The State Examination of Midwifery Nurses.

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume V, Issue 1, 1 January 1912, Page 19

The State Examination of Midwifery Nurses.

The State examination of midwifery nurses was held on December 6th and 7th. The following nurses succeeded in passing, and their names will now be placed on the Register of Midwives. The names are given in order of merit. Nurse Elizabeth Smith,Christchurch,St.Helens and Lilian Baker, Auckland, St. Helens, equal ; Olive Phillips, Auckland, St. Helens ; Jessie Kennedy, Dunedin, St. Helens, and Elizabeth Malyon, Christchurch, St. Helens, equal ; Lilian White, Dunedin, St. Helens, and Edith Clarke, Christchurch, St. Helens, equal \ Constance Jenkins, Wellington, St. Helens ; Gladys McLean, Alexandra Home, Wellington ; Elsie McAllum, Dunedin, St. Helens, and Elizabeth Withel, Medical School, Maternity Hospital, Dunedin, equal ; Emily Bush, Townley Maternity Hospital, Gisborne, and Helen Lones, St. Helens, Auckland, equal ; Amy Sandry, St. Helens, Christchurch, Susanna Stenburg, Wellington, St. Helens, and Christina Cameron, Dunedin, St. Helens, equal ; Lilian Miller. Alexandra Home, Wellington, and Florence Ranken, St. Helens, Dunedin, equal ; Beryl Turton, St. Helens, Wellington, Annie Kingaby, St. Helens, Wellington ; Jennie Robertson. St. Helens, Christchurch ; Mary Wilson, Medical School, Dunedin, and Harriett Pickens, Auckland, St. Helens, equal ; SaraHanna, Christchurch, St. Helens; Ruth Allen, Wellington, St. Helens ; Ruth Sutton, Christchurch, St. Helens : Jane Colyer, Medical School Maternity Hospital, Dunedin : Edith Taylor, Auckland, St. Helens. The examiner's comments are as follows, and the questions are given below : Most of the nurses answered the questions in a very satisfactory manner, and many of the papers were of an exceptionally high order of merit. Others, however, were very poor, some because the candidates had not the requisite knowledge, others because they had not read over the questions carefully. There were some three of four glaring ex-

amples of the latter, where a nurse would write a long description of a condition which had not been asked of her. In my experience of nurses examinations I have found this to be a common cause of failure. At an examination I should strongly advise all nurses to spend at least ten minutes or a quarter of an hour in stud3'ing the questions to find out exactly what is required, were this always done, many candidates who fail or only succeed in scraping through would obtain much higher percentages. Best answer to question 1 was No. 3 ; to question 2 was No. 11 ; to question 3 was No. 6 ; to question 4 was Nos. 1, 18 and 21 ; and to question 5 .was No. 6. QUESTIONS. 1. Give short description of the female organs of generation. 2. What are the signs and symptoms of (a) threatened abortion, (b) inevitable abortion ? In the absence of a doctor what should a nurse do in each case ? 3. Describe the management of the second and third stages of labour. 4. What is accidental hemorrhage ? By what symptoms is the condition recognised ? What are the nurse's duties in such a case ? 5. What do you know of the treatment of the following conditions : (a) Eclampsia ; (b) post-partem haemorrhage ; (c) inversion of the uterus ; (d) fissure of the nipple ? The examiners at the oral sitting in the various centres expressed themselves as well satisfied with the preparation of the pupils in both practical and theoretical work. Three nurses being especially singled out for honourable mention, namely, Jessie Kennedy, Elizabeth Malyon and another nurse who, although gaining full marks in this part of the examination, failed to secure enough marks for a pass in the paper. She probably was one of those alluded to by the examiner, as writing a long description of a condition, wdiich had not been asked for.