MATERNITY NURSES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 16074, 31 October 1912, Page 5

MATERNITY NURSES.

TRAINING COMPULSORY. • BACKBLOCKS COURSE. [Fhpm Oun Ccßsasi'O.vur.xT.l WELLINGTON, October 30. “Nurses trained in the St Helen’s Hospitals should, as part of their course, on the completion of their hospital work, spend a further period of sis months nursing in the backblocks,” stated Mr Statham, '-member for Central Duuodin, in the course of a question on this subject to the Minister of Public Health. The latter’s reply showed that the suggestion cannot bo officially adopted. The question of encouraging midwives to practice in the backblocks had, ho said, been the subject of consideration on the part of the Department, and Hospital Boards had been advised that freo training would be given in our St Helen’s Hospitals to those women specially recommended by the Boards as likely to make suitable midwives, provided they engaged on completion of their training to serve for a stated period in the more remote country districts. It was considered that this policy was a better one than to insist on a six months’ extension of the period of training for midwives, which at present for registered nurses was six months, and for imrcgistorrd nurses twelve months. if an additional six months’ course were insisted upon it might have the effect of deterring many excellent women, trained or untrained, from undertaking the work, and this might result in a shortage of midwives for the dominion.