Hospital Probationers

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume XII, Issue 3, 1 July 1919, Page 135

Hospital Probationers

The increased wages and other inducements that are being offered to office girls form the chief explanation of the dearth of probationers offering just now to learn hospital nursing. It is found on enquiry that many girls who had sent m their names as desiring employment as nursing probationers have since entered offices, and now have no intention of learning nursing. It is likely that retrenchment m Government services, involving the discharge of hundreds of girls taken on during war-time may take place shortly and that should relieve the situation to some extent for the hospital authorities. In the meantime the shortage of staff at the Dunedin Hospital is so acute that the medical superintendent announces that only the most urgent cases can be accepted until the staff has been strengthened. One obvious solution that readily occurs, of course, is to offer higher wages to probationers, but that there are serious objections to this is sufficiently indicated by the fact that the Trained Nurses' Association itself opposes such an increase. It is felt, for

one thing, that it is distinctly undesirable that anyone should be attracted from purely mercenary motives into such an unselfish profession as nursing. It appears there is little danger of this happening at present. ■ — From " Otago Daily Times."

Note. — It is of interest to note that foliowing on the article on the ' 'Training of Nurses" m the April number of Kai Tiaki it has been decided by the Dunedin Hospital to accept probationers at the age of nineteen. It is also decided to make a trial of allowing candidates for training under that age to study for, and pass, the preliminary examination required under the Nui ses' Registration Act m anatomy and physiology. If resident m Dunedin, these young girls will be allowed to attend the lectures given to the probationers m training, and, having passed the examination before entering, they will not need to attend the lectures again, but can go on with less strain w r ith their practical work-.