NURSES' TRAINING

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 23, 27 July 1934, Page 14

NURSES' TRAINING

INQUIRY BEING HELD

HOSPITAL BOARD DISCUSSION

. The failure of a number of candi-. dates in training at the 'Wellington Hospital .to pass the recent State examination for nurses was discussed at a meeting of the Hospital Board last evening. It was stated that a sub-com-mittee was inquiring into the training system. The chairman (Mr. F. Castle) said that the house committee had appointed a sub-committee to consider the matter in a general way, and he thought that when the report, of the sub-com-mittee was received would be the proper time for the board to deal with the question. As to the- percentage of passes, the figures ;had already been published in the newspapers. The steps taken by the house committee would reveal whether there existed any weak.ness in the present system of training. If any weakness ■ existed, he' was sure it would be remedied. The failure had occurred in the answers to written questions. He did not think the board should adversely judge the nurses or the training system on the result of a single examination. . Mrs.' A. Me Vicar expressed the opinion that the fault lay principally in the form and wording of the questions. Mr. Castle: But all 'the nurses in New Zealand who were candidates had the same questions. " "A SERIOUS MATTER." Mrs. Preston hoped the house committee would recommend the appointment of a whole-time tutor sister. Mr. C. A. L. Treadwell pointed out 'that in some previous years the results had been highly satisfactory, .and had reflected the greatest possible credit on the nurses and teaching staff of the Wellington Hospital. The inference to be drawn from a remark by Mrs. Preston was that the' economy measures of the board were at least partly responsible for the unsatisfactory results. Mrs. Preston: In other large hospitals there are two tutor sisters. Mr. Castle: I think only'in the Auckland Hospital. ...-'. Mrs. Preston said that in the past the Wellington Hospital had been looked upon as one of the leading nurses' training schools.' Some members of the board seemed to think that the result of the recent State examinations was nothing to worry about. It was, however, a serious loss of time so far as the unsuccessful candidates were concerned. It might be well to appoint a whole-time : tutor-sister so as to give the candidates a/enhance of passing the examination at the earliest possible opportunity.' ; The chairman "said he could not accept such a .motion without,due notice being given. '■;"-,. , "TOO MUCH THEORY." • Dr. R. Campbell Begg said that taking, the figures for a number of years past the percentage of passes by Wellington ■ Hospital nurses had been very satisfactory. - The figures for. the 1932 and 1933 State examinations wereJuno, 1932, 20 candidates, 18 passed; December, 1Q.32, 14 candidates, 9 passed; June, 1933, 24 candidates, 19 passed; December, 1933, 32 candidates, 26 passed. The matron thought that a part-time" sister'in touch with the'practical work' in the wards would be an advance on a whole-time sister who might be out of touch with the wards. There was a general idea that nurses should be semi-doctors. . :Dr. T. L; Parr referred to fthe wording of some of the questions, and said

their object was not clearly and definitely specified, so that1' candidates in' one centre might easily be put at a great disadvantage. Dr. D. Maedonald Wilson remarked that there was no occasion to get into a panic over the results of the last State examination. Such a happening might occur at any examination. There was no systom that could not be improved. He agreed with Dr. Begg that there was a tendency to thrust upon nurses who were tired from their work a tremendous amount of theoretical study. There was a call by outside medical practitioners for practical nursing in the homes. He was of opinion that the training system in the hospital could bo improved by the assistance of the honorary staff. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT. The medical superintendent (Dr. H. Bayldon Ewen) reported to the board: — 'Owing to the shortage of resident medical officers it will not be possible to arrange the usual lectures1 for nurses by this section of the staff during the ensuing term. Hitherto practically all the medical and surgical lectures have been given by the resident 'medical officers. I would suggest that the honorary medical staff be approached with a view to getting them to take up this work; and I would further suggest that an endeavour be made to have this arranged on a permanent basis, as the training of the nurses would be enhanced if the lecturers were both more experienced and-more permanent than it is possible to obtain on the resident staff." . ■