State Examination of Nurses and Midwives

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume XVI, Issue 3, 1 July 1923, Page 111

State Examination of Nurses and Midwives

The State examination under the Nurses' Registration Act was held on June 6th and 7th, at centres. One hundred and thirty-five candidates sat and 123 were successful in passing, and nine obtained a partial pass. The questions in medical nursing were as follow: 1. In a children's ward, how would you deal with: (a) Scabies? (b) Pediculosis capitis? (c) Thread-worms in rectum? 2. Give the nursing-management of acute nephritis. 3. Mention any three drugs that may bo (given hypodermically, stating their (a) dose for an adult; (b) action; (c) Symptoms of overdose, 4. What are the signs of danger in acute lobar pneumonia? 5. Give the nursing-treatment of gastric ulcer with hsematemesis ? 6. What is meant by the following terms? — (a) Idiosyncracy, (b) aura, (c) ascitos, (d) tcnesmus, (e) aphasia, (f) tympanites. The examiner makes the following comments : — "The med'-cal papers were on the whole good; some were excellent. No. 50 was particularly good, and it Avas closely followed by Nos. 69 and 34. "I should judge that this year there has been an improvement in the general standard. As one might expect in a lange number of papers (129), there are a few that are quite * impossible,' but the general impression that one gathered was thai the candidates as a whole have a goou knowledge of their work. "To deal with the questions seriatim: "Question 1. — This pract'cal question was included to see whether the nurses w T ere fit to be put in charge of probationers in the children's ward, but T was disappointed to find that a large number omitted their duty to the ward and gave only the medical treatment of the diseases. "Some of the poor children came in for cruel punishment. Their 'scabies' was scrubbed till it bled; their scalps were treated with acetic acid (1 in 4) and car-

bolic compresses (1 in 20), and their 'thread worms' were very thoroughly purged away with 'Licquorice Pulv., 1 oz., J 'Mag. Sulph., 1 oz., repeated if necessary. It was quite a relief, but surely not very good treatment, to find one who gave 'Dover's powders for thread worms.' A few insist on 'counting the threadworms,' while some 'make sure to get the heads. ' "Santonin, appearing under the aliases of ' sanatose, J ' sandtus, ' ' sanitas, ' and 'sanogen, ' was given in varying doses up to 'dr. p.' and 'dr. I.' "It was perhaps a wise precaution that some took to 'forbid all visitors' and to 'avoid the excitement of visitors.' "Question 2. — This was the best answer of the paper, and high marks were gained in most cases. "Some who were evidently trained in city hospitals, where they can switch on electric light for 'radiant heat,' and air their blankets on radiators, forget that acute nephritis also occurs in back-block hovels, and one would like to have been quite sure that they are also expert with 'hot packs.' 'I was glad to find that a few were considerate enough to choose the 'older blankets' (a good point) both for their 'hot packs' and for their 'scabies' patients. "Some ran headlong into trouble by volunteering doses of drugs for which they were not asked, and a common mistake is to quote what is evidently a hospital stock mixture, as though it were the drusr itself, e.g., 'urotropin dr. 4,' 'quinine m. 30.' "Question 3. — The question on hypodermic drugs was generally well answered. One candidate gave very tersely the action of atropin, when she said 'The action of atropin is to dry up all secretions except the urine and menstruation.' Those who chose such drugs as pituitrin found themselves in deep water when they came to 'symptoms of overdose.'

"Question 4. — This was a poor question and the examiner was justly punished by the difficulty he had in assessing the marks gained. "No candidates failed in this question. ' * Question 5. — This ranked next t o 'acute nephritis 7 in the quality of answers received,' and was on the average very well done. ''Far too much importance is, however, attached to the value of 'ice* given internally, and until its abuse is stopped teachers Mould be well advised not to mention it in their lectures. Nurses seem to seize on 'gastric ulcer ' as the one disease in which they may give 'ice/ and time and again one comes across such foolish errors as 'Give plenty of ice to suck.' "One would almost sooner trust tht very cautious candidate who says that 'ice may be suspended over the abdomen but not allowed to touch and set up gangrene.' "One of the candidates who did not pass says 'A capsule of "almo of nitrole" may be broken, and placed near the patient's,nose. This will help to "cheque" haemorrhage. ' "Another, in preparing nutrient eneniata twice, adds 'salt to taste.' "Question 6. — While several candidate^ gained full marks for this question, its answer also provides most of the wit and humour of the piece, and lessened the tedium of the examiner's work. I have selected a few of the gems: " Idiosyncracy. — 'Like an idiot;' 'mental powers deranged;' 'insanity.' ' ' Aura. — ' Suppression of urine ; ' c a rash;' 'a rosy flush.' (Is this the Aurora Borealis?) "Ascites.^ — 'Heart attack.' "Tenesmus — "Ts a hereditary insan. ity;' 'is a ringing sensation in the ears;* 'trembling of the eyelids;' 'headache.' "Aphasia. — "Ts an effect of something;' 'difficulty of swallowing;' 'loss of speech, may occur in "asma" or in an;? complaint such as tetanus.' ' ' Tympanites. — ' Noises in the ear ; ' 'when a child walks with his toes turned in.'

"From the number of mistakes that I have mentioned it might appear that the standard of the papers was poor. It is i»nly fair to say that the absurdities arc nearly all furnished by the lowest halfdozen or more." Questions in surgical nursing were : 1. What are the symptoms of "gall stones? " Describe the nursing after-treatment of a case of cholecystotomy. 2. How would you treat a case of fracture 'Of the spine — (a) immediately after the injury? (b) after operation? 3. What is phlebitis? How would you treat u case of simple phlebitis of the leg? 4. What is an empyemaf What operation is -lone for its relief, and what nursing is required after the operation? 5. How would you prepare, in a private house — (a) the room, (b) the patient, for the operation of curetting? What instruments are used for the operation, and what after-treatment is necessary? (5. A patient is suffering from shock following operation: what are the symptoms, and howwould you treat the patient until the surgeon arrives? The examiner comments as follows: "The papers on the whole were very well done, and showed that the candidates had been well trailed in their work. "The chief faults that may be referred to are: (1) Some candidates have a tendency to wander from the question and give more than was asked. (2) Bad spelling, especially of medical words. (3) Answers were too verbose. (4) Candidates should learn to tabulate answers when they can. (5) One or two candidates were hazy about the difference between gallstones and stone in the bladder, referring to stones in the urethra when they evidently meant bile duct. "Except for the above, the papers were on the whole excellent."

The practical and oral examination was from the marks given and Hie notes by the examiners wry satisfactory, and showed an improvement in the standard attained by the candidates. The following is a list of the successful candidates: — PASSED FIRST. Wanganui Hospital. — Marjorie E. Homer. Masterton Hospital. — Isabel B. M. Bistort. Dunedin Hospital. — Ivy J. Franklin. 75 PER CENT. AND OVER. Auckland Hospital. — Mrs. Audrey dimming, Agnes M. Bourke, Ada E. Boyd, Nina Broadbent, Sylvia M. Carrington, Nina Gibson, Lillian A. Hill, Mabel T. Mangakahia, Hazel E. Russell, Helen M. Samson, Winifred E. Wilson, Mary C. Whisker. Whangarei Hospital. — Dorothy Cliff, Hazel Fullerton, Alice I. Massey, Ivy N. Reynolds. Hokianga Hospital. — Sarah A. Mackereth. Hamilton Hospital. — Isabel Pricker, Charlotte Brown, Mary Stevenson, Esme Martin. Waihi Hospital. — Alice H. Lenihan. New Plymouth Hospital. — Isabel M. Corkill, Mabel C. Dew, Annie C. Billiard, Margaret Graham, Annie M. Rea. Wanganui Hospital. — Zillah L. Chapman, Ruby V. Hill. Stratford Hospital.— Helen D. Grant. Gisborne Hospital. — Phyllis Lipsett, Elsie M. Smith. Napier Hospital. — Lillian M. Harvey, Dorothy A. Satchell, Hanahira Riripotaka. Dannevirke Hospital. — Emma H. Leipst, Margaret Jenkins. Masterton Hospital. — Wilhelmina B. Croke, Lilian C. Grimmett. Wellington and Masterton Hospitals. — Hyrell M. Shirley. Wellington Hospital.— Edith Gambrill, Elizabeth S. Johnston, Dorothy W. McGowan, Emily M. Boyde, Stella V. Norris, Margaret Weld, Ariastasia Hourigan. ( Jhristchurch Hospital. — Laurel Buckrcll, Lilian A. Francis, Doris Edwards, Margaret Kidson, Winifred I). King, Marjorie Menzies, Helen W. Newton, Mary E. O'Shea, Elizabeth A. Orsman, Doris B. Richards, Helen A. Smith, Violet E. Seymour, Irene Simpson, Agnes Thompson. - .Timaru Hospital. — Ruby G. McAllister. Dunedin find Timaru Hospitals. — Janic T. O r Meara.

Waimate Hospital. — Margaret S. A. Jones. Dunedin Hospital. — Alice M. O'Brien, Constance M. Tayjor, Iva. Tansley, Winifred M. Berry., Hilda S. E. Smith, Margaret E. Somerville, Bessie Rodgers, Catherine I. G-ow, Mary A. Minogue, Isabel Hodges, Mary I. Westwood, Dorothy H. Young, Margaret M. Brand, Margaret L. Macpherson, Elsie E. Pryor. Invercaqgill Hospital.— Nellie L. Harrington, Jeannette A. M. Waugh. THE FOLLOWING ALSO PASSED: Auckland Hospital.— Bita J. V. Allen, Elizabeth Paice, Margaret A. Scott. Hamilton Hospital. — Mary C. Horan. Taumarunui Hospital. — Francis Berry. Patea Hospital. — Marie Gilligan. Gisborae Hospital. — Mary Campbell. Napier Hospital. — Elsie J. Treseder. Waipukurau Hospital. — Ida Drink-all. Masterton Hospital. — Jane Finlayson. Wellington Hospital. — Jessie Cranmer, Kate McKenzie. Palmerston North Hospital. — Jessie "Watt, May E. Watson. Christchurch Hospital. — Nancy Wedd. Timaru Hospital.— Melvine T. Howland, Violet 'B. Simmons. Ashburton Hospital.— Gladys M. Otherwood, Marion Phaup. Waimate Hospital. — Lily Cookson. Dunedin Hospital. — Mary G. McLaren. THE FOLLOWING OBTAINED A PARTIAL PASS. Auckland Hospital.— Lucy Whibley (surgical and oral), Muriel Fletcher (surgical), Constance Smedley (surgical), Francis M. Atkinson (medical), Edith M. Allen (medical and oral). Whangarei Hospital. — Annie Walker (medical), Ethel Lowe (medical). Hokianga Hospital. — Irene E. P. Burry (surgical and oral). Thames Hospital. — Amy Potter! on (surgical and oral) , May Pottcrton (medical and surgical). Hawera Hospital. — Amy M. Craine (medical). Napier Hospital. — Olory Sangster (medical) , Mary McKendry (medical). G-isborne Hospital. — Phillis C. D'Arcy (suiigtcal and oral). Waipukurau Hospital. — Irene B. Hogg (surgical and oral). Wairo-a Hospital. — Moanu M. Martin (surgical).

Wellington Hospital. — Daisy A. Vonablos (surgical and oral). Blenheim Hospital. — Cecilia Burton (medical), Winifred Tancred (medical and surgical). Westport Hospital. — Agnes Quinn (surgical). Greymoutli Hospital. — Janet E. E. Scott (medical). Dunedin and Timaru Hospitals. — Dona Wattd (medical). Ashburton Hospital (surgical and oral). — Lily E. Busing (surgical and oral). Bertha E. Hi ( ght (medical), Mary A. J. Catherwood (medical). Dunedin Hospital. — Williamina A. R. Wood (oral). Riverton Hospital. — Mary Wclby (surgical and oral). N.B. — The above names arc not in order or merit.