven For blessing on such gentleness."