The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-03-05
Frederic Haskin's Lette,


Warrington, d. c., March g.
Where IL the girl who wants to be
. nurse? The national nursing or
CARNATIONS Of the country are look
ing for her. because lately, she
doesn't seem to Be looking for them.
Nursing has always been . wom-
ans work. Out Of every class Of
high school graduates. or even out
Of grammar school graduating
classes, there have invariably been
some girls who would b nurses.
Now, ono big hospital in New York
reports that instead Of having IS or
40 pupil nurses entering each year,
1t gets only about four. That pro-
portion IL repeated al over the
country, and conditions are worse
in the smaller hospital schools
where facilities for training are not
20 attractive to student nurses.
When the war offered adventure
and dramatic service to valunteer
nurses there were thousands of
women who studied and worked un-
tiringly-even to sacrificing their
health, some Of them-so long as
the fighting lasted. After that, like
the soldiers, most Of them wanted
to get back to their regular lives.
Nursing with them was war work
incidental.
So the war did not food the coun-
try with nurses seeking civilian en-
ployment. On the contrary, lack OF
nurses for hospitals aid homes has
become acute. And because the fu-
ture looks still more critical, the
national nursing associations have
started campaign to interest girls
in nursing as a profession. This
campaign has already been taken VI
enthusiastically in "a states, for the
need for more nurses is nation.
wide.
While recruiting is being
pushed, the nursing organizations
are also trying to awaken the hos.
tpitals to the fact that they canno,
expect to attract the kind OF girls
that should be in the nursing pro
fession unless student life is made
easier and more profitable The hos
pitfalls were beginning to see this
for themselves and . reform il
under way.
| Overworked Students.
In the past, the student nurs,
worked IL hours day. Her classe.
were moved about from one hour Il
another or left out entirely wheg
her services were needed about tn,
wards. In fact, these condition,
still obtain in some trainin,
schools, but they will not last long
because girls will not enter thes,
schools. Progressive hospitals
have shortened the pupil nurse
duty to eight hours. though ii
some schools studying and clas
work has to be done outside of thi
period.
What the nurses organization
are saying is that no hospita
should take students for the pur
pose Of getting free labor. II a hos
pital is going to conduct q schoo
it should understand that its obi
cation to the students-to give then
a thorough Trainings as great a
its obligation to the patients-t
give them proper treatment. Tha
they do not Feel this obligation to
ward the nurses they are to sen,
out to all sorts OF responsible posi-
tons is proved by such facts q
those given by a state inspector o
training schools. This inspecto
figures that 80 per cent Of the train
; ing schools that he visits are t
varying extents taking unfair ad
vantage Of their pupil nurses b
surrendering the rights of the pu
pills in the alleged interests Of tn
sick"
One way in which the pupil nurs
is often carelessly used to help tn
hospital is that sometimes a patier
In the hospital desires nurse Ell
clusively for his case but canno
,, pay the rate Of q graduate. He say
he will take an undergraduate
nurse. and one Of the pupils is dc
tailed to him at about half the grad
; yates fee, the money going to til
hospital. Now II this work lasted
few days, even a week, it might
practical experience for the stui
emit. She would learn something {
that particular type Of disease. BIZ
the case may 60 on for weeks G
months, and the nurse is gainin
nothing.
Besides too long hours and to
flexible system of instruction
training schools, pupil nurses hay
! had to put up with bad roomin
! conditions. In one hospital here Q