I. Nursing as a career - Headmistresses’ attitudes .

Twenty-three of the thirty Headmistresses interviewed stated that they present nursing to their pupils as a good and satisfactory career, but ten of these regard nursing as essentially vocational these only advise girls whom they consider physically and temperamentally suited to take up this work.

Of the remainder, two would not recommend nursing to their pupils until the status is made comparable to that of other professions, and the other few are definitely more in favour of academic careers.

It was suggested several times that the low recruitment to nursing was partly due to the ever-increasing competition of new careers which were more highly paid and required shorter training than nursing, and others where the training was only slightly longer and the prospects more attractive, e.g. medicine.

II. Headmistresses’ estimates of Parents’ attitudes .

Only one third of the Headmistresses dealt with parents’ attitudes towards nursing as a career, and these considered that girls were faced, quite often, with parental opposition.

These are some reasons suggested for this opposition

III. Psychological and disciplinary problems

Naturally, Headmistresses showed interest in the psychological problems connected with the entry of young girls into hospital life.

(a) Discipline . The desirability of bringing hospital discipline into line with the free discipline prevalent in schools of to-day was advocated by several Headmistresses. The heart of the problem was summed up thus; “Rigid discipline imposed on nurses while training has more to do with the reluctance of girls to enter the profession than the rigours of the work”.

(b) The personality of the Matron . Emphatic remarks were made on this subject - Here are some:-

“We must do away with the tyrant”.

“Matrons should be chosen with great care and with more attention to the ‘human’ qualities.”

“They are often not sympathetic or skilful in their handling of girls”.

“First impressions on the untutored mind are not considered in the right way”.

(c) Over and under supervision . While on the one hand it was stated that in some cases girls were terrified to approach their superiors, on the other hand under-supervision on the welfare side was strongly condemned by some Headmistresses.

One said that four of her pupils had had to give up nursing because of ill-health which she considered due to lack of supervision. “They need more supervision regarding their physical well-being during the first few months of their training. They have not yet become used to taking responsibility for their own health.”

The general attitude of those expressing views on discipline and psychological insight might be summarised in the words of one - “Hospitals themselves are responsible for losing potential candidates and nurses.”

In spite of these criticisms it would not be right to conclude that Headmistresses as a whole hold these views, or that those who expressed them would apply them to hospitals in general.

In fact, many remarks were made on:-

IV. The variability of conditions in hospitals .

Conditions in the view of Headmistresses go from one extreme to the other. Some hospitals are excellent - others are appalling. Some are progressive - others

are still in backwaters.

The conclusion seem to be that nursing will not get a fair chance until all hospitals reach the standard of the best.

Past pupils retaining contact with their schools can exercise considerable influence on nursing recruitment. Probably in many cases this is excellent, several Headmistresses stating that their girls were happy and others that they would not think of giving up their careers.

But one Headmistress provider an example of what might happen - she stated that “The girls knew too much about ............ Infirmary, probably from the old girls who came back”. In her own words: “Again and again girls from this school have started hopefully at the Infirmary but have left from over-tiredness and discouragement.”

V. The pre-nursing course and the “Gap” .

The pre-nursing course designed to fill the gap between matriculation at sixteen and entry into hospital at eighteen has been adopted by about one-fifth of the schools visited during the survey.

Not all Headmistresses made specific comments beyond stating the course was going well, but two interesting cases might be mentioned.

The Head of one of the first schools to organise this course (it is in its fifth year) reported that eight girls were taking pre-nursing this year (last year seven) and that no one had dropped out since the course had been inaugurated. She considered the course most valuable in preventing the drift away which takes place if girls have to fill up time by taking other work.

On the other hand a school which had adopted the course last year because five or six girls wanted to take up nursing, has only two taking the course this year.

Although it is not possible to draw any general conclusions from these contrasting results, it is interesting to note that in the former case the Headmistress was definitely very keen on the course, and nursing as a profession, while in the latter case the Senior Mistress who was in charge, stated that no special advice was given to the girls on specific careers - nursing is just one among many of which details are provided.

Several other Headmistresses had considered the possibility of introducing pre-nursing courses, but either through small numbers in the school, wartime conditions or difficulties in their negotiations with local hospitals, they had not been able to do anything up to date. One Headmistress was keen to have the course because “it would ease off the first year in hospital which nearly kills some of the girls who have come back and recounted their experiences, saying that the first months nearly put them off nursing for life, but now they would not change for another career.”

Some Headmistresses who did not mention the pre-nursing course referred to the “Gap” as a deterrent.

These are some of their ideas:-

“In several cases girls have left school with the desire to take up nursing, but under family pressure or from lack of any stimulating interest, they have drifted into easy clerical jobs instead.”

“The main difficulty is the age of entry - girls cannot afford to wait.”

“By eighteen girls are getting on in another job and don’t want to throw it up and start a long training.”

VI. The use of publicity in schools to popularise nursing as a career

This would seem to be very limited.

A very small minority only mentioned this subject.

Lectures are the most frequently used media, the M.O.I. photographs illustrating the life of a nurse being twice mentioned. Visits to local hospitals have been organised by a small percentage of the schools visited.

These suggestion were made with regard to publicity :-

VII. Knowledge of present day nursing conditions among the staff of schools .

It may perhaps be permissible to refer to a certain amount of ignorance on the part of school staffs about present day nursing conditions and recent improvements.

Some Headmistresses themselves have incomplete or inaccurate knowledge about the pre-nursing course. Even careers mistresses were met who did not know details of the Rushcliffe Report relating to pay, etc.

In view of these facts, even though the applications are by no means general, it might be helpful to the cause of nursing to put school staffs in possession of full details of the developments and prospects in the nursing profession.

Perhaps it is necessary to educate the teachers as well as the parents on the subject of nursing as a career.