Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1946-08-30
It's News
To Me
By 0. J. Pecmd

~ II ~
Since the end of the war; there has been growing short
age which has become critical.
Hospitals all country finding il difficult TO
recruit sufficiently large number of student staff
their institutions and graduate have
to their pleas for general duty personnel.
Various denominations which hospitals have used
their churches and pup to call young
nursing and painted profession of high serving
suffering humanity and paying good wages
But despite this vivid touching description of nursing
the acute need for nurses not only continues but
gresvely Obviously there must be
situation.
ORGANIZATION
And while the nursing profession suffers from lack Of
recruits and fully trained people, word
that movement is foot organize the into bona
hde union order to secure for them the advantages
which the union has brought to many other workers
What will be obtained any is doubtful at this
time for must be remembered that the modern nursing
fession has, from its foundation with
the Ideals of its greatest character Florence Nightingale
filled with the philosophy of service before se by the hos
pltals in which the nurses secure their training.
Nursing History" ferveny drilled into the student nurse
fills her with romantic and deasc belief her chosen pro-
fesson She usually for little or nothing or as is the
in practically all hospitals nowadays actually paws tuition
to the hospital in which she is receiving her training
Tuition charges instituted years ago following
an Investigation revealed in book entitled Nurses Patients
and Pocketbooks of the nursing field made at time
of economic dsocaon when young girls were not only
seeking themselves which would give them
the means of making living but when the room board and
laundry offered by the hospitals its was an aurng
and attractive
ECONOMIC CHANGE
Depression succeeded by moderate short time recovery
went into the munitions business then entered the war was
sufficient to provide large student and graduate
were formerly looked socazed were gaped bv the
hospitals when they discovered collections instead Of
oeig mace on ht-and basis could be on an
actuarial basis - ~
But while the hospitals still struggling along with
esSenea collections prior to accepting socazed" hospita
zaon payment plans they found absolutely necessary to staff
ter institutions with the cheapest possible help And as so
n the case the hospitals learned experience that cbas
heIp is not always competent help
When Dr. Burgess published her Nurses Patients and
ar1x1
showed that there too many at the time the
was MADE and that their educational were not all that
lmost Immediately small hospitals which had main
and breJ h raining schools closed their training
eo cheap nursing help They was cheansr ~ do
s han to maintain their schools Next edcatiora1 ra;
mens raised and finally manv ~ @ @ REQUIRE
Schoos charged the traneeS their education snS s
AS the country headed toward war; economic conditions
ton groups d al oh people were members hospitaliza-
as showed Improvement Despite this hospitals made n
with the result that hospital employees were b d %
''i Vino among { tne nations poorest paid workers
eh tne war finally the nursing shortaoo ,hich
was already becoming apparent became so critical de E tJ
government recognizing the need nurses for the armed
created the Nursing Cadet training program to insure
an adequate supply of trained women ~ " ~
Urls selected for hospital training were s,,rr1od i.
e cohlng and given monthly wage In addition the GOV
paid the hospitals for the keen II was GOOD
esI Tor the government in providing them with source Of
women and good deal for the hospitals providing them
with nurse help which they paid to train "'e'l
Even in the face of the additional supply Of nurses hos
Pas found difficult to adequately staff their institutions
Thousands of nurses left institutional health and rvae dt
nursing TO accept more lucrative positions with the vast war
industries Moreover the demand for nurses increased as an
larger number of people found themselves fnan
clally able to employ private duty professionals
NEED INCREASES
When the war ended the government called off its nurse
training program and will complete paying for decreased
number who signed up for the training who are still in the
nursing training schools - 80 - -
Thousands of young women who contemplating en-
erlng nursing training have accepted large nber o no.
Suons open at the present time for the immediate income which
ucn poons give and many have married are preparing
for marriage to former servcemen MANY for the
first time in their lives making enough money m snnort
wife. 10y ~ '"PP
The result of economic conditions today nIus the long
time required to nursing training plus the drdeerv of
institutional nursing during the training period ns the lack
of income the principal factors creating the nursing
shortage which exists today. ~
To BE Copt