PAYMENT OF NURSES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1963, 21 January 1914, Page 8

PAYMENT OF NURSES.

IMPORTANT CIRCULAR.

THE STATE & THE HOSPITALS

nieeUii^ , C!ia ii t a rcl.jyes tc'i:day;Ww licii thtf : tdr-G oiiei-ii lso-t' ? Uospi a lent sne)^

,: Hie ■ <3ivcreiLy;'of-■ pafoiv.-.sirhiinii>6si tioi] s ill different, hospitals; it- -has.been .suggested thnt';tho'4)cpnrbneht;,Bhould,draw.' . lip ■ a -fixed scale'-Jof--- payment forjiiiursc's:. oil hospital staffs, 'adopt■ed -by liespital.;ißoards.- »ndriv a 1 ry,-.'aml 'in ill;' larger, hospitals.. t!i(s.sralo- is approximately .the; :«p.!c,' hut in varying: periods,'' and :.ihe v gradifig;.of;-.tho staff, is on similar line.O..As. the.hospitals decrease in'. si7^:,-- thp'divisions/ <i! the staff | into, sepaVa , t'e-gi''ades;^s,: : much.^r^ ■It,.would - Hordoubt;h;c|;adyisablpi'to.:h:ivc- . soir.o uniform scales for. hospitals oi'.dif-. j.-faetors to s bo''.takcnyntot-obnsid.cyatioiiJ|hesidcf,. tho number of daily, occupied bids. • in the largo hospitals^thcjfc re-; lessened '-ly^the-- fact that, therejs ajstaff pf',resident,'medical. officers^at^'-by-a J -.of; assistant; matron,, home, sister, i and other; sisters. In orie. hospital, of tho second degree,4when :v,tlie. matron-s':'' : ;sa]ary'- ; ..is £200 -and-. the..,assistant' matron ..Clotl; there is .lie resident surgeon,...and there-, fore much more responsibility rests on the matron.',Long ; and, good service-in both, instances,! has :■ caused thp' 1 increase tr> salaries.,'/considerably '■; above- .- those paid m..other hois'pitals..of tho'same size; In-this classy l .there is also : one: matron in receipt of .'a. salary!, of. £200,;who.iias no assistant.,matron,raiidiwho'-'''has; fre-; fluently.-'- been- ■ called upon to.--.manage tne hospitals without a; medicaKsuperiu.tendent, and-whoso salary has been increased year by her ability ■ ani'idevotion.fJjlhe' location of .a hospital, must'-a150,.-be -.taken''into consideration';-; Hospitals,.far .from tho chief centres must ,tion,-to tho staff to induce, them .to stay,; ov-' to-'induc-o newcomers to -apply for. positions:. -Si Positions which Attract Nursos. 1 ' "The class of.work do'nu in a hospital is also a factor." ,A" nurse who; is ambitious, to improve her knowledge,will-go to a hospital, where she knows that she will get. good experience, at- a-lower sal-, ary than to one without that'reputation':' In -, one 'hospital; - for vinstance, which ■ rarely has difficulty• iit;;fillmg:.;vacaiicies', or keepisig its staff fbr,.a,long' time, tho surgeon has a- reputation ' which attracts, nurses to work-under liim.;J>--Tho sonality .of the'-'.matron,' nnd 'vf' her ability "'-.-to make -her. staff i-onknited, trtid to- promoto •.harmony,will;'also induce nurses to ;stay, or to : take positions without tho.'inducement of. a relatively. larger salary.' ,Tn.the„ filial! hps-' pitals of t-ho Dominion' it difficult Mo get help, and the ;;matron;.: frequently has to perform t.ho.""duties':.of medical officer, admitting anditattending to patients, and, at times,; doina : nursing, cooking, arid laundry work; r In such institutions proportionately larger, salaries should bo paid to women wiio stay tinder sitch adverse conditions. - .I.d-o not thinks that, it would bo possible to; have any uniform system of payment to tho nursing staffs of hospitals unless all were, •uncler one control and promotion could be made from one position to another. Even then, when-no vacancies occur in the higher positions, length of good setvice would necessitate disorgimsing tno .•.ystero. 11 v.." Scales df Fay In Voguc. ,: - ■ Appended:'is ; 'a\tablo' drawii,-;iip . : froni,| the existing'- salaries ' paid,iu. tub. various hospitals ,l; c ~ ' v '-. ; ■ ■"3.-"-BP?;? 150-260': : SO-ICO - 30 S0 .15-30 - ■. : sv f4.- "■ Lady Super*.'inundent JMSSOWBO' 140-200 ;120-1.50;'lCO-150 Assistant "«tr ton :... ICMSC .'ls-5 .; "ltO .- . Sub-matrons .. • ICO-130 ;"f . Home.Sister ... ' 9G;129 - - Night. Charge '." ; - ;, i Sister " 85-100 : : CO-M : - Theatre Charge **' ■'' '- i:i Sister < 85-ICX).: Word Charge 's;; Sister 70400 , .'EO-ICO7C-C3;.' Staff nurses ...' 40-50 ;'4O-60 " Probationers''.. 10-30 12-37-10■' 12-35 f.;-'" 20-40, v 'One only/:ft--y;:| ; sft';:'i'."t/ ■The seal© shows that/tho amount :■ is. being paid .to' the- nursing staff 'at the Wellington-- Hospital;;' and. this compares' favourably with . rates-in Australasia." ■ The Suspicions of Mr. D. MJLarcn. ■ 'Mr, D. M'Larensaid that the Inspec-tor-General did not suggest-/ anything, that tlwy should do. , Personally : lie would like to have" the'views of-those concerned—tho Nurses' Association—on such a question. The circular contained one or two points of policy:'-which waiit-' od very careful looking into,'and, for this reason, he moved that the communication be sent to the Finance and Policy Committee. He believed in the pri« ; cipie of the Government establishing a-, minimum wage- for ,a,' special' class' of.-' woi-k, but there appeared to him. to Vo almost something between-the linen--in Dr.' Valiutiiie's eommuuicatioii,-^.whicli might indicate tlie desire, of the' (jo\*ernment,- through the Department,--' to take conipleto charge of of the nurses, and it seemed.; like-a'step to the control of the hospitals. As a' member .of the Hospital and Gharitablo Aid Board lie-did not' think ■ that was a right policy.;, They, should)look, into the matter.' ' The' Roy. H. Van Stayeren'was of ,the same opinion. There, was a lot, if one read between the lines,.to make it necessary to refer the'matte'' to a committee;" Ho did. not objcct to. the .Government taking charge so long as' they nationalised the hc'pitals. - - . . -4. -;'i> ' Nationalise the Hospitals. Dr. Mackenzie'was. of opinion that, they should only take intoiconsideration what the secretary.-:.had', foad- ; "on,- the lines." It had been'suggested that there' was something between the lines, but ho did not think that they should attribute any motives to Dr. ValititineX. Ho told them truly tho difficulties in the. way; of making a'uniform wage for nurses.' Ho' (Dr.. Mackenzie) entirely agreed-■ that there should bo some minimum wage, but he was further of opinion ■ that iiursei who had served their apprenticeship in tho hospitals should., have .a very much higher wage, than they., got at the present time. They lost-many of their good imrscs through the small salaries paid. .If an inquiry was made.into theirhospital they would find there • weni quite a number of nurses there who had not passed their, examinations'..;: It was a training college fo'r.ararscs;' -'- As'-soon as they had got their diploma a groat, many of them went away.,. The stigges-' tion that DrrValintinc inado in .tho eiid. of his letter was a good-one—that tho State should nationttliaoMho That was what Dr. .Valintine. wasi-work-, ing for,, and it..',was;';a- good\t-liing;' Ho lielioved Dr.-Valintine was doing the best he could. ■' . Mr. H. Haldwin: "We;art>';quite;clear on all what Dr...Valintine,-has- told tis.-. It- is going to bo.a hard thing to.do all he tells us. ! Mr. J. -Smitli thought'that : - if any-, thing was to be done t-hoy should know I csact-Iy the- Government's inteniion.' Miss Richmond' suggested-■that'-.',;they should ask committee and talk the .matter s.'oyer. There .was a difficulty- myth^.way, .'"audit would be well to., specter-General had to say on if,. . Mr. M'Lai*eu" said that''they miuhi get a uniformity, which-would, bo;altogether. inequitable. Tigidjlnhirarniity,. throughout' thel' Dominioii.' might;;result'. in injustice-' ■ The letter was refe?red:-to;the Finance, ■