Evening star., 1951-09-12
Training School
orNurses Shut
AT Emergency
Hospital Gives Lack
Of Clinical Facilities
Among Reasons
By Wallace E. CToyton

its School of Nursing, it was
learned today.
Decision to close the school
which has been in almost con-
tinuous existence since 1898, was
made Monday as 10 new students
were preparing to enter the next
term, which was due to start next
Monday.
The decision came after week
of daily conferences between Off
GERS of the hospital and members
of the Nursing School Committee
of the Board of Directors.
James G. CaposSela, admins
traitor of the hospital, said the de-
ciSion to close was reached be-
cause:
l. A lack of sufficient clinical
experience" for the students. Mr..
Capossela pointed out that the
hospital has no maternity service,
no psychiatric service, and no
pediatric service, and that in the
past students had to be tempo
rarily affiliated with other hos
pitfalls for training in these fields.
2. The threat of further reduc-
tions in the number of patients
sent to Emergency under the Dis
trict program for care of INDECENT
patients. Private hospitals in the
past depended in large measure
upon these charity patients to fur
nish experience to students, but
lately more and more indigents
have been sent to Gallinger NUM-
cipal Hospital.
8. Lack of sufficient qualified
teaching personnel.
4. The expense of operating the
school in relation to the number
of students enrolled is Ito great
to be feasible for an indefinite
number of years"
Most Go to Gallinger.
Most of the 10 new students will
take their training at the Capital
City School of Nursing at CALM
ger Hospital, Mr.. Capossela said.
Two or three have indicated
desire to attend the nursing school
at Garfield Hospital, he added.
Officials of both hospitals were
consulted during the conferences
on closing the Emergency nursing
school.
The IA students now in training
at Emergency will transfer as
group to Gallinger, and on their
graduation, will be capped as
Emergency Hospital nurses, Mr..
CapoSSela said. Seven of these
students have one year to go, and
seven have two years to go.
Mr.. Capossela said that closing
of the school had been discussed
as long as two years, as enroll
ment continued to dwindle and ap-
preparations for care of INDECENT
patients at private hospitals be-
came smaller.
He said, however, that hospital
officials probably would have con-
tinued the school had there been
an enrolment this year of 80 new
students, or if the long-delayed
Hospital Center project had ap-
peared close to reality.
The proposed Center, to be built
on the grounds of Soldiers Home,
would consolidate the facilities of
Emergency, Garfield and Episco-
pal Hospitals.
Mr.. CapoSsela said the six nur-I
sing instructors at the hospital
have accepted teaching positions
at other schools.
The new students preparing to-
enter the school this term were
notified of the schools closing by
telegram Monday night.
The message said:
Because of circumstances which
arose late in August over which
the school of nursing has no con-
troll and which every effort has
failed to overcome, we are obliged
to close the school.
I'VE have arranged your adj
mittance, if you so desire, to the
nursing school at Gallinger Hos
pital, which has an abundance of
clinical material. fine staff and
is nationally acclaimed We rec
ommend that you so transfer"
Mr.. Capossela said that Emer-
gency Hospital would pay any
extra tuition, uniform or textbook
fees incurred at the other hospi-
tails by either the new students
or the students already in train
ing. Travelling expenses for the
new students to Washington will
also be taken care of by the Hos
pital.
Gallinger Class Starts.
At Gallinger Hospital, Miss
Beatrice Ritter, superintendent of
nurses, said the Gallinger class of
40 new students has already
started. However, she said, new
students sent by Emergency would
be given until September 20 to
report. She said the schools staff
would give extra classes and tutor
ing sessions to the transfers until
they caught up with the rest of
the class.
Addition of the new students
from Emergency will probably
bring to capacity enrolment atI
Gallinger-the only nursing school
IN the city to have full compile
ment of new students.
Mr.. Capossela said that in the
future Emergency Hospital will
depend on "the open market" for
Its registered nurses. The hos
pital now has 81 beds closed be-
cause OF the nursing shortage.
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