Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-10-30
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
Superintendents and Teachers Took
Unusual but Successful Way OF
Remedying a Shortage Of Nurses
by Raising the standard
Required
By SARAH ID. IOWRlE

- the superintendent Of nurses of the
rhiiadrlphia Hospital. about two matters
first was the shortage Of pupil nurses not
only at Blocklcy. hut in all the hospitals.
Tho war and then the higher salaries women
were getting In other fields and the opening
up OK various professions had perceptibly
time threatened to lower The standard Of the
type Of aspirants applying.
The doctors. some of them panic. stricken at
inc shortage. were for lowering the condi.
tiens OF entrance and shortening the training
II cns!er to bc 4 nurse. The superintendent
nurses and teaching nurses OF Miss Clayton's
sort proposed just the opposite way out Of
the dilemma: They were for raising the
standards all along the line. by raising tho
requirement, in education to a high schoo!
grade and by standardizing the hospital
work and the class work to a level with the
best training schools.
These women held to Il that TO better the
type entering the classes and to better the
training In the hospitals would put the whole
profession on q more attractive basis and
make an appeal to larger constituency.
60 INSTEAD Of lowering the entrance re.
- quirements and dropping year from
the curriculum. the standard has BEEN raised
and the length "f service has not been short
cned and tho opportunities for study have
hr"n enlarged. II is harder to be- u nurse
.!!an !! ,"cd 10 f..
The plan has apparently worked. Miss
,layton's theory that. girls wanted more
training. not less. has been proved the cor
rect diagnosis Of the situation. At MI
events, l learned last week that the present
first year class of nurses out at the Phila.
delphta General is very large one. almost
beyond the powers Of the Nurses Home to
accommodate, and the type Of girl who has
entered 10 very good.
1NHE second matter the superintendent Of
L nurres and discussed was the plan that
had been tentatively tried out last year by
q number Of the big hospitals Of combining
year pupils. and giving them their laboratory
and theoretical training together in one class.
The theory of that was that Il saved expense
and teachers and room and appliances. and
II also insured all first -year nurses having
the best opportunity. for diet kitchen and
laboratory work under the best available
teachers.
Tho plan had worked we'll for the scw
hospitals that Ind thus pooled their inter.
ests. The questions last spring were Could
n city-widc scale: And would there be
sufficient funds as we'll as sufficient co.
operation?
find this autumn that ten or more hos
pitfalls have co-opernted in this plan. The
large classes are hnvin: m admirable effect
on both pupils and teachcrs, and the hospi.
tails themselves ar" greatly benefited, because
the nursing staff has more time for nursing
sine" ono teach"r now does for the combined
class what in former times required ten
trnrh"rS. and E,ncc the equipment Of one
laboratory classroom takes the place of the
former dozen or 50 la."rator!esc expensively
manned and equipped for teaching purposes.
Apparently the Org; nization that has put
this through Is what is known as the Council
for Nursing Education Of Southeast Penn.
sylvania. the chairman OF whom Is Mrs,
Henry Boyer and tho vice chairman Dr
Elward +. Davis.
7NIll. hospitals that have co.opera+cd are:
l. Rryn Mawr Hospital. Hryn Mawr, Pa,
The thildren's Hospital Of Philadelphia.
FranNford Hospital, Frankford Phiadel.
n'ia. Pa.
Friends Hospital. Frnnkford, Ph.lodel.
rhia. Pa.
Ilahn"mann Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.
Hospitals of tho Circulate School Of Medi.
cine. University of I"nrsylvania.
Jefferson Hospital. Philadelphia. Pa.
Jewish Hospital. Philadelphia, Pa.
pcnnsy,vana Hospital: PHILADELPHIA. Pa.
Philadelphia General Hospital, Philadel.
phia. Pa.
Samaritan l!cspi,al. PHILADELPHIA. Pa.
Hospital ~ III" University of Ponneyiyo
Mn. Philadelphia. Pm.
7 CONFESS Hs lock over that list 7 fnl
i myself wondering why tho others have not
accepted tho rinn. 80 "hv.uISly good for Tho
nurs" and so practical for the hospital.
There nr" few things about IN, nrt Of
nursing thn' wish could he brought nm n
STANDARD. or rather ! wish It were nossibIe
that certain instruction could he included In
the nursing course.
WISH for instance. thnt nurses could be
taught to read aloud correctly and agrceably
10 rpr yjyu hS,, 90, Sl,>
nre competent in that direction. Apart
from accent nnd intoration. many cf NOV,
cannot aprnrcnti9 read the long words cor
rcrtlv. words that arc Of more thnn thrr.
syllab'es. And '1"y d, not, generally speak
ing. seem 10 hay" he first notion of nunc-u
alton.
The sn,he thing Is true In regard 10 writ.
ing notes and letters. They are, most of
them. helpless 20 express themselves we'll In
writing, Which is unfortunate. because they
could do 4 rrenr deal for their patients hy
both radiN% :" 'h"n "'.d writing for them.
Pcrhnps being Il secretary does not seem
part OF nurses legitimate business. And
certainly time spent on those affairs for
very il! patient would Lc inndvisable. Rut
during C"Nvn'o .""nrc both those arts would
hr gr"a, holy. rrnl lifting of n burden.
NNE could wish. ,oo thu, in tho matter
~ Of DICT nurs" could he given q wider
range and most of their personal disliEes
eliminated. In n household OF nine persons
last winter. tic two nurses Of n very II m
'.sn' We're the only "ncs who never ate"
his or that staple food. They could have
lived On pork IN any form, but SHE'D AT eggs
in any form or veal and 'd!d no, raro 10"
cereal
Ca,hoir!,y NJ taste In food is = r.rh mans
perGuis.te. rather than n poor won's, 7
suppose. and III" wur" rcStrtct", tho nm :
bringing the less one lenrGs to vary ono y
dict ! fancy. too, tn" ordinary farn n. tho
tnh' - nj a.,