Training Of Nurses

Northern Advocate, 23 July 1943, Page 2

Training Of Nurses

(.P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Moving the second reading of the Nurses and Midwives’ Registration Amendment Bill, the Minister for Health (Mr Nordmeyer) said that the Health Department was very seriously concerned about the fact that it had not been possible to recruit nurses in such numbers as was the case previously and, in some districts, hospitals had "been seriously inconvenienced because of shortage of staff, both domestic and nursing. Dealing with the training system the Minister said that it appeared to him that the time was coming for us to recognise that the best time to give i, nurse her theoretical training was before she undertook practical work and, but for war difficulties, he thought this system would already have been adopted in New Zealand If they passed their theoretical exam inations before undertaking practical work they would be relieved of very considerable and unnecessarily heavy burden.

The Minister considered there should be closer relationship between general nursing and mental nursing and he did consider that a general nurse should also have some experience of mental nursing because, in the course of her ordinary work, she came into contact with cases which were not necessarily certifiable but, nevertheless, were mental cases.

If a nurse were to spend three months of her training in a mental hospital before she could obtain her certificate, that would be of enormous advantage to mental hospitals and of greater advantage to the nursing profession. There seemed to be prevalent the opinion that a special type of woman was required for mental nursing, but in mental hospitals today were women of all temperaments arid they were making excellent nurses Almost any woman of average physique. ordinary kindness, tact and judgmen would make a good mental nurse. The debate was interrupted by the adjournment at 5.30 p.m. Overworked. Underpaid

Continuing tiie debate on the Nurses and Midwives Registration Amendment Bill when the House of Parliament resumed at 7.3 C, Mrs Poison (Oppn.-Mid. Cant.) expressed the opinion that the suggestion that mental nursing he included in ordinary nursing training might deter girls suitable for ordinary nursing from undertaking training.

Mr D. W. Coleman (Govt.-Gisborne) contended that responsibility for wages and conditions of nurses did not lie at the door of the present Government. If the Government were to bring in provision for a minimum wage for nurses, he could quite imagine the cry there would bo from certain sections throughout the country about the increased cost of hospital management. Mr H. Atrnore (hul.-Nelson) said that there was a certain amount of uneasiness among a great number of people about the .number of nurses who broke down under the strain of their profession, it was regrettable that girls offering themselves to this great -profession should he overworked and underpaid. He thought Uie Government had a certain responsibility in the matter. Mr F. W. Doidge (Oppn.-Tauranga) deprecated the inequalities in payment of nursing and domestic staffs and agreed with Mrs Poison that the suggestion that nurses should be required to spend.part of their training in mental hospitals might act as a deterrent in preventing general nursing trainees coining forward. The Prime Minister said he did not think anyone could dogmatise about the tvpe of person suitable for nursing in mental hospitals. It would be wrong to think mental hospitals were full of uncontrollable people, and it must, be realised there was disagreeable work in every hospital and every hospital theatre. It would add to a girl’s experience if she had an opportunity of learning work in mental hospitals. He considered it would he a disgrace to New Zealand if wo failed to get sufficient people to give service to the mentally afflicted, and he considered no war job was more worthy than to help in mental hospitals at the present time. M,- A. H. Nordinever (Govt.-Oamaru) in reply said there was nothing in the Bill which would tend to lower the standard of the nursing profession. Much of the publicity given to appeal cases had created the impression that there was something unwholesome and almost obnoxious about mental nursing. This was< quite erroneous and some of the women who had gone to mental nursing with grave fears after being directed to it had taken a real liking to it. The Bill was read a second tune, put through the committee stages, given a third reading and passed.