| Show Continuation of Nurses Training to Provide for Thousands of Qualified Hospital Assistants By Walter A. A Shead Staff Correspondent A total of girls and young women of which number 59 percent 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 Federal Security Agency These girls are entrained in What that 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 governmental and civilian hospital health agencies war industries and for other purposes and where the tho nurses decide to practice Is entirely voluntary on their part They Ther may decIde to stay In civilian llIan practice or to go Into the army or navy y but emphasis Is la placed upon the voluntary nature of ot their service As Is the case In most war projects projects particularly where money for operation comes from some other source there Is considerable confusion confusion con con- fusion In the Public Health Sen Service Ser Ice as this Is written as to whether the governmental Jo training of or nurses under under un un- un der the act will continue The law setting up tho the program provides that the act shall shan cease upon the date of ot termination of at hostilities hos boa In the present war as determined determined deter deter- mined by the tho President or upon such earlier date slate as the congress by concurrent resolution or the President may designate The student nurses already enrolled enrolled enrolled en en- rolled In the program will be bo able to finish their courses because the tho law provides pro that all student nurses who were receiving training or course ninety days prior to end of ot hostilities ties or declaration by congress or orthe orthe orthe the President may be bo graduated No further farther enrollments are being accepted In the cadet nurses' nurses corps Those with more than 00 90 days of ot training as of ot J V-J day will be retained retained retained re re- In their present hospital assignments assignments as as- until they have completed ed the 30 80 to 30 sa months of ot training provided A mo ement has been started In congress to have the tho life lIte of ot the cadet nurses' nurses corps continued during peace time Thousands to Graduate Thirty thousand young women will wUl become graduate nurses this fall faU as the new class prepares to enter the tho course and while the armed forces likely will urge these graduates to enter upon hospital l duty within the services It may be bo that the need elsewhere will be more urgent At any rate it will be optional with the tho graduate as to where whore they go Cost of ot sending these nurses through a month 24 course Is approximately approximately 1250 to the government go so the cost of ot the training so far has been about In addition the tho government with Lanham Act funds from the Federal Works Agency Agen Agen- cy has constructed some new now projects Including buildings laboratorIes laboratories labora laborn- tories tortes and other equipment at a cost to the government go of at 02 and to the private hospitals of ot S The new construction has provided facilities for tor students What will come of ot these new buildings when the emergency ends has hns not 1101 definitely been decided Likely they will be declared surplus war properties and be disposed of ot through the Reconstruction Finance Corporation with preference or priority priority being given to the Institution where they are constructed Under the provisions of the tho law the government pays hospitals hospitals hos has which have Inaugurated a n nurses' nurses training course under the provisions of the act for maintenance meals laundry and rooms and for Indoor and out door uniforms text books and other fees Also the government pays the hospitals which In turn pay the girls 15 per month for the first and 20 per month for the next fifteen months or until their training Is la completed Where the course runs more than two years girls get 30 per month for the last six elx months Cost of maintenance averages approximately 35 to 40 per month for each girl At the present time the public health service has approved 1110 nurses' nurses training schools out of a possible pos poe sible sibie 1250 schools In hospitals hos hoe In the United States And according to records of the public public pub pub- lic lie health service about 80 per percent percent percent cent of the nursing service In hospitals where such training schools are In progress comes from the cadet nurse students The course also makes provision for post-graduate post courses for graduate ate nurses to become supervisors or teachers and approximately ha have ve been heen enrolled In these courses which are short lasting up to approximately approximately ap ap- ap- ap proximately six months According to Information here hero the recruitment of ot nurses for these courses has been one of ot the tho mos most successful efforts In the war and has been the most reasonable In point of ot cost to the tho government The public relations program Is In charge of at Mrs l Jean Henderson Mulcahy of ot Jacksonville Fla a former newspaper newspaper news news- paper woman who prior to her coming com com- Ing ng to Washington was for five years director of ot public relations for the Florida State Board of ot Health The Tho cadet nurse corps Is one of ot the tho few organizations In the war var which has been given gl an official flag lag and by action of ot Dr Thomas Parran Surgeon General and approved ap- ap proved pro by Paul V. V McNutt Federal Security Administrator the flag lag was ordered as a white rectangular field with a n white Maltese cross centered on a red oval 81 superimposed on a rectangle of ot gray and below the cross Insignia the tho words Cadet Nurse Corps In regimental red let let- The official flag lag Is ordered displayed displayed displayed dis dis- dis- dis played at nt all Induction ceremonies graduation exercises parades and at such other times as authorized by bythe bythe bythe the Surgeon General Providence Was First The first hospital In the tho United States to be approved for tor Installation installation tion of ot a cadet nurse corps was Providence Hospital In Washington D D. C. C the second being Johns Hopkins Hopkins Hop Hop- kins In Baltimore According to Mrs Mulcahy the Providence Hospital 1 corps Is one atthe of at the model organizations In the country country country coun coun- try and under the tho direction of ot Sister Rita superintendent of nurses there for the past 12 years the cadet corps has been Inte integrated rated with the tho year five university course which was Vas also Inaugurated by Sister Rita several years ago In other words at Providence most applicants for ca cadet et nurse training are selected from amon among girls who have hn had hatt at nt least two years' years college or university education and when they graduate they not only receive the tho coveted RN nN or registered nurse de degree ee but they receive a bachelor of ot science degree from Catholic University of or America with which the tho hospital has affiliated for forthe forthe the tho course Out of ot the more than girls In the class at Providence e are arc college girls Sister Rita explains that out of ot an avalanche of or applications she sho was able to make careful selection ol ot of girls with college training that they make better students and that at as a n result of ot this careful selection ProvIdence Providence Pro Hospital has hns had no disciplinary problems such as has been I true In other hospitals where such care was not exercised In the ele election elec- elec tion of ot applicants It may be bo that the experience with the cadet nurse corps at ProvIdence Providence Providence Provi ProvI- dence will mark a turning point In Inthe inthe the th training of or nurses throughout the country since Sister Rita Is planning to abandon the tile ordinary year three-year nurses' nurses training course which has been In vogue ogue at most nurse training schools In favor mor of ot the longer course and a college science degree Although the law provides for an Insignia which may be worn on both Indoor and outdoor uniforms the students at nt Providence Iro wear the same uniforms as students In regular regu regu- tar lar training without Insignia and there Is n no distinction whatever made either In their training or In Inthe Inthe inthe the treatment the they receive by the hospital And few If It any of ot the cadet nurses at this school wear their outdoor uniforms to make them distinctive from the other girls In a total training school of ot O girls Large Urban Class In Ia recruitment of ot the tho cadet nurses according to public health service records 40 per cent come from rom towns townsand townsand townsand and rural communities of ot less than 2300 2500 population An additional 10 19 per cent come from towns of ot less than and only 9 0 per cent come from tho the large largo metropolitan cities titles Mrs Mulcahy explained this unusual unusual unusual un un- un- un usual proportion of ot trainees from the small towns In the fact that parents par par- eats felt that their daughters would be sheltered In proper environments that many of ot them had bad not been away from their home town communities communities communities com com- and that they felt safer and antl more secure In permitting their entrance In the tho cadet nurse corps both as a Ii patriotic move and as a security for tor their future There has been little complaint Incident to this Important training course courso to provide additional nurses during the emer emergency ency particularly from the girls themselves Most complaint Mrs r Mulcahy remarked comes from parents who believe belle the girls should have havo the same pay as privates In the army 50 GO per month that the girls are not subject t to veterans veterans' benefits and that they are ore not entitled to free mall mail To offset these however howe It la Is pointed out that the girls are receiving receiving re re- re- re cel training for tor a life lite work at atthe atthe the tho expense of ot their government Io and that despite need for tor nurses In Inthe Inthe inthe the armed forces they are arc still stUl free a agents to practice when and where they will or to not practice at all If It they should so BO desire If It they marry or for tor any other reason |
