Show continuation of nurses training to Provi provide defor for thousands of qualified hospital assistants by walter A shead staff correspondent A total of girls and young women of which number 59 percent 0 or approximately come from small towns of and under population are enrolled in the nurses training courses sponsored by the united states public health service of the feder federal 11 security agency these girls are entrained in what is more commonly called the cadet nurses training corps and the erroneous impression has been largely fostered that they must enter the army and navy service upon graduation this is untrue however since the law providing for the training of these nurses says they are trained for the armed forces and civilian hospital health agencies war industries and tor for other purposes and where the nurses decide to practice la Is entirely voluntary on their part they may decide to stay in civilian practice or to go into the army or navy but emphasis Is placed upon the voluntary TOlon tary nature of their service As aa Is the case in most war projects particularly where money tor for operation comes from froin some other source there la Is considerable confusion in the public health service as this Is written as to whether the governmental training of nurses under the act will continue the law setting up the program provides that the act shall cease upon the date of the termination of hostilities I 1 in the present war as determined by the president or upon such earlier date as the congress by concurrent resola tion or the president may designate the student nurses already enrolled in the program will be able to finish their courses because the law provides that all student nurses who were re 1 belving training or course ninety days prior to end of hostilities or declaration by congress or the president may be graduated no further enrollments are being abeln ac cepter in the cadet nurses corps dhosi those with more than ninety days training as of VJ V J day will be retained in their present hospital assignments until they have completed the 30 to 88 36 months of training provided A movement has been started in congress congress to have the life of the cadet nurses hursei carpi corps continued conti fitted during peace time thousands to graduate thirty thousand young women will become graduate nurses this tall fall as the now new class prepares to enter the course and while the armed forces ill likely ely will urge these graduates to enter upon hospital duty within the services it may be that the need elsewhere will be more urgent at any rate it will be optional with the graduate as to where they go cost of sending these nurses through a 24 month course Is approximately approximate ay 1250 to the government so the cost of the training so tar far has been about in addition the government with lanham act funds from the federal works agency has constructed ted some new projects elects pr including buildings laboratories and other equipment at a cost to the government ot of and to the private hos of the new construe stion alon has provided facilities for students what will come of these new buildings lags when the emergency ends has not definitely been decided likely they will be declared surplus war properties and be disposed of through the recon finance corporation with preference or priority being given to the institution where they are constructed ted under the provisions of the law the government pays ho hospitals ap I 1 t a I 1 a which have inaugurated I a nurses training course under the provisions of the act for maintenance meals laundry and rooms and for indoor and outdoor uniforms text books and other fees in addition the government pays the hospitals which in turn pay the girls 15 per month for the first nine months and 20 10 per month for the next fifteen months or until their training is completed where the course runs more than two years girls get 30 per month for the last six alx r lx months cost of maintenance averages approximately as 35 to 40 per month for each girt 8 irl at the p resent present time the public health service has approved I 1 1110 nurses trai training ning schools out of a possible 1250 schools in hospitals in the united states and according to records of the public health service about 80 per cent of the nursing service in hos petals where such training schools are in progress cornea comes from the cadet nurse students the course also makes provision for postgraduate post graduate courses for graduate nurses to become supervisors or teachers end and approximately have been enrolled in these courses course 9 I 1 which are short lasting up to approximately app orl six sit months according to information here the recruitment of nurses for these courses has been one of the most successful efforts la in the war and has been the most reasonable la in point of cost to the government the public relations program Is in charge of mrs jean henderson mulcahy ot of jacksonville fla fia a former newspaper woman who prior pr I 1 or to her coming to washington was for five years director of public relations for f the florida state board of health the cadet nurse corps Is one of the few organizations in the war which has been given an official flag and by action of dr thomas parran surgeon general and approved by pault paul V me nutt federal security administrator the flag was ordered as a white rectangular field with a white maltese cross centered on a red oval superimposed on a rectangle of gray and below the cross insignia the words cadet nurse corps in regimental red lettering the official flag Is ordered displayed at all induction ceremonies graduation exercises parades and at such other times as authorized by the surgeon general providence was wa first the first hospital in the united states to be approved for installation of a cadet nurse corps was providence hospital in washington D 0 the second being johns HOPI ins in baltimore according to mrs mulcahy the providence hospital corps la is one of the model organizations in the country and a nd under the direction of sister rita superintendent perin of nurses there for t the he past twelve years the cadet corps has been integrated with the five year university course which was also inaugurated by sister rita several years ago ag in other words at providence most applicants for cadet nurse training are selected from among girls who have had at least two years college or university education and when they graduate they not only receive 1 the coveted RN EN or registered nurse degree but they receive a bachelor of science degree from catholic university of america with which the hospital has affiliated for the course out of the more than girls in the class at providence are college girls sister rita explains that out of an avalanche of applications she was able to make careful selection of girls with college training that they make better students and that as a result of this careful selection providence hospital has had no disciplinary problems such as has been true in other hospitals where such care was not exercised in im the selection of applicants it may be that the experience with the cadet nurse corps at providence will mark a turning point in the training of nurses throughout the country since sister rita Is planning to abandon the ordinary three year nurses training course which has been in III vogue at most nurse training schools in favor of the longer course and a college science degree although the law provides tor for an insignia which may be worn on both indoor and outdoor uniforms the st students u at providence wear the same uniforms as students in regular training without insignia and there is n no 0 distinction whatever made either in their training or in the treatment they receive by the hospital and few it any of the cadet nurses at this school wear their outdoor uniforms to make them distinctive from the other oiher girls in EL a total training school of girls large urban class in recruitment ot of the cadet nurses according to public health service se arvice records 40 per cent co come me from towns and rural communities of less than 2500 population an additional 19 per ce cent nt come from towns ot of less than and on only IY 9 per cent c come ome from the large metropolitan cities mrs lars mulcahy explained this unusual proportion of trainees from the small towns in the fact that parents felt that their daughters would be sheltered in proper environments that many of them had not been away from their th air home town communities and that they felt safer and more secure in permitting their entrance in the cadet nurse corps both as a patriotic move and as a security for their future there has been little complaint incident to this important training course 10 t to provide additional nurses the emergency particularly from the girls gins themselves most complaint mrs mul caby remarked comes from parents who believe the girls should have the same pay as privates in the army 50 per month that the girls are not subject to veterans benefits and that they are not entitled to free mall to offset these however it to Is pointed on out t that the girls are receiving training for a life work at the expense of their government and that despite need tor for nurses in the armed forces they are still free agents to practice when and where they will or to not practice at all if they should so desire it they marry or for any other reason |