Evening star., 1942-11-15
Interpretation Of Code
10 Nurses
Licenses Sought
Mason Hopes Request
Might Ease Requirements
For Practice Here

Commissioner Mason revealed YES
terday that he had requested Cor
poration Counsel Ri h mond B.
Keech to furnish him with an in
depreciation of the District Code as
it pertains to licensing of nurses
and their payment of fees.
He withheld for the present the
purpose of the request, except to say
that he hoped it might ease re-
quirements under which graduate
nurses, both resident and non-resi-
dent, are permitted to practice in
the District.
His announcement followed notice
earlier last week by the Nurses
Examining Board that it had waived
for the period of the war the IS
reinstatement fee required of nurses
on the delinquent list.
No Comment on Action.
Mr.. Mason refused to comment on
the action of the board, or to say
whether it relieved the impatience
of legislators on Capitol Hill. At
recent meeting of the District Med
ical Society. he said some Congress
members were in a mood to change
the law creating the examining
board If the board did not relax its
laws to permit greater numbers of
experienced nurses to enter the &C
tive field during the present war
emergency.
The request for an Interpretation
of the law was believed to mean that
the Commissioner planned to urge
the board to strain every point with
in legal bounds to admit as many
inactive nurses as possible to active
duty. With respect to graduate
nurses from outside the District, the
goal doubtless would be to simplify
as much as possible the routine to
be followed in registering for local
practice, including abolition of an
examination and payment of fee
other than the annual 81 registra-
ton fee.
BY waving the reinstatement fee,
as announced last week. the board
did not entirely lower its bars as
they pertain to nurses classed as de-
linquent. 1t was explained that any
nurse who has failed to renew her
annual license or who had placed
her name on the inactive list and
failed to obtain her annual license
before she again resumed practice
may be reinstated by making a writ
ten request to that effect and by
paying her annual registration fee
for any period of delinquency dur
ing which she has practiced in the
District.
Shorter Course Considered.
In this case, it was pointed out.
the nurse will not pay for any part
of the period of delinquency during
which she has not practiced in the
District.
"She pays only the fees all other
nurses pay who are in good stand
ing and prompt in taking care of
their license to practice" Miss M.
Cordelia Cowan, executive director
of the board. said.
Miss Cowan said careful consid-
Grafton was being given by men,
bers of the nursing profession and
allied groups to recommendation
that the course of nurse training be
reduced from 36 to 80 months during
the emergency. Existing require
ments for schools of nursing are so
flexible, she added, that such an
accelerated program could be put
in operation at once.
The executive director also an
nounced that the board is consider
ing suggestions to permit volunteer
registered nurses and emergency
temporary registered nurses to come
into the field for active duty on a
licensed basis during the emergency
through. among other requirements,
payment of fees of 50 and $6, re-
spectively.