New-York tribune., 1903-03-02
THE NURSES BILL.
Whu the Public Should Be Inter
estcd-WhGt Registration Means.

The public is at last waking up to the fact,
said Miss Mary E Thornton. secretary OF the
Nurses Association Of the United States. yes
terdzy, that while the nurses registration bin
aims primarily to give trained nurses legal
status, the actual and material benefits viii be
resped wholly by the i'll and convaiescent OF the
public at large
The defeat of the bill could in any way
affect US individually who working for it. We
have taken training, and the majority OF
those who are Identified with the promotion Of the
bill are either ex-nurses or too well known TO the
medical profession 10 require any additional back
ing II is only the interest OF the nursing pro-
fessien as a whole. and the standard of service
the public has a right to expect OF It, that the
Armstrong biz now before the legislature has been
framed
Il saw the Armstrong bill. because there is
other measure known at Albany the Nye biz.
which has been introduced evidently. to supersede
our bill II is not at all specific in its provisions
merely requiring registration the nurses per-
sonaI affidavit that she is all she ought to be
both personally and professionally Our bill pro-
vi5es for the issuance Of certificates by the Board
Of Regents to such nurses as have taken at least
q two years course IN general hospital
IL stands reason that TIE so-called trained
nurses who are turned out monthly by small pr1-
va1e saaatOriurns. cottage hospitals with hair q
dozen beds, perhaps. and treating only one phase
Of disease or even by corporations giving mstruc-
rtop ny lecture only with a sprinkling of house
H-crk but no actual hospital experience at alt
should be registered as all around tralneo
rUrSes- Such who has had only tupercu-
Iosis patients to deal with and that for term
~ : few months only may. if registered. be
allied upon TO take charge OF case of malignant
typhoid and the result s. probably. death. What
else indeed. can you expect?
FOR LOVE OF THE UNIFORM
Vow when the earning of a livelihood is get
rIng 10 be an increasingly interesting problem with
women. the salary and uniform Of the trained
nurse are becoming increasingly attractive Yes.
il seems scarcely credible, but L know Of two IN
stances. af least. where young women adopted
the profession only because they found the uniform
Hecon1ing. They worked for something like so or
81 month il a small special hospital where
hey saw 10 surgical work whatever. and at the
end Of three or four months. one giving her name
n q nurses registration bureau. assigned to
me charge Of d very important operation. The re-
what any one might have expected
All the prominent physicians as well as the
Board Of Regents strongly in favor of our DILL
Or Snradv YOU know addressed annual meet
riy;in R On s3 ws5F soms Itandard set SO that they
may know whom they are appolntlng I" t1 CTt io %
extent There are numerous instances where a
ba ali thai Is required But there are numerous
others where the utmost eXIieEence n -heceSs - y
10 physicians
THOUSANDS OF LIVES LOST
What we want s only in line with earlier laws
providing registra ton Of physicians and the
licensure Of druggists. It would not prohibit any
physician employing any sort of an assistant he
flezses any more than the present licensing OF
U5vsiciaus prevents ones grandmother prescribing
herb tea But as matters stand now thousands OF
lives are lost and the nursing profession constantly
brought into disgrace through the avar1ce or care
lesEness Of unframed. undiscplined pretenders
Why. mere is required of plumbers and br1cklayers
before they are allowed TO class themselves as
skilled xorkmen than the public now requires OF
those to whose care the lives of loved ones are in
trusted
Those supporting the Nye bill are presumably the
5roprietors Of private establishments who. should
our biU uass could no longer get raw material to
work for a few dollars month. By representing
that thereby trained nurse qualifications could be
acquired In line with the drug aduiteratton 1t is
simply case of private profit against puhlc heaItn
and the sooner the public realizes just now oeepiy
II Is concerned the better Will be for the public
When have secured the legislation We are
working for we hope to go even turtnet. 4no
insist upon periodical examinations for All regis
tered nurses every or ten years perhaps. 20
insure a certain progressive standard sucn as Is
maintained among teachers. for instance In snort
our aim is 10 place profession wholly above
reasonable criticism and level with the best OF
PROMINENT among those working earnestly for
the success of the measure now Deiore Iae fss1s-
lature are Miss L L. Dock OF the Nurses Settle
ue1f- Miss Anna C. Maxwell superintendent or the
Presbyterian Hospital; Miss s. r Palmer Edtor OF
The American Journal OF Nursing; MISS Good
rfch superfnfendeut of nurses in the New-fork
Hospital: Miss AllerfOn, superintendent OF tne
Homeopathic Hospital. Of Rochester. and nurner-
others well known IN the profession, represent
ing all phases of the medical Geld.