Evening star., 1942-10-29
Congress Move
May DropBars
Bring in Nurses
Mason Says Action
May Force Board to
Relax Restrictions


Relax Restrictions
A move among members of Con.
gress to force the local Nurses
examining Board to relax its re-
qulrements in order to admit NOR,
nurses from outside the District t.
practice here was revealed by Com.
missioner Guy Mason at a meetins
OF the District Medical Society las
night.
The Commissioner said he hac
been informed by certain member,
OF Congress that, If the board die
not revise some of its REQUIRE.
ments to meet the present nursins
shortage affecting local hospitals
they would present a bill immedi.
ately to change the law by which
the board was set up in 1929.
Mr.. MaSon'S remarks were made
at the close OF a session at which
local doctors and hospital repre-
sentatlves had faced each other ir
an open forum on the wartime
hospital situation. The Commits
sioner also announced that the
contract for construction of a 15O-
bed addition to Gallinger Hospital
granted priorities by the War Pro-
duction Board last week, was
signed yesterday and that ground
Tor the project would be broken
today.
Classed as Defense Workers.
He reported also that he had
been informed by Price Admins
traitor Leon Henderson, to whom
he had addressed letter on the
subject 10 days ago, that local
nurses would be classed as defense
workers and that the order already
had been given for check to be
made to determine which of them
should be granted extra gasoline.
A few minutes earlier, Dr. Watson
w. Eldridge, chief of medical and
surgical supplies at ST. Elizabeth's
Hospital, had told the society that
the shortage of nursing students
now reducing the classes of training
schools was due to the requirements
OF the Nurses Examining Board. He
said he had warned before the law
creating the board was passed in
1929 that it would have this effect.
Since the legislation was put into
effect, he continued, there has been
a shortage Of students, while there
had been plethora" before 1929.
Hospitals have been forced to
close their nurses training schools
because the requirements imposed
on hospitals by the examining board
have been so rigid that they could
not afford to operate the schools"
he said.
Broad Powers Granted.
Recalling that Miss M. Cordelia
Cowan, executive secretary of the
board, in addressing the society a
few minutes earlier, had said that
everything had been done to relax
requirements outside of changing
the law" Dr. Eldridge pointed out
that the legislation put the entire
power over the nursing profession
in the hands of the board and that,
therefore, no change in legislation
would be needed to revise the rules.
This board went beyond a mat
ter of merely setting curriculum re-
quirements," Dr. Eldridge charged.
1T went so far as to say that table
cloths should be changed three times
a day and that certain candlepower
lamps shall be furnished nurses
homes.
"I've even seen Miss Cowan in
specting the homes with a meter to
determine whether they had the re-
quired lamps My son just has been
graduated from college at which
his education cost me as high as
81 500 year. I went there to visit
him, and 1 want to tell you the
students quarters there couldn't be-
gin to pass the requirements of the
Nurses Examining Board"
In answer to a report that some
hospitals were reserving obstetrical
beds for their own personnel, hos
pital representatives reported that
their wards were constantly crowd
ed. One superintendent said his own
institution had accommodated as
high as l02 babies at one time when
its capacity was only 81. There
was general denial that the alleged
practice existed.
Rising Costs Cited.
o. K. Fike, director of Doctors
Hospital, who led a panel discus
sion on Civilian Hospitals and Hos
pitalization During Wartime" re-
ported that among factors contribut-
ing to increased hospital operating
expense was the fact that thefts in
hospitals were double and even
treble as high this year as last and
that the cost of raw food had risen
% per cent.
In a paper on Incorporation of
the Medical Staff in Nursing Prob
lems." prepared by Sister Rose, su-
perintendent of Providence Hospital,
and read by Miss Elsie Berdan. as
sistant director of nurses, it was
pointed out that doctors could aid
hospitals in the following steps,
/. Notify hospitals before having
patients admitted.
2. Agree on regular hours for ad-
mitting patients except in emer-
gencies.
g. Advise patients as to what to
expect before they are sent to hos
pitfalls and encourage them not to
ask too much service.
4. Write orders only on essential
treatments and indications.
Would Time Visits.
5. Encourage patients to have spe-
cial nurses only when they are
grayely Ill.
8. Visit patients only at a time
when ward activities are at mini
mum.
Other papers read at the meeting
were on Some Problems in the
Admission of Patients" by DR.. N. L.
McDiarmid, superintendent of Co.
lumbia Hospital; Public Relations
Doctors Help in Maintenance of