VI. The Public Health Nurse and Her Needs

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume XVI, Issue 3, 1 July 1927, Page 123

VI. The Public Health Nurse and Her Needs

The development and employment of the trained nurse in the different aspects of the Public Health Field has been so rapid during the last ten years that few nurses realise what changes have taken place. It is now time to take stock of the present position and to prepare for further changes in the future. Comparing our present position in 1927 with conditions in 1917 what do we find? At the present time in New Zealand there are roughly over 300 trained nurses employed under various organisations doing public health work, i.e., 120 Plunket nurses, 100 district nurses under various bodies, public and private, 36 school nurses, 8 nurse inspectors, 4 Red Cross, 8 insurance, 12 attached to special clinics, 6 doing welfare work in various industrial plants, 16 visiting nurses under the Education Department, and in addition there are all those sisters attached to Maternity Training Schools who are definitely carrying out a public health programme in regard to maternal care. How does this compare with the situation in 1917 — only ten years ago? At that time, instead of 120 Plunket nurses there were barely 60; instead of 100 district nurses, barely 60; 4 school nurses, 6 visiting nurses under the Education De-

partment, 2 nurse inspectors, no Red Cross, insurance, or nurses attached to clinics or industrial plants. This practically means that the numbers have doubled in the last ten years and with the emphasis that is now being placed on preventive medicine as the hope of the future a similar development may be looked for during the next ten year period. Problems relating to the public health nurse are very special ones and peculiar to that body alone in many aspects, such as educational preparation of the nurse for that work, means of co-operation between various bodies not only to prevent overlapping, but also to bring about better understanding and efficiency, record keeping, etc. Much light might be thrown on these problems if they could be discussed by nurses who, through years of experience in the field, have gained invaluable knowledge regarding their work. How then might such discussions take place? In Canada the Canadian Nurses' Association is divided into three sections — Nursing Education, Private Duty, and Public Health Nursing. Any nurse may belong to as many of these sections as she is interested in, the one fee covering all. At

the Annual Conventions or Conferences these sections meet as separate sections the first day, the remits from each section being turned into a general meeting on the last day. The advantage of this method is that each section with its own particular problems has an opportunity to discuss them among nurses actively engaged in that particular branch of work. Such a division of our own Trained Nurses' Association would fill a needed want, facilitating discussions by nurses on their own particular problems ; further, it would make a Public Health Nursing Association within the one Association financially possible and probably strengthen the membership of the present Association. Each Branch Association could be divided in a similar way, the separate sections meeting one month, and a combined meeting the following month. In this

way, if a careful agenda was drawn for each meeting, really constructive work could be done and valuable recommendations put before the General Annual Conference. Another way in which the introduction of this section system could be of great value is the collection of material on their own particular subject for " Kai Tiaki." In this way work done under our varying conditions in New Zealand would be brought before our nursing readers. During the Refresher Week for Public Health Nurses recently held in Wellington the need for a common meeting ground was expressed by one and all. Such a system as described would help to fill that want. It is to be hoped that this proposal will be given thought and consideration so that Nurses may have a chance of expressing themselves regarding it through remits to the next Annual Conference.