NURSES' CONDITIONS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 32, 9 February 1929, Page 8

NURSES' CONDITIONS

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—Further .to "F.BiA.'s" letter in your columns, may I say that the ■nurses' conditions with regard to the one daJc oit per week are even worse than is generally known. In the first' place, it is .anything but one in seven, added to is this drawback: Under good conditions a nurse'can add. to her day the afternoon following a morning duty or the morning preceding an afternoon duty,, i.e., if she is on morning duty leaving off at 2 o'clock, she may- leave for home after changing, into mufti, and so sleep one night at home, returning next evening by 10 o'clock. That is a thorough change, and in part approximates to the general Saturday afternoon and Sunday of other workers. Similarly, if she is on afternoon duty and stops at 10 p.m., she may go home in the early forenoon nest morning and be back for duty at two next day. That seems to be quite suspended now, and her duties change with the leave day, shutting out all denying at home. This our daughter announced that the family would see even less of her in future. "There's a lecture on Thursday from three to four, so that's Thursday gone; one on Friday from seven to eight (and I did want to see Shakespeare that night!), and the days I haven t lectures I'll have to be on hand to relieve for the girls who are on duty who also must attend lectures. And there is an hour's compulsory 'swot' each day." Taking into account the time taken by changing into mufti, and time on the road, it almost amounts to a daily ration of minutes that a girl has for her home. 'Her sister has six hours of actual work'at her post and a little homework, with twice the "salary, and even her job is not considered by other girls a particularly juicy "plum." Yesterday, noticing nurse's voracious, appetite at the tea table, she was led to confess to no dinner. "Doctor came into the ward. I was told he was coming at twelve, but it was ten to one when he arrived, and he stayed till one twenty-five. then, seeing the time, he suddenly hopped it, saying he'd miss his dinner. Mine had gone West!" She is no grouser, has nothing but good, to say of the sister and matron, and loves her work, but with the insufficient staff it seems hopeless to make better airangements. But there is net possible doubt the time is duo and overdue for very considerable • '