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Show NURSES' ASSOCIATION TURNS DOWN j EFFORT TO CORNER THE FEE OF $2 Mrs. N. A. Empoy's scheme to corner cor-ner tho nursing business of Salt. Lake, including tho $2 fee for onch nurse furnished, scorns to have boon badly frosted by recent publicity and by the position taken by the Nurses' association. associa-tion. As one cannot furnish what thoy do not have and cannot get, the regular trained nurses figure that thoy hold the whip hand in that practically all tho trained nurses of good standing in the city belong to the association; and Mrs. Jimpoy's attempt to coerce them into using her register or none under tho plea of 4ono central graded registry" reg-istry" the trained nurses propose to mec't by calmly ignoring Mrs. Empey and her registry. Heretofore trained nurses responded to calls vin Mrs. Hmpc3 and Mrs. Kmpev called on outside nurses when her supply of a few trained and of some lesser skilled nurses rnn out. But sinco Mrs. Empey has scon fit to belittle belit-tle the trained nurses by trying to destroy de-stroy their professional standing and mixing them indiscriminately with women wo-men from unrecognized training schools nnd with women of no skilled training whatever, the graduate nurses will, so thev snv. go calmly on with their regular reg-ular work and leave Mrs. fimpoy and her registry severely alone. Tn this 'position the trained nurses have tho tacit approval of many doctors, doc-tors, who quietly side with the skilled graduates. Almost every trninod nurse in Salt Lake is a member of the Graduate Nurses' association, and after a consultation con-sultation tho following letter, written by tho president of the association, is all tho notice tho trained nurses will hereafter pay to Mrs. Empey and her registry. Following is the letter sent to Tho Tribune: Salt I-nko City. Utah. September 1. 1900. To tho Public : I should like to have the privilege. In behalf of the Graduate Nurses' association associa-tion of Salt L,nko City, to give a true statoment of our organization and nurses' registry. September 19. 19QS. the graduate nurses of the cltv hold a mass meeting to discuss dis-cuss the advisability of an organization and a central graded nurses registry. Thirty nurses were present. Stops wore taken to form a permanent organization. A committee of three, consisting of Kosc Ivorous. graduate of St. Mark's hospital; Mrs. Arthur, graduate of Holy Cross hospital, hos-pital, and Myrtle Brandley. graduate! of Ij. D. S. hospital, were appointed, to report re-port to the County Medical society that the nurses present were not In favor of a central graded registry, but favored a central registry for graduate nurses only, furthermore, they desired to take steps to establish such a registry. Tho objections objec-tions to a graded registry were these: It would lower our standard of professional nursing In Salt Lake City and vicinity. And It wns considered unwise to register with any person who managed a graded register unless the same was controlled hv a nurses' organization, because nurses of Imperfect training, not graduates, frequently fre-quently represented themselves as trained hns-pltal nurses; and tho public was deceived de-ceived by such misrepresentations. Our organization wns perfected October Octo-ber 5. 19HS. At present we have a membership mem-bership of sixty. It Is an organization of nurses associated together for business, busi-ness, professional and social purposes. In Its membership arc represented the three training schools of tho city, giving a three years' course, namely: Holy Cross, L,. D. S. and St. Mark's. Also Including reputa-blo reputa-blo schools from all parts of the country. coun-try. N'o nurse Is admitted to our association unless she Is a graduate from a recognized recog-nized hospital training school, giving not loss than two full years, possessing o,uall-Ocatlons o,uall-Ocatlons and efficiency of the highest type, verified by proper credentials. Whlhi wo ask for our members proper recognition nnd reasonable compensation, we give Ir, return our strength, our courage, cour-age, our wisdom and our skill. "Wo organized or-ganized so that In meeting together wo may bring our best thoughts and plans, each contributing toward tho upbuilding of a useful organization and maintenance of ethical standing. Jo woman unless she possesses courage and sterling qualities over completes a hospital course, which entitles her justly to a pin and diploma. Nursing Is no piny work. Tho public has confidence and trusts us with relatives nnd friends when sick, which we consider an honor. Therefore There-fore ns a body of Intelligent nurses, are we not capable of Impartially Judging whether a centrni graded registry or a central graduate nurses' registry best Berves tho public and our needs In this particular locality? It has been frequently quoted by those who oppose our plan that In other cities one register has proven a success. 1 have corresponded, Interviewed nurses who camo from training schools nil over tho country, read the lending nursing Journals and I find these facts relating to central graded registers: These registers aro stlU In their Infancy and at an experimental stage, many not successful. Where registers exist, graded nurses' organizations aro well perfected, having hav-ing state registrations and state or county coun-ty organizations, protecting well a nurse's standing. That graduate nurses havo charge and under the management of some nursing body, with tho exception of one In Philadelphia, Phil-adelphia, which doctors control. Utah has neither state registration nor state organization. I hope the time Isn't far distant when Utah nurses can have noth. At present our association is tho only graduate nurses' association In the state. Facing tho situation under existing circumstances cir-cumstances mentioned, wo do not think It advisable to consent to any arrangements presented to us regarding a central graded registry over which wo have no control. Our registry, maintained for grnduate nurses only, was formed last .Januarv. 1'1'ty-nlne nurses are registered. Mrs. . C. Howe, superintendent of the registry, regis-try, reports 320 calls from tho doctors and the public. Sometimes she Is unable to supply the demand. , T.no, rcslstry has proven a success to both doctors and nurses. Tho success of a registry depends on the co-operation of tho nurses themselves. It Is our Just right to manage this register, and wc propose to continue to do so. for satisfactory satis-factory conditions exist. Through our registry, nurses have been sent to all parts of I tnh: also calla have come from Wyoming, Wy-oming, Montana, Idaho and Nevada. Applications Ap-plications aro not accepted unless the registrar can take the responsibility of recommending the applicant to both doctor doc-tor and patient. Also nil complaints nnd charges are investigated by our organization. organi-zation. If a doctor prefers a graduate nurse ho knows where to call, and if he wishes a non-gradnato ho also knows where to find her. fSIgned) ROSE KOROUS. President of tho Graduate Nurses' Association Asso-ciation of Salt Lake City. |