The Washington herald., 1918-02-14
RIGID HOURS
FORCED UPON
GOVT. NURSES
Employees at St. Elizabeth S
Have Working Schedule
Of Is in 48 Hours.

Nurses employed at st. Elizabeth's
! Government Hospital for the Insane
are required to work twenty-five out
OF every forty-eight hours. One day
nurse goes on duty at 6 o'clock in the
morning and Is relieved at o'clock
In the evening.
The following day they go on duty
at o'clock in the morning and work
until o'clock at night. This Is a
stretch OF eleven hours one day and
fourteen hours the next One day per
month is allowed entirely free.
| While employees OF the institution are
/ paid as well as employees in similar
hospitals Throughout the country, DIR.
Chapman, Assistant superintendent,
said he believed that the rate of pay
should be increased and the hours OF
employment cut down.
At present a nurse is paid $3.50 per
month and given room and board when
first employed. After six months this
sum is slightly increased.
Shortage of Nurses.
There is a shortage OF IS nurses and
and women nurses have been placed
in charge OF patients formerly taken
care of by men.
The rate OF pay and the number OF
nurses and attendants is set by law.
Congress has allowed an approximate
ratio OF nurses and attendants to pa
tients of to 10.
| DIR. White, superintendent of the
asylum. has asked for an increase in
the pay of employees. shorter hours
and permission to obtain more attend
ants.
AS the result of the murder of
Miss May Medley. a nurse of ST.
Elizabeth's Hospital for the Insane
by Harry Oberle, a patient. all
patients in the hospital probably
will be entirely excluded from
rooms in which knives are kept.
oberle. employed as an assistant
in one OF the dining rooms. snatched
up two knives last week and run
ming amuck wounded five and killed
Miss Medley by severing her jugular
vein with a blow from one of the
knives.
at was a dreadful affair" Dr.
Chapman, assistant superintendent
of the institution, said last night
NO one can possibly regret it as
we do. The only thing we can do
now. of course. is to try to prevent
such a thing occurring again.
Excuses Hospital
Neither DR.. White, superintend-
/ ent. myself. nor any OF the officials
of this Institution has any desire
to minimize the tragedy. But 1 do
not think the hospital is to be
found guilty of carelessness."
Blame for the oath OF Miss Medley
and the sudden violent attack Of
| Oberle should not be placed too
| heavily upon the institution, DR..
Chapman said.
| "One of our greatest tasks here is
to find enough for our patients to do.
We have a certain class of patients
who need employment We give 1t to
them to help improve their condition.
| We watch all patients very carefully
and select those we allow any great
freedom with great care. Oberle had
shown steady improvement. His
record shows no signs of any suspi-
cious actions. Had it done so he
would not have been given work as
! dining-room assistant"
Had there been the. full compile
| ment of attendants at the hospital,
would a male guard have been station
! ed in the room where he snatched
two knives from young girl?'' DR..
Chapman was asked.
Knives Locked Up.
"A male attendant might have been
there at the time. But If you mean
\ would one have been required to be
there, the answer is, no." DIR. Chap
man replied. There are no rules OF
| regulations which would have placed
male guard in that or similar rooms
even il we had our full complement"
DO you think one should have
been stationed there?" he was asked.
In the light OF events, yes; but
! there Was absolutely no reason to be-
! lieve a male attendant was needed in
such a place before this tragedy oc-
CURED"
All knives are kept carefully locked
up when not in use. and care is
taken to prevent patients from OBJ
tanning a knife or other possible
weapon; and patients are given only
spoons with which to eat their food,
the doctor said.
do you think It was entirely all
right to allow patients where knives
might be obtained so easily as Oberle
got them?"
| AASAO was dDSOlulSiy nOlnlnS 10
indicate any patient having access
to dining-rooms as OberIe had who
was not absolutely Trustworthy" DIR.
Chapman replied.
In answer to the statement that
Oberle had continually talked of
shooting and cutting, DR.. Chapman
declared that nothing of the kind
appeared in the very careful record
kept Of each patient. When first
committed to the hospital Oberle had
been violent, he said. but had con-
ttnually improved. II he had made
such remarks within the last year
they had not been reported by nurses
or attendants
d. u.