NURSE TRAINEES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 66, 15 September 1943, Page 4

NURSE TRAINEES

NO CLASS DISTINCTION

"Applicants from every walk of life are welcomed as trainees for the nursing profession as far as Wellington is concerned, and I think the same principle is adopted in other public hospitals throughout the Dominion," stated Dr. J. Cairney, medical superintendent of the Wellington Hospital, last night, adding that any suggestions to the contrary by political candidates were not only entirely without foundation, but had caused resentment among members of the Wellington Hospital Board. He was referring to allegations reported to have been made by Mrs. Dreaver (Labour, Waitemata) that class distinctions were made.

The determining factors in the selection of nursing trainees for the Wellington Hospital, said Dr. Cairney, were of a nature on which neither previous occupation nor social status had? any bearing whatever. There had naturally to be a proper scrutiny of candidates' applications, and, where necessary, a personal interview with the matron, to whom the board looked with, confidence to exercise her discretionary powers. That course was followed to prevent the entry of persons whose health was likely to be affected detrimentally by the duties of nursing, or whose standard of education was such that they were unlikely to be able to cope with the examinations set by the Nurses' Registration Board. Any suggestion of drawing the line socially was denied by Dr. Cairney, who said that no such thing as snobbery was permitted to enter into any part of the board's service, nursing or otherwise. The two main essentials were qualification and ability to carry out the duties required. Equality of opportunity was a gpvefnjn_g.PrinciPle-