New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-11-12
CHAPTER III.

Suppose some day your daughter should
come and tell you that IL was her hearts
desire to become trained nurse-that she
vas willing to give up the ease and COM
forts and pleasures Of her home for the
rigid training OF the hospital. OF course
YOU would be amazed-parents always are
amazed when they discover their children's
ambitions. What, Your daughter TO don
the hospital uniform and cap, TO take on
her fair young shoulders the deep response
bilities the prlvations the heroism of
nurses life!
Perhaps il is the glamour. the romance Of
nursing that has appealed to your daugh-
fer-and surely there is enough OF this in
the nurses life to rouse the spirit Of any
woman-but there is one gcod, everyday
nrosaic reason why nursing Is among the
best vocations you could possibly choose
for your daughter-or have her choose for
herself And here IT is Nursing Is the
most carefully protected vocation for
women in the world That is what the SUI
perintendents Of hospitals declare most en-
phatically; and. come to think of it, 1t
isn't very far from true.
No other class of women have their
health under such constant vigilance as
have the hospital nurses. They are guard
cd by rigidly kept rules from late hours,
imperfect diet and inadequate clothing;
from overexertion and nervous strain. IL
they fall i'll they are cared for free for a
reasonable length of time. and. although
they have in their course of training in the
various wards to come in contact with all
sorts and conditions Of men and women,
the honor dignity and respect of their call
ing are always assured
Even after a woman has finished her
course of training in the hospital she is
still carefully protected. She is helped by
her hospital i'm getting employment-and
there Is a greater demand for competent
nurses than can possibly be filled; she is
assured of a fixed standard of wages and
is protected by law in some states from
the competition of incompetents. Then,
too. a nurse can work as much or as little
as she choOses-one week or fifty-two out
of the year-or she can stop altogether and
feel that when she again steps back she
can command the standard wage. More
over after she has grown old and is ready
TO lay aside her cap for good, she is. in
some cases. provided by the alumne asso-
citation of her hospital with a pension Of
50 a month as long as she lives
SO much for the protection that nurses
enjoy. The next best thing about nursing
as a profession is that while il Is one of
the highest callings-one of the few call
ings. in fact that draw recruits from the
ranks Of the socially eleCt-and one of the
bert paid of women's professions, the
course Of training In most instances costs
nothing
In Tr2~ f1.2 all hoe ftal trail mi n
schools. board. lodging laundry. text
books. and uniforms, after the first few
months. are supplied free. In many of the
largest and best training schools the SER
vices rendered by the pupils in training are
considered amply paid for by the instruc-
ton they receive. but in others-notably one
Of the biggest and best in the country-an
allowance of from IS to 50 a month is given
all pupils who have passed their three or
four months probation period.
With such generous provision scarcely
any young woman need be kept from this
vocation because of the expense. So. il
your daughter tallies up to the require
ments OF the hospital you and she have
decided on, she is in a good way to start
IN. But, mark you. she must be in good
health for no hospital is willing TO burden
ing and general organic condition are not
normal. a defective set of teeth. or feet
deformed and cramped by tight shoes, has
before now kept an otherwise eligible can
didate out OF the hospital training school
The minimum age for entrance is from
eighteen to twenty-five years. and the
maximum age is usually placed at from
thirty-two to thlrty-five.
In CANA bocrutale educational .oc4 to
stipulated, only general ability to use
good English is expected but in many Of
the larger hospitals a high school or
equivalent education is in demand
"A college education Is, Of course. de-
sirable for a nurse" said the superintend-
ent of New York hospital that enjoys an
International reputation, but for my part
! would bet on the girl with a good home
training every time. Especially when our
nurses go out on private cases; nothing
helps them. outside of their hospital train
ing so much as home training. They
ought 10 know how much it costs to run a
house. how TO keep peace with the maid
in the house, how 90 share the response
bilities of the home. and these are the
things that the hospital cannot teach.
we usually start our probationers OFF in
the pantry" vent on this hospital superin-
tcnde1t. There they have to fit out the
trays for th" patients. and the young
woman who knows without being told that
half empty sugar bowl an untidy salt
cellar. or a furnished napkin ring need 10
be attended 10 is the girl who usually
makes good nurse. And il is just that
sort of alcrtncss. attention to details and
sense Of responsibility that a girl learns in
her own home