VOLUNTEER SISTERS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2512, 13 July 1915, Page 2

VOLUNTEER SISTERS

A MISUNDERSTANDING DEALT WITH ,

(Contributed by the Secretary.)

The secretary of tho Volunteer Sisters wjll be at the Health Department, Wellington, all this week, where applications may be addressed. Dr. J. M. Mason lias kindly consented to act as lion, medical adviser and examiner, and all applicants must be passed by him as being organically and constitutionally sound "and lit before their applications are considered. Applicants' will plcuso make their own arrangements with Dr. Mason without consulting the secretary. Applications should be accompanied by nut more than three' references.,. There Is not" tho slightest doubt that hundreds of women will apply. from Wellington, olid from these applicants Dr. Mason Avill select those lie thinks absolutely tho strongest and fittest' and best qualified for the work. The Sisterhood gives . him completely autocratic powers in the selection of names. All women must be over 50 years 6f age, and may be married or unmarried. They are asked to give up one year (or. more) of their lives for tho service of their race and their nation, and many of the Christcfhurck women Have made great financial and professional sacrifices in joining the Sisterhood at twenty-four hours' notice. Many of the women have given up permanent positions with ,£IOO or .£l5O a J-ear to sign on at "10s. per week and found/"The following "is the pledge which all members of the Sisterhood-(including the secretary) luvve signed:—"We, the undersigned. gladly and freely, offer one year or more of our lives for the servico at Home or abroad of nursing and tending siclr and wounded, and vi'e promise to obey' cheerfully- and readily all orders given to us by those in authority, and iye hereby express our willingness to do all necessary/,'work of any nature or kind whatsoever. We, also promise to do onr utmost individually and collectively to maintain the good health, good cheer, nnd good temper of v the" group' we are. placed in. We;- agree to accept as our remuneration, maintenance,- plus 10s. per. week personal allowance." The secretary "states', that, tliero lias been some little misunderstanding on the part of itrained registered nurses in some parts of New Zealand with regard to tlic use of tho term "sister." "1 have no doubt," said. Miss Rout, "that I am tesponsiblo for this to a' great extent; Everything has had to bo done so hurriedly that I have lt'ad"no time to make nccessury explanations in certain directions, although these were urgently called for as a matter ,of courtesy and discretion. • This is the position we-take up:.All tho women who enrol "as volunteer Bisters . renounce all professional status (tnd become probationers. This has been agreed to by all of them. Although some of them Aro trained nurses their rank is probationer. Over them next come the staff sisters at the military hospitals, who aro registered trained niirses amf whom orir volunteers must address as 'sister.'. Orer these, again is the matron of the hospital. Wilien our , volunteers are on duty they are addressed as 'nurse' in the same way as probationers" at ordidary' hospitals are addressed. When they aro off duty they are addressed by their ordinary names, Miss (or Mrs.) So-and-so. When a general description of our Sisterhood . was first published, I' said this: 'These women will always act under the orders of registered nurses or medical officers. The term "sister" has been employed merely in a human sense in the snmc way as it is:-used by deaconesses and others." Tho term, "nurse" has a certain definite statutory meaning, and it was considered unfair .to the -professional registered nurse to promote any wide and general use of this word for women who' had not the 'registered nurses' technical training and legal status.' . "After the South African War some women who had been employed as helpers in connection with sick and .wounded soldiers advertised themselves as 'Noirso So. and-so,' implying that -they had gone through the registered nurses' training when they had not. The members of the Volunteer Sisters will not be permitted, to do that. They will later he asked,,to sign'ah' agreement not to do so, and the Sisterhoqd will-as soon as possible get som'e amendment to the Nurses' Registration Act, whereby it. will become a statutory offence =lor» a woman to advertise or call herself 'nurse! in the 6amO'Way as it is "an offence for any person to advertise .or call' himself or herself .'doctor' without conforming 'to the legal , re'quiremonts of a'medical'practitioner."