Trained Nurses and Midwives

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume XVIII, Issue 2, 1 April 1925, Page 49

Trained Nurses and Midwives

We have been much interested m recent discussions and articles m the "South African Nurses' Record" concerning a mixed association of general trained nurses and nurses trained only as midwives. The position m regard to the members of various branches of nursing m Xew Zealand is practically the same as m South Africa. Both are comparatively new countries and both have had for many years different forms of legal recognition by the State of nurses and midwives. Actually, the two should be identical: exery trained nurse should have, as a part of her equipment for the profession, gone through a general and midwifery course. Less and less m these modern times is maternity a normal function unassociated with illness. Why this is so is difficult to state. It should not be, but we fear it will not be possible to return to the days of long ago when our grandmothers had large families and required little skilled help m their confinement. To go further hack, or to uncivilised races, the function of production is almost entirely a natural one, interfering little with ordinary life.

Now it is necessary for a midwife to know almost as much about nursing the sick as a general nurse. Her training is intensive and lias been compressed into a third of the period recognised as necessary for training m medical and surgical nursing. It is felt m many quarters that this period should be lengthened or that trained nurses only and all should take the midwifery course. Many trained nurses now are doing so, but we fear m many instances merely for the sake of possessing the certificate, not of exercising t lie knowledge gained. Years ago, nurses rather looked down upon the midwife us a member oi* a lower grade of the profession. We are glad to know that that idea is fading out. As more general nurses enter midwifery schools they realise and pass on that realisation, how much there is to learn of which their general training leaves them ignorant, and also how very important and responsible is the work of the midwife. She has m her hands the life of two individuals. Her quick observation of an untoward symptom and rapid treatment saving many a life, before it is

possible for help from a medical practitioner.

A general nurse is seldom m" such a position; though her work is responsible enough, it is only m isolated cases thai emergencies arise m which she has to act without waiting for a doctor. Most serious operations are now performed m hospitals, public or private, and, therefore help is at hand.

District nurses away m the backblocks need to be very well equipped m both general and midwifery knowledge and experience. They are often confronted with serious cases far from any medical help, and wonderfully well do they rise to the occasion and give the necessary treatment. All this is to make the argument that one association of trained nurses should take m as members all those nurses who are trained m medical, surgical and midwifery, providing that the training m midwifery is an adequate one.

It has been advanced by various persons that all nurses should go through a midwifery course before registration as nurses. As we said before this is the ideal training but when one pauses to consider, one recognises that it is an ideal which is impossible to attain, unless the training were to be more theoretical than practical. When one remembers that the material on which nurses can gain their practical experience m medical and surgical nursing comprises men, women and children ai all ages, and that the material on which they can gain their obstetrical experience

women only, and that only for the most part married women for about a quarter of their natural existence, one recognises that the supply of such material would be quite inadequate to give each trained nurse even a very small experience m this important work. No, let us not attempt impossibilities, but let trained nurses realise the great importance and interest of midwifery work and as more and more nurses take the certificate and afterwards devote themselves to the work, there will gradually be fewer of the nurses trained m midwifery only. In the meantime these latter are doing splendid work and are well worthy to join on equal terms m an association of women dealing with birth, life and death, with the prevention of illness and its cure, or alleviation when it cannot be prevented, and by so joining can help to build up an organisation strong enough to be a power m the community.

All registered nurses, both general and midwifery should join the association, but we know that there are many who think it will be of no benefit to themselves and therefore hold aloof. We are sorry for people who do not feci that apart from actual benefit there is something m belonging to a body all working for the same e)\d, which ethically should inspire a feeding of fraternity and comradeship with them throughout the world. We must remind all New Zealand nurses that through membership of the X.Z.T.X.A. they arc members of the world association, the International Council of Nurses.