Some Conditions of Nursing in Australia

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume XI, Issue 3, 1 July 1918, Page 149

Some Conditions of Nursing in Australia

Royal Prince Alfred In Hospital

The matron, Miss Newell, is away on active service attached to the staff of No. 2 Australian General Hospital at Wimmereux, France. Her place at Prince Alfred Hospital is temporarily filled by Miss Phylis Boissier, R.R.C., who served for some time on active service. CHANGES IN THE NURSES' CONDITIONS. To enable the nurses to state their point of view with respect to any matters relating to the conditions or duties of the nursing staff, a conference was held at the hospital in June last, when representatives of all the grades on the staff, from first-year pupil nurse to sisters, met the Medical Superintendent, Secretary and Matron, and presented various points for consideration. These matters were all submitted to the Board in concrete form at its meeting, with recommendations from the executive officers, and finally the Board gave its decision upon the various points. In effect tho decisions were as follows : — The salaries for fully -qualified nurses who are retained on the staff shall be as follows : Sisters, for first year £100. Sisters, for second year £110. Sisters, for third year • £120. Charge Nurses ' £80. The appointments of charge nurses shall be for one year, and if then appointed as sisters they will serve for a term of three years, at tho end of which period they will be eligible for reappointment for a further term, but need not necessarily be re-appointed. The staff of the hospital shall be increased by the appointment of six extra pupil nurses, to assist in various departments of work, and to relieve tho pressure on the existing staff. As far as possible each pupil nurse before the completion of her training shall be given three months' duty in tho operating theatres, and shall assist the theatre sister or instrument attendant with instruments and be instructed in the use of instruments. There shall be no curtailment of tho existing course of four years' training, but nurses may, as previously approved by the Board (should they wish to proceed on military service), obtain

a certificate of 3J years' training on condition that, if the opportunity shall be available, they shall return to complete their full course of training. In the absence of an isolation block, with provision for infectious cases, an arrangement is to be made if possible for an interchange of nurses with the Coast Hospital, whereby the nurses of this hospital shall be enabled to do a course of infectious nursing at the Coast Hospital, and the nurses of that hospital shall do a course of special nursing in eye, oar, nose and throat, etc., at this hospital. Instead oi each nurse having one week's sick leave in each year, which could only be used in that year, in the event of her illness such leave will in future be cumulative — i.e., that if a nurse have no sick leave durirg three years, she may have four weeks' leave without pay or withe at loss of time in the fourth year. This concession shall not be retrospective where nurses have sick leave to make up. All nurses shall be allowed leave without "late passes " on any night until 10 o'clock, while foarth-year nurses shall be allowed one late pass for each week, to be used oa any night they may wish, provided they give intimatior rf their irtertion to the Matron. For the future all applicants for training as nu rses, who shall be selected as suitable, shall be given a month's trial at the hospital. If they aro then considered satisfactory, they will return to their homes and will enter for training on tho Ist of May or Ist November, as may be decided. By this means all nurses will come en to tho staff in batches and will receive their lectures and complete their training together. When trained they may apply for positions as charge nurses, should these be vacant, and the most eligible, as shown by the pass lists, will be selected. Such nurses will be expected to stay on as sisters and the sisters will be appointed from the charge nurses by selection, and be appointed for terms of three years. It is not expected that these methods of appointment can be carried out. in their entirety during the war, but they will be adopted as far as possible, and it is hoped that there will be a resulting benefit both to the nurses and the hospital. — From " Prince Alfred Hospital Gazette.''