SELECTING PROBATIONERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 105, 19 September 1912, Page 6

SELECTING PROBATIONERS.

ALLEGATIONS' OF UNFAIRNESS. DISCUSSED BY HOSPITAL BOARD. Much time was spent by the Taranaki Hospital Board yesterday in discussing the modus operandi of the appointment of probationary nurses. The matter was broached by Mr. J. Brown, who moved that jin all future appointments the names on the probationers' list be taken in rotation. As present,. he said, a girl's name often remained 1 on the list month in • and month out. and was passed over in favor of someone else, without giving the applicant a chance of proving Iter ability. It was manifestly unfair to keep applicants in suspense for so long, when many of them, as members knew, liad no Chance' of being appointed. In entirely supporting Mr. Brown, Mr. A. H. Halcombe said that if the matron or tie hospital superintendent did not consider an applicant suitable she, should be informed to that effect, or her name should not be-put on the list. Aecording to Mr. E. Maxwell, once an applicant's name was on the list it should be taken in rotation. Otherwise there was no excuse for her name being oil the list. As long as the Board continued not to take the names in rotation. it was holding itself open to '

imputation that some outside influence was at work. It had more than once occurred that equally suitable applicants had been passed over because others, whose names were also on the list. had. for certain reasons, been prominently before members of the Board, lie did not for one moment suggest that unsuitable probationers had been appointed, but rather that equally suitable persons had lieen passed over. Messrs. CI. V. Tate, W. Cutfield and the chairman (Mr. Bellringer) spoke against the suggested charge, holding that in view of the undisputed good results being obtained from the staff it was not desirable to make any alteration. Tf the motion was carried, they feared it might make for inefficiency. Mr. Mi-Reynolds also strongly supported the proposal. The hospital superintendent (Dr. A. E. Walker) attended, and gave his views on the subject. It was. he said, a very difficult question. He was not satisfied that the system of taking the names in rotation, although making for absolute fairness, would make for absolute efficiency. The few eases of injustice which might have occurred had certainly had the tendency of conserving the high efficiency of the hospital. Every care had

to be exercised in selecting probationers, and therefore he favored the appointment of applicants, providing all things were equal, whom medical men recommended to him. Wherever possible, applicants were personally interviewed, with the result that others who did not come up for interview were sometimes necessarily passed over. Further discussion ensued, in which it was made apparent that members were unanimous in praising the efficiency of the institution. They had, it was pointed out, no complaint to make about the hospital, but were simply sticking out for the proposal on the principle that if a name was considered good enough to be placed on the list it should be taken in rotation.

Mr. Brown's resolution underwent several alterations, and ultimately it was wtrriei In the following form: "That a committee be set up to revise the present nurses' probationary list, all future applicants to be (1) not less than 21 and not to exceed 30 years of age; (2) to forward a medical certificate with their application, and to comply with the conditions of application; (3) to possess a sixth standard certificate «r its equivalent; (4) that the application be submitted to and approved by the medical superintendent and the. matron; (5) that appointments be made consecutively in accordance with the names appearing on the probationary list, after a satisfactory personal interview." The objectors to the motion were: The chairman and Messrs. Tate and Outfield.