The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-06-30
Not Enough Nurses.
bennington Banner.)

The VerIhont State Nurses association
has undertaken to correct some of the
causes which its members believe are re-
sponsible for the present existing short
age of private nurses in Vermont. At it's
annual meeting held in Burlington in May
it adopted the following resolutions:
The Vermont public has been educated
To expect more hours of service from the
nurse than from women engaged in any
other profession or occupation. Nursing
organizations of other states have brought
about great changes in this matter, and
our hospital graduates flock to these
places
New York Massachusetts, New Hamp
shire Rhode Island. Connecticut and
many of the middle and western states are.
fed from our training schools. The one
way to encourage our nurses to stay with
us and care for our own sick is to meet in
some measure the inducements offered by
these states, therefore the private duty
section endorses 12-hOur duty. This does
not mean that the nurse at the end of II
( continuous hours of service leaves her pa
! tient 1t does rEean that the patient will
have her attention for the l. hours mot
necessarily continuous most necessary for
| the safety and comfort Of the patient that
I the other Il belong to the nurse. Should
the nurse find it necessary as in many,
many cases she will. to serve for II or
any number of hours she will do so as
matter of most obvious duty, but it will be
understood that these extra hours of ser
vice are rendered az duty and pleasure,
and not as a matter of purchased service
+, Nurses fees remain the same"
! In discussing the resolution and the
situation that brought about its adoption
by the association. individual nurses
frankly admit that the action of the or
ganizatiUn was inspired by a desire for
! improved working conditions such as
l.
line of human endeayor in recent years.
At the same time they vigorously contend
that there is an altruistic element incor-
pOrated in their efforts. that change of
the nature advocated would eventually
work to the good of the public.
There is no denying the assertion that
young women who have taken courses of
training at the schools connected with
Vermont hospitals are leaving the state
for more attractive opportunities offered
Elsewhere. This is particularly true Of
graduates during recent years. 4 conSid-
cradle number who have been in the ser
Twice for some time. who received their
2, diplomas and certificates before the be
lginning of the economic changes brought
| about by the war, are continuing their
work in the fields to which they have be-
y come accustomed. 1t cannot be refuted
however. the officials of the association
assert. that the young blood, the nurses
WHO nave recently Sfduu0teu ana many
lwho are now in training, have their eyes
turned away from Vermont. The large
cities and other states are offering better
inducements, more money and less exact.
ing employment, and the result is newt
able.
II \ competent trained nurse in sense
, is more Independent than a high grade
lmechanic in that her services are mar
/, ketable in any community. In a meas
! ure she may be restricted to a certain ter
! ritory because of family associations ant
friendships, but she knows that she i.
running little or no risk of being caught
"j0blesS in a strange town." Her diploma
j and registration, in view of the increas
I ing demand. soon open the way to EN-
ployment. Knowing these things as sh,
, does, it is not at all strange that many q
: the young women at present in trainin:
J, at our Vermont hospitals are planning Il
= locate in communities and states tina
: offer more favorable inducements. paftic
: ularly in the way of compensation ant
. working rules.
The nurses association officials belev,
that one of the remedies for the presen
unsatisfactory conditions is the adoption
of some change along the lines propose,
} in their resolution.