6
Nursing
In 1914 nurses were young , single and untrained . They made beds , fed and washed patients . Today ’ s nurses are highly trained , often specialising , and do many tasks that were previously done by doctors .
Sister Watson , Nurses Hardy and Shepherd in Ward 2 , Tauranga Hospital 1933 .
Nurse Hart at Tauranga Hospital 1933 .
Julie Robinson , Director of Nursing , Trained 1971
Training of nurses has come a long way even since the early 1970 ’ s , says Julie . “ The scope of practise for nurses is broad , training has improved and nurses can choose to specialise in a certain area ,” she says .
“ There have been many changes in the way nurses are trained and patients are treated . In my day we learnt on the job over three years and attended block classes . However we didn ’ t get to apply the theory in practise on a patient at the same time . So you might have learnt about how to treat a patient with diabetes a year before you actually nursed one and you ’ d have to try and remember . Now theory and practise are more integrated ,” she says .
The way patients were treated has changed significantly as well , Julie says . “ When I was in training the lights would go on at 5am every morning in every ward and all patients would be bathed , showered and shaved , fed breakfast , hair done , sitting up in bed ready for the doctor and his entourage to do his rounds between 9-9.30am . No lounging about ! Now it is less formal and that sort of thing doesn ’ t happen . The care is patient-centred which is quite a change compared to the previous military-style way of life that hospitals inherited .
“ It ’ s evolution . As technology and research forge ahead so too do changes in training and nursing practise . When I started my training it was very unusual for nurses to insert IV lines and now it ’ s a general skill . Doctors are doing things they never used to do and nurses are expanding their practise as they step up ,” Julie says .
“ We had one fearsome night supervisor when I was a student nurse on night shift … if you weren ’ t working you were only allowed to do a crossword or read a text book .”
14