Evening star., 1945-01-25
Draft Held
imperative by
War Officials
House Unit Unlikely
To Defer Bill Despite
Recruiting Squirt
BY CARTER BROOKE JONES.


Despite the sudden squirt in re.
cruiting Army and Navy nurses re.
ported for the last two weeks, ON.
cials at the War Department said
today 1t still was felt that legisla-
ton authorizing the drafting Of
nurses is imperative If Americas
are to keep on receiving the
best treatment medical science can
devise.
At the House Military Affairs
Committee, which is considering a
nurse-draft measure, there was no
inclination to set aside or defer this
legislation because the American
Red Cross reported 8,236 applica-
tions for the two weeks ending Tues
day. Even If all these candidates
were accepted, they would not nearly
meet the urgent need.
Experience has shown, it was said
at the Surgeon Generals Office, that
only about 40 per cent of the appli-
cants actually become Army nurses.
The others either fail to follow UP
their applications or cannot pass the
physical examination or meet the
educational requirements. Surg. Gen.
Norman T. Kirk has said $4,000 to
10000 more nurses are required by
the Army alone.
May to Push Measure.
Committee Chairman May said
today he hoped to resume hearings
on his nurse draft bill early next
week. He Is going ahead with plans
to report the measure as soon as
possible and hurry 1t to vote in the
House. The measure was side
tracked this week by the work-or-
Jail manpower bill.
In addition to Mr.. Mays bill, bill
by Representative Rogers, Repub-
lican, of Massachusetts, has been
placed before the committee. Mrs.
Rogers measure defines In more de-
tail the rights and privileges of
nurses who go into the armed forces.
It would allow graduates of recog-
nized nursing schools between the
ages of 20 and As to be drafted.
They would be commissioned with
the rank not below second lieu
tenant in the Army and ensign in
the Navy.
The proposed draft would be ad-
ministered by the director of Sc
lective service, who could delegate
authority to help organizations
or individuals in medicine or nurs-
ing. The names of all nurses, with
the experience and personal circum-
stances Of each, would be placed in
a national registry and turned over
to selectiye service headquarters.
Mrs. Rogers bill would allow
nurses to volunteer up to the time
they were drafted.
Council Issues Statement.
The National Nursing Council for
War Service issued a statement to-
day in which it said: al
Nurses may rest assured that
every effort will be made to see that
any selective service legislation
which may be passed gives nurses
the privilege of applying for COM
missions at the time the draft
reaches them, as doctors may do.
There is however, no certainty until
a law is actually on the statute
books what it actually may specify.
In their own interests, as well as to
meet the grave needs of the
wounded, nurses should apply for
commissions now"
The Army has approximately A..
600 nurses at present and needs Co.
600. Constantly swelling casualty
lists in the face of only a small in
crease in the Nursing Corps in the
last year has made the problem
more acute each week,
Nurse Cadets Wanted.
1t was pointed out today by Lu-
cile Petry, director of the Cadet
Nurse Corps of the United States
Public Health Service, that there
are unusual opportunities for
qualified high school graduates or
college women in Washington who
want to help meet the critical need
for nurses on the home and war
fronts.
Emergency Hospital is among
those in the area offering the ac-
celerated program of nursing edu.
cation of the Cadet Nurse Corps.
The course requires from "a to 30
months for graduation. During the
training period the cadet nurses do
a large part of the nursing at this
hospital, making it possible to re-
lease graduate nurses for military
duty.
A new course opens February 1.
Miss Charlotte A. Stump, director
of the Emergency Hospital School
of Nursing, is in charge of enroll
ment.