Evening star., 1947-02-15
Auxiliary Nurse
Training Urged
On Hospitals
College of Surgeons
Letter Runs Counter
To Examiners Policy

| Establishment Of a training course
for auxiliary hospital workers, SIM
liar to the practical nurses train
ing program now offered at Doc
tors Hospital, has been recon-
mended to the Is other Washing
ton hospitals by the American Col
lege of Surgeons.
The request was made in letter
sent this week to hospitals through
out the country in an effort to re-
lieve the national shortage of hos
pital help.
Although all local institutions en-
ploy auxiliary workers, only Doctors
Hospital now offers formal course
of training for practical nurses.
The nurse shortage cannot be
eliminated merely by training more
registered nurses, the letter de-
clared. In addition to the highly
skilled graduate nurse with three
years intensive training, the coun-
try needs practical nurses and
nurses aides to assist her in the
care of the sick, it said.
nepOEC heCelVeus
Responsibility for training these
auxiliary nurses was put squarely
up to the hospitals themselves. A
report was demanded by March on
"steps taken to make the proposed
program effective."S Not mentioned,
but implicit in the letter, was the
threat that institutions which fail
to take such steps may find them
selves no longer on the organiza-
tons approved" list.
! A major obstacle to setting up
regular training courses for practi-
cal nurses in most of the Districts
larger hospitals has been an un-
official policy of the local Nurses
Examining Board discouraging hos
pitals which offer training courses
for graduate nurses from employing
practical nurses on their staff
This is in spite of the fact that
District Health Officer George C.
Ruhland says District hospitals need
440 more registered nurses immedi-
ately and applications for training
at the hospital schools for registered
nurses are almost negligible.
Practice Confirmed.
A board official acknowledged the
Nurses Examining Board policy rep
resented "the consensus of those
who are in charge of schools of regis
tered nursing" and said "it has been
the practice that practical nurses
have not been employed here in
hospitals which conduct accredited
nursing schools" (those training
registered nurses.
There are eight such hospitals in
the District. They are Emergency,
Freedmen's, Gallinger, Garfield,
Georgetown, Providence, st. Eliza
beth's and Sibley Hospitals. Chill
drens Hospital also trains student
nurses in an exchange agreement
with other hospitals.
How to comply with the urgent
call of the College of Surgeons and
yet retain an accredited status with
the Nurses Examining Board is a
problem facing any of these hos
pitals which may wish to set up
regular training course for practical
nurses.
Courses Offered at Doctors. -
Doctors Hospital, unencumbered
by this restriction, last october set
up course for practical nurses
which could serve as model for
other institutions here. A class of
II was accepted for the initial
course, and IS more will commence
training Monday. DR.. Edgar A. Bo-
cock, administrator, said three
courses a year will be offered when
the program is fully organized.
Indication that the Nurses Ex-
amining Boards policy against mix
ing student and practical nurses may
soon be revised was given by a
spokesman of the group. She said
that if bill now under study by
the District Commissioners to
license practical nurses goes into ef-
feet, it would raise the qualifications
of the latter group to a point where
the objection to joint training might
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