Evening star., 1926-05-27
RED CROSS NURSES
NOW TOTAL 43,0D0
Maj. Gen. ireland Reveals
Figure at Conference of
Society'S Leaders.
The trained nurses part in the pro

The trained nurses part in the pro
lection of society, with special empha-
sis on Eer duties in times of war,
famine or disaster, occupied the un-
divided attention of the second Pan
American Red Cross conference this
morning. The conference convened in
the American National Red Cross
headquarters for the first time since
it's inaugural session Tuesday.
The subject Of nursing, which occu-
pies the second place in the agenda
Of the conference. attracted papers
from six designated speakers-Miss
Clara ID. Noyes. director of the nurs-
ing service of the American Red
Cross: Dr. j. A. Lopez del Vale. direc-
tor of the Cuban Health Service; Maj.
Gen. NJ. w. Ireland, surgeon general
of the Army: Gen. Julio r. Garino,
president OF the Argentine Red Cross,
and Miss katherine Olmsted. director
of the nursing division Of the League
Of Red Cross Societies.
$4,000 Nurses Ready
Gen. Ireland more or less surprised
his audience when he declared shat
the United States Army could enroll
5000 trained nurses almost over
night as a result of the nursing re-
serve the Red Cross has built up.
During the World War. he added the
Red Cross enrolled 33.32S graduate
nurses. of whom 22.000 saw active
military service. He described TIL"
work Of the Red Cross as the gre1;-
est single accomplishment Of medical
and nursing preparedness In history"
I'm the United States" Gen. Ire
land continued, "a Red Cross nurse is
not nurse who Is trained by the
Red Cross, for the American Red
Cross does not conduct schools for
nurses in this country. Here the Red
Cross enrolls or lists nurses and Keeps
in close contact with them through
it's carefully worked out system CT
State and local committees. in coop
Grafton with the American Nurses
Association through it's State orSani-
cations.
Qualifications Are High.
The qualifications for Red Cross
nurses are very high and in conse-
quence to be Red Cross nurse is to
be the highest type of nurse, and for
a nurse TO have a Red Cross badge
and number means that she is fully
qualified for any service, meets all
professional requirements and really
need have no further questions asked
about her. She has met certain
physical requirements and is a grad
uate of an accredited school and has
passed her State board examination.
Moreover she has agreed to be ready
for any national emergency.
Should the Army need tomorrow
for a national emergency a large re-
Enforcement OF its own nurse corps this
is what would happen. The surgeon
CQn
that so many nurses were needed in
certain place The Red Cross would
SO notify its nursing committee near
est the scene OF action and the mem
bers of the committee would summon
the nurses by telephone. AS the
nurses reported their identity would
be wired to headquarters and the
surgeon general would issue orders
for them to report to designated Off
GERS. From then on they would be
under military control
Model School Described.
Miss Noyes described a model school
of nursing. At the outset she
showed that radical changes are
needed in many nursing schools.
Too frequently. she said, the stu
dent nurses receive a preponderance
Of surgical training and a minimum
of experience in other services, al
though she added that good surgical
training is essential for sound fOun-
dation in aseptic technique.
Many times. the speaker said, nurses
are overburdened with patients and
long hours. and in their leisure mo-
ments have no place to retire where
they will be altogether alone. In coun-
tries where nursing has made most
progress. she said. nurses in free
wards have five patients each by day
and 10 at night in the private wards
they have three patients each by day
and FIVE at night. She held this to be
an ideal ratio.
"In some countries Miss Noyes
continued. nurses are kept on duty
II TO IA hours. In others. where
nursing has made the greatest prog
ress, the Shour day prevails. and
in some a 54-hour week. A report
of the National League of Nursing
Education referred to this subject in
the following language: The very
purpose for which the student pays
by her service is frustrated by long
hours.
Sees Teaching Wasted.
Good teaching is wasted on stu
dents who have been engaged in pro-
lOUSeu, HedNy, pHySlCa1 elIOrt, or IN
exacting forms of nursing which in
Volve considerable mental and nerv-
our strain. The senses are dulled, the
mind works slowly. concentration is
practically impossible, wrong impress
sions are carried away, but worse
than all Of these Is the fact that
the student acquires a distaste for
the work which Is made too diff
ficult for her to accomplish credit
ably. -
at is strange that hospitals have
been so slow in grasping and apply
ing the findings of science on the
subject of fatigue"
AS to housing, Miss Noyes declared
that each nurse should have her
private room and that those on night
duty should be assigned room where
the normal noises Of daily work and
traffic would not interrupt sound
sleep.
This afternoon the delegates left
for Annapolis on special trains. They
will be received at the historic Mary
land State House by Gov. Ritchie.
and later will be taken on a tour of
the United States Naval Academy.
The regiment of midshipmen will be
ordered out on dress parade in their
honor. The return to Washington
will be made tonight.
SERVICES wII1 Pc uEIN