TRAINING OF NURSES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3804, 8 February 1927, Page 31

TRAINING OF NURSES.

UNIVERSITY COURSE DESIRED. DEPUTATION TO MINISTER OF HEALTH. A deputation from the Trained Nurses’ Association waited on the Hon. J. A. loung, Minister of Health, at the office of the Otago Hospital Board on Friday morning to ask his assistance in the endeavour to secure a higher course of training for New Zealand nurses. The Mayor, Mr H. L. Tapley, M.P., in introducing tnq deputation, referred to the difficulties which had always existed, not only in Dunedin, but rigfit throughout New Zealand in connection with the training of the nurses. The Trained Nurses’ Association, and its supporters, hda felt for a long time that the training which the nurses received in ordinary hospital work should be amplified. At the present time probationers could only receive what was known as bedsi.de nursing. He thought that in the interests of public health nurses should be offered facilities for obtaining higher training and that there should be a chair in their University for their training. They wanted to encourage the nurses in their desire to obtain that efficiency which was necessary in the interests of public health. He would like the Minister to consider the possibility of providing some financial scheme by the Government under which the University could have such a chair. He knew that their University was hard up as regards finance, but it was quite prepared to offer facilities for the training. The speaker referred to the fact that Nurse Moore and Nurse Lambie, who had been sent to Canada and England respectively by the Health Department for higher training, had now

returned, but unfortunately they had no funds to keep these two nurses going in New Zealand, and he understood that shortly their work would come to an end. The Red Cross Society recognised the of this higher training and at its own expense it had sent Home four women to undergo higher training as nurses. The Otago Division of the New Zealand Branch of the British Medical Association had passed a resolution supporting the claims of the nurses. Mr J. M“C. Dickson, M.P., said he realised that nurses had not in the past received the gratitude they had deserved for what they had done in the interests ot humanity. He intended to support the objects aimed at by the association. Miss Young, president of the Trained Nurses’ Association, said that the four large hospitals in the Dominion were experiencing great difficulty in obtaining tutorial nurses in New Zealand, because their nurses felt that they had not received adequate training. She did not think it was right that what was termed “plums’" should go to nurses in England when they had nurses in New Zealand who would be quite fitted with training to take these positions. To obtain the best kind of training they required a university course for the nurses. Nurse Tennant, vice-president of the association, said that the probationer nurses at the hospitals gave very fine service, but they were poorly paid. They wanted to train tutors for the hospital, so that these could train the probationer nurses. She thought that the training and teaching of nurses was always the responsibility of the Health Department. They wanted to make the training of nurses as efficient as possible, and then they could build on these trained nurses. She considered that what was wanted was a university course. The speaker said that an advertisement had been inserted in the Dunbdin papers calling tor applications for a tutorial nurse in the Dunedin Hospital, and that not one reply had been received. 1 ’ The Hon. Mark Cohen also stressed the need of much greater consideration bein'nur!cs t 0 tralnins of 1110 New Zealand .i The J H x On - M Y ,oung said he was very pleaded to meet the deputation and he tithe iemarks that had been made with reference to the important question of makinprovision for the higher training of nurse's so as to open up a field for carrying out a system of tutor sisters in the larger hospitals. He wished to say at the outset that he was as sympathetic in regard" to the welfaie of .the Nurses’ Association as the representatives of the nurses themselves were. He knew how splendid the nurses were in their devotion to their work. This was very important work, but while he was sympathetic, he would like to point out that there was an overlapping in regard to the matter, it hud been represented to the Health Depaitment that something should be done in tne direction of sending some ladies abroad in the interests of the probationers, and as a result Miss Moore was sent to England and Miss Lambie to Canada to make a study of the conditions there. The authorities of the Otago University were instrumental in getting the department to take that step, v hen the ladies returned to New Zealand the department felt that they should bo available for the university. They were available for the university, but the university authorities had no money to pay their salaries, and they looked to the department to do that. The Health Department, however, had no power to spend money on what, was really an education matter, but realising the impasse, he resolved that the services of Miss Moore should not be lost to the country, and ne arranged that she should be retained by the department. She was now available tor the boards all over New Zealand, visiting their hospitals ana giving instruction to the nurses. He realised what was in the mind of the association, and that was the desirability of raising the standard of the nursing profession. That was a very desirable thing if it oulo be done without prejudice or injury to the profession. He knew there had been some difficulty m getting girls as probationers. He realised that there should be something in the nature of u qualifying entrance to the profession. In other words those entering it should attain a standard something like matr’cmation. It was not customary for the university to accept anyone who had not reacheo a standard equivalent to matriculation. xle would be very glad to help the association in any way, but he would like to be satisfied that it was not going to do injury instead of being a benefit by limiting the scope. Miss Tennant, said they did not ask for a university training for the ordinary bed-side

nurse, but for a few special women who would act as tutors. Mr Young said that anyone who wished to be trained in the h’gher stages of the profession should undoubtedly have something, equ valent to the matriculation standard in the way of general education. There would not be a very mige field in New Zealand for women -o regard to that particular phase of traini-.-- but it would offer encouragement for other women to go into hospitals and aspne to u ti higher positions. In the larger hospitals mere should be a sister-tutor, who would b< available partly for the teaching ot theoretical subjects to probationers, and woo would be so qualified in -he higher stages as to be an nspiration to the nurses. As Minister of Health he had done bis fart to bring that about, but nad reached an impasse with the Medical School authorities in Dunedin. He had not given up hope, however, and he thought that nenre many weeks had passed something n ihs.ratu-e oi what the association was liming at would be accomplished. it might net be in Dunedin, but he thought t would *-■ somewhere in New Zealand. He w.s sympathetic, but he felt that the education people had their responsibility. and th*;; had to provide the ways and means to carry out what was essentially of an educational character. He was not opposed to toe association’s aims, and he trusted that witnin the next 12 months they would have some machinery in operation in the direction in which they were now stro iug.

Mr Tapley sa.d he w shed to thank Mr Young for th* way :n which he had received the lep iti-.t on. He had given it a sympathetic healing, ai J they realised that if anything could be done the Minister would see that it was -lone.