Annual Conference—New Zealand Trained Nurses' Association

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume XXII, Issue 4, 1 November 1929, Page 177

Annual Conference— New Zealand Trained Nurses' Association

Round Table Discussions held at the Nurses' Home, 2nd October, 1929, at 3p,m.

Miss McKeimy presided. 1. Miss Moore read a paper on "The Ward Sister as Administrator." 2. Miss Orsman read a paper replying to this. THE WARD SISTER. 1. Introduction. 2. The Taking Over of a Ward. 3. The Relation of the Ward Sister to her Staff. 4. The Stores and Equipment to be used, but not abused. 5. Conclusion. The Ward Sister is a very important officer m a hospital unit. She is an administrator as well as being m charge of the nursing service and acting as a practical instructor to the nurses. Her position is an honoured one and should never be viewed lightly. Let us deal with her from the point of view of an administrator. A Ward Sister is m charge of a ward, where, without a good administrating officer, stores, equipment, etc., costing large sums of money can be wrongly used or wasted daily. It is a well known fact that quite a large number of people do not treat or use other people's property as they would their own. The Ward Sister is an economist, her ward strictly speaking is her house and she is the housekeeper. It is too big a house to manage alone, so she must have assistance. The ward is a training school for the assistants. A good administrator is a good delegator, therefore the Ward Sister must delegate the work wisely, being herself capable of meeting and arising to all emergencies. A Ward Sister should have an intimate knowledge of stocks, equipment, etc..

able to keep expenditure at its lowest. It when she takes over a ward and by cooperation with her staff keep that intimate knowledge during" her term m the ward. This is the only way a ward can be managed efficiently and economically, and every ward sister should aim at efficiency plus economy. The one without the other is futile. To her staff the Sister represents the head of the ward. She should be a reader of character and above all must be just and fair, displaying no favouritism. She must see that she has the right staff, that they are not overworked and have no reason for complaints, and aim at constructive rather than destructive criticism where her staff is concerned. As each new nurse comes to the ward, the Ward Sister should have a talk with her, tell her exactly what is required of her m using the stores and equipment, where they are kept, discuss their cost and upkeep, and point out what part a nurse can pi a}' by co-operating with a Sister to maintain a high standard of efficiency and a low scale of expenditure. If a nurse is given scientific thoughts on her work and everything connected with it, she will take a more personal interest m it with a high state of efficiency to follow. To maintain efficiency a Ward Sister has not only to have the required stores and equipment, etc.. but she must keep her equipment m first-class condition and the supply of stores must always meet the demand, but to no great extent be m excess of the demand. Knowing her ward, the Sister knows, within certain limits, what is likely to be needed from one requisition day until another, and if anything unforseen happens there is always a statim order book or its equivalent to be used m cases of emer^encv.

Only by careful checking of stores and equipment and taking of stock before requisitioning for more is a Ward Sister is -by having and keeping an intimate knowledge of stores and equipment and seeing that their use is not abused that a Ward Sister can have efficiency and economy running hand m hand m her ward. In Xew Zealand our hospital system is unique. The hospitals are the property of the people. It behoves the administrating officers of these institutions under which heading comes the Ward Sister to realise their responsibility to the public and keep down the expenditure, but never to the detriment of efficiency. Xot only must the Ward Sister herself do this, but she must educate her staff, both nursing and domestic, and so apportion the work that the keynote of the whole ward is efficiency, combined with economy. A Ward Sister then, must have ability and capability. The article is most interesting and deals concisely with the administrative aspect of a Ward Sister. I am inclined to think a more descriptive outline would be valuable — enlarging on ways and means of gaining knowledge of cost and care of equipment and stock. Until recently this has not been introduced at all m the educational -programme of a nurse and many nurses, after having completed their three or four years' training take up the duties of Ward Sister with very poor knowledge of the administrative aspect. Efficiency plus economy is rightly stressed, but the many practical problems entailed m carrying this out are not mentioned. It is said m the article, "the Sister represents the head of the ward." She not only represents the head, but she is the skilled master of the ward— the nurse is the apprentice, and so the nurse looks to her as one whose knowledge and ability never fails. Her influence is great.

She sets the standard and creates the atmosphere of the ward. It is the Matron's duty to see that the ward has the correct staff, and that they are not overworked — although it is a part of the ward-sister's administrative duties to co-operate with the Matron m this, by reporting the conditions of the ward as they arise. Miss Moore, m discussing the question, said : — 1 The paper read, I think is an excellent one on the Ward Sister as an Administrator. I think my own view is that a nurse begins her administrative training m her own home, and if she has been under a wise mother, she learns the value of the things she is using m her own home. I think the public expect us to use a sort of reform m our hospitals, and if the nurses have not been taught that for twenty years m their homes, it is hard for us to create it immediately. If they come with that contribution, it is very helpful indeed. If not we have to try and show her the value of the materials she is using. I approve of competitive returns m the way of showing what is being used and what it has cost, and the Sister eliciting the interest of the nurses to keep down that expenditure. There are many ways now of each ward keeping its own chart, showing a rise m the expenditure m that particular ward, and so a competitive spirit is generated throughout the institution, and that assists m keeping down expenditure. Everyone is not gifted m this way. Interest can be transmitted by the Sister to her nurses under her. and so seek m that way to engender that economic spirit, so that the materials will be used wisely. This aspect of the Sister as administrator is indeed a useful preparation for future positions. The ward is a miniature hospital. In the Post Graduate Course we aim m giving a course showing the wonderful power that ma}' be transmitted to others m every branch of hospital administration.