Pueblo chieftain., 1922-02-24
By Frederic J. Haskin.


of the army nurse corps.
Il The nurse corps believes in pre-
paredncss for service-in peace or an
emergency. And preparedness, from
tho point of view of the corps means
a training school for nurses. corre-
spending In general way with the
training school for officers at West
Point
We have such a school. but 1t ex-
lists only by an order Of tho secre-
tary Of War. This may be . perman-
ent enough existence. but II has an
indefinite sound. Congress Is to be
asked. therefore. to give this import
ant school a military status SO that
II may be a part OF tho Army and so
that the student nurses may have the
relative rank of cadets instead Of the
status of civilian employees OF the
| Until the recent war tho Army
maintained a small standing corps of
nurses in time OF peace and when It
needed large numbers, recruited them
from the Red Cross Nursing Service.
But during tho World War tho Army
women for service, and II proved \
successful venture. The first class of
500 young women was graduated last
June. They served during their train
ing at Walter Reed and Letterman
General Hospitals. and other Army
way rendered valuable service.
The school of nursing cannot use
| all OF its graduates in ordinary times.
but those who are not needed 20 out
we'll trained to give service in civil
ian fields. Some of the Army nurse
graduates have gone into tho newest
line OF nursing. public health work.
Others have gono into private hospit-
ais, homes, institutions. and factories.
There Is need for every ono of them.
| for there arc never enough nurses
graduated from first class schools
need for well trained nurses and be-
cause It is an economy to tho Govern
ment to get its nursing done partly
by studcnts-as most hospitals do
| that the Army school OF nursing cx-
| poets to continue.
SCHOOLS IN EAST AND WEST
Tho school is really two schools.
Walter Reed Hospital in this city
takes tho greater part of tho students.
girls to take the course, training Ia
also given in San Francisco at the
Letterman General Hospital
It Is interesting to visit the school
OF Walter Reed. You GO with ths
vague idea. perhaps. that first aid Is
tho prominent subject in an Army
nurses course. You would not be
surprised to find one of the demon-
strauon rooms fitted out like \ camp
with dummies dressed In khaki to be
used as models for dressing imAgtn-
ary wounds.
You find. however. that there IL
very little OF the emergency atmo-
sphere In the school. Hospital and
transportation facilities for wartime
nursing have been developed no high
iy during tho iRtc war that tho Army
nurse can count on having prscu-
cally the camc apparatus A. tho nurse
In any civilian hospital.
Nor Is tho Army nurse taught only
tho technique nscded in treating bat
tlc cases. She goes through the same
course OF training that tho civilian
nurse does. From diet IN communicated
diseases TO public sanitation. the var
ious kinds of thcrapy. hospital archi-
lecture, oral hygiene. and Industrial
and school nursing run the subjects
with which she IL expected to be Ia
miliar when she IL graduated. Know
Ledge OF all theso subjects may not be
required in line Of duty in the Army.
but tho school fits its students for
service anywhere.
Ono OF the Instructors points out
with patriotic pride that tho Army
school is ono OF the few schools OF
nursing in tho country that is able TO
cover the entire course recommended
by tho League of Nursing Education
The Army can do this" said tho
nurse Instructor. because tho students
are on ward duty less than in mos;
hospitals. And then. too. therc are 80
many instructors from tho Army Mcdi-
cal school who can be called on TO
lecture for us.
CORPS OF ARMY INSTRUCTORS
Where tho private hospital must
depend on a small faculty OF doctors
| TO give private lectures on all sorts
OF medical subjects. the Army school
can have n specialist In every subject
| from among the Army doctors sta
toned at Walter Reed or at the Medi.
| cal School. These doctors who lecture
| for us do 80 by Army orders. 1t is
part of their regular work. We have
rs OF those Instructors giving lectures
to ono class in the school"
Resides tho unusual opportunity of
studying with so many specialists. the !
Army nurse student has an oppor,un- |
ity to visit and study in other hos |
pitals. There IL no provision for teach |
Ing public health nursing at Walter
Reed. nor for mental nursing nor care I
or children maternity cases. For these
subjects, tho Army sffiliatcs with hos |
pitals specializing In such cases. Stu |
dents spend at least third Of their /
three yoarp in these other hospitals.
For public health nursing they hay. |
bocn going to tho famous Henry Street
Settlement In New York. and for o,hc. |
subjects TO New York. Massachuets, |
Pennsylvania. and to 81. Elizabcrfi's. |
tho Government hospital for tho in
sane. in Washington. d. c.
one OF tho attractive features of
the Army nurse schools is the oppor- \
,unity for physical and cultural dcvei. |
opmcnt. The rccrcational lectures and
the classes In basketry and other vo-
cational biccts that arc held for the /
soldiers at the hospital are open 10
the student nurses. At Walter Reed |
school last year n nature enthusiast
took tho girls on outdoor trips in the |
spring and summer pionths. Then there |
arc basket ball. swimming. and tennis. |
and gymnasium classes under an army |,
specialist in physical culture.
Major Stimson Is enthusiastic about
tho Army school.
I'VE have never had any word OF |
ono Of our graduates falling 10 pass