NURSES AND MIDWIVES.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVII, Issue 234, 3 October 1913, Page 2

NURSES AND MIDWIVES.

THE DOMINION'S INCREASING

SUPPLY

EFFECT OF REGISTRATION ACT,

The number of nurs.es being "trained in our hospitals is increasing yearly, states the public health report. During the year 141 trained in New Zealand were.admitted to registration, while 47 new arrivals in the Dominion were also granted registration. "The question of having a uniform scale of salaries for hospital nurses has frequently been discussed, but as- each Board sets its own scale, and naturally desires to reward good service Tby some recognition, it is almost impossible to expect any success, having regard to the varying conditions and inducements offered in the services of

the, several hospitals," comments Dr Valintine, ;. '■•.:-. *•

Coming to the midwifery question, the. report points, out that the number of; mid wives added to «the register during the year was 91, all of these having been trained. Of th© number, 61 were trained in the State _ maternity and other recognised training schools in New Zealand, and 30 were admitted ,on certificates obtained in other parts of the Empire. Trained midwives are going out as district nurses and subsidised nurses under the Hospital Boards to the backblocks and establishing private maternity houses in country towns. The number of untrained midwives registered "when the Act was first passed was 682, and during the first year only 52. trained1 women were-registered. The number of trained midwives now on the register, however, is rapidly overtaking the number of untrained women registered on their practical experience when the Act was passed. There are novr 54© trained, midwives and 685 untrained, the number of the former being constantly being added to and the latter diminishing.