FAIR PLAY FOR NURSES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 124, 27 May 1936, Page 6

FAIR PLAY FOR NURSES

CONDITIONS AND PAY BOARD SECRETARY EXPLAINS The fairness or otherwise of the salaries paid to nurses at the public hospitals was referred by the “Uhron>le” to Mr. L. V. Kirby, secretary to lhe Wanganui Hospital and Charitable Aid Board who advised 11 it the nursing staff at the Wanganui Public Hospital was divided into two classes — probationers and nurses. The two classes were provided with a comfortable and convenient home at the hospital which was assessed by the Government for the purpose of paying unemployment tax at £1 a week. The □veral’l cost to the hospital might be □tore than that. Thus the i.urses had io pay Jio transportation costs to and from their work as was the case with office and factory employees. Further, working uniforms were provided free of charge, and laundry was done without charge. At the Nurses’ Home there was a domestic staff to prepare meals, wait at table and attend to the rooms, including the bedrooms of the nurses. The domestic staff also attended to the domestic work of the hospital, such a-> cleaning and polishing. Probationers. When a young lady joined the hospital nursing staff she became a probationer. As such she was taught her work and trained to pass the cxamir.n nous required by the Public Health Department. Besides the foregoing ac«u. uiiudatjons and services the prob-i--tioncr received a salary of £-10 for the first rear, £5O for the second year r.ud £6O for the third year. The course of training for a nurse was a three-ye ir one and at the end of tnat time she usually qualified to submit herself Or her professional examination. Should she pass this examination and remain on the staff of the hospital her salary went up to £73 per annum for the fourth year and for the fifth year to <B5. Sisters. To carry the post of a hospital sister certain personal qualifications were required which were not in every nurse. That was to say that while some nurses were excellent as nurses they did not necessarilv qualify for the position oi a sister. * Should * a nurse possess such personal qualifications, however, then she was given the post of acting-siste r at a salary of £95 per annum. A firsr- ' ear sister received a salary of £lOO, a second-ycar sister £llO, a third-year sister £l2O and at the fourth year £l3O. The night sister received £l4O and sisters of some years’ service £156 10s, while the theatre sister, who was al ways on call, that was to say that she was likely to be called upon to attend at the operating theatre at any hour of the dav or night, received £169 10s. The district nurses received £250 a vear and were provided with motor-car transportation so that they might respond to urgent calls. District nurses make their own arrangements in re spect to their homes. Sunerannuation.