GATHERING OF NURSES

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 125, 30 May 1938, Page 14

GATHERING OF NURSES

ADDRESS BY MISS LAMBIE

There was a large gathering o: nurses at the opening meeting lor th< year of the Wellington branch of thi Registered Nurses' Tro Obstetricalbranch combined for thi: evening, aijd all; present listened wit! deep interest to an address given b: Miss M. I. Lambie, R;R.C., Director o the Division of Nursing, who spoke 01 tier observations in regard to obstreti :al nursing which she made, in variou: :ountries during her overseas tour las fear. In referring to Canada and th< Jnited States of America, Miss Lambi< itated that midwifery as we under itand it, did not exist. The onlj 'midwives" were untrained, uneduca ed women, many of them negresses vhose work in most cases was appal ing. Some obstretical nursing formec sart of the general nursing course, anc in intensive obstetrical nursing pos ;raduate training was available foi rained nurses, but there was no mid vifery training as New Zealand nurses nay have. The highly-developed midwiferj services of Holland, Denmark, anc Sweden were reviewed. Midwifery it ihese countries had a recognised stand' ng of many centuries, midwifery havng been given in Denmark and Hoiand since.' the/ eighteenth century. 11 vas a State service; and was very wel. irganised. The position held by th< nidwife, the salaries, living condition# ind adequate retiring pensions made 11 i most attractive profession for wo nen. Applicants for training weri jery well selected, and in Denmark ir 937 there were 450 applicants for 41 /acancies. The training was mosi iitensive, and was for a period of twc /ears in Denmark and Sweden, anc ;tiree years in Holland. Trained nurse: night take the course in one year ano ;wo years respectively, but they rare y .undertook this training. Some ob itetrical nursing was done during the reneral training. Compulsory re jresher courses were taken by mid vives every five years. _ : In Great Britain the State had recently taken over the midwifery ser/ices. The. length ot training had seen increased to one year for trainee lurses and to two years for untrainec women. There was also a part I lection and examination at the end ol dx'months and 18 months respectiyelj jefore -the final six months' midwiferj :ourse was taken in a second hospital This was an interesting point because t now corresponded to the type oJ .raining which had been in existenct n New Zealand for the past ten years .local authorities had organised tn< nidwifery services for their particulai u-eas. Practising midwives who wert nefficient or over 60, years of age wen •etired and compensated. In referring to* the New Zealand vbrk, Miss Lambie Showed the point) >f difference from other countries. Foi ristance, maternity training schools n tfew Zealand had much larger staff! han those of Canada and United State: )f America. An adequate staff wai lecessary for the detailed care fiver o our patients, and to facilitate th< practice of the "Case Nursing" method vhich was used in all New Zealanc naternity and midwifery training schools. By this method the pupi indertook the complete nursing, can )f the mother and her baby during th< ime in hospital. For maternity worl his method was peculiar to New Zea and. The difficulty at present being ex jerienced in obtaining obstretica lurses was mainly due to the condi ,ions existing for them.' Some privati lospitals for instance, found it ex .remely difficult to provide adequat< salary and living conditions at thi time. The latest figure fo. lew Zealand maternal mortality wa: 1.57 deaths per 1000 live births, anc ieducting the numbers for septic abor ion from these figures, gave 2.69, thi owest New Zealand record. Miss Lambi? paid a tribute to th< )bstetrical nurses and the part the: iad played towards this reduction. Ii ■onclusion, she struck an inspirin; lote, showing the position and valu< if a well mother in the home life o. he community; the service of obste rics contributed to this ideal anc herefore required the most able ana he best prepared nurses. Intense interest was shown by ail jresent and a hearty vote of thanks vas accorded the speaker.