Subsidiary Notes as to the Introduction of Female Nursing into Military Hospitals in Peace and WarNightingale, Florence
History
Subsidiary Notes as to the Introduction of Female Nursing into Military Hospitals in Peace and War
Nightingale, Florence
Military hospitals -- Great Britain; Nurses -- Great Britain
The subject is worthy of examination. At all events the phenomena
observed in this disease in the warmer climates of Europe have led
to the popular belief above stated; and it would appear to point
to a higher rate of mortality as a not unlikely result of the
establishment of special Hospitals or wards for consumptive diseases,
unless extraordinary care were taken to ventilate them properly, and
to imitate the natural variations of temperature which appear to be
necessary for recovery.
[Sidenote: 16. Proposed Regulations as to Payments, by
Superintendent-General.]
16. All salaries and wages of Matrons and Nurses should be paid, on
the Superintendent-General’s order, from the Hospital chest, to the
Matron, who should pay the wages and other expenses of the Nurses, and
account for all monies received by her on such orders. All outfits and
travelling expenses, in cases of transfer, &c., should be provided on
the order of the Superintendent-General.
[Sidenote: Opinion as to Superintendent-General paying Wages and
Salaries.]
There would be considerable difficulty in the way of making
all payments at a distance to Nurses, direct from the
Superintendent-General, otherwise than by orders on the Hospital chest
or Treasury. But there can be no doubt that the Nurses ought to be paid
by the Matron and by no one else. The service of Nurses in Hospital
is a peculiar service, and if not successfully conducted by influence
never can be by coercive discipline. It would be a great mistake,
therefore, to throw away any means of influence which we can command,
and the “eye of the maid-servant is to the hand of her mistress” now as
it was 2,000 years ago. The fact of paying and being paid helps greatly
to establish the proper mutual relations between the superior and the
subordinate. The Matron would draw from the Hospital Treasury, on the
orders of the Superintendent-General, and would account to her. As a
matter of discipline, it would make no material difference whether the
orders of the Superintendent-General, in favour of the Matron, for the
pay of the Nurses, are cashed by the Hospital Treasurer or by a banker,
always supposing that the Treasurer is bound to honour those orders,
as any other banker would.
[Sidenote: Matrons abroad may dismiss Nurses under appeal.]
The Matron, in any Hospital out of Great Britain and Ireland, should
be able, with the concurrence of the Governor of the Hospital, to
dismiss and send home any Nurse; or the Governor himself, on his own
responsibility, may direct the Matron to do so, under appeal, however,
in either case, to the Superintendent-General, who shall decide, after
the arrival of the Nurse, whether she is to be dismissed or whether she
may be placed in another Hospital.
It should be secured, not left to chance, that the Matron be
immediately made acquainted with any complaint of the Medical Officers
against a Nurse.
[Sidenote: Matron to draw Rations and Extras.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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