Firland Sanatorium School of Nursing - Fir Log Yearbook (Seattle, WA)

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ti' if I fr X :gsm 4 tit., . Q. 47-11' of the school iphysician, a specialist, with the assistance of the school nurse, is given an opportunity to assist with the health examinations of school chlidren in checking physical defects and in checking up on contagious diseases. She is given an oppor- tunity in assisting with the immunization of children as a preventative procedure in the control of these contagious diseases. She is granted the privilege of visiting the homes of children in checking up on illnesses in the home among children of school age as a measure toward the prevention of epidemics in the school or even the community. She also visits the parents in regard to physical defects of the child, particularly if these defects are a handicap to his well-being and intellectual development. She also is given the opportunity again in exercising her acedemic knowledge in giving health talks and series of lectures to not only the school room. but also to women, girls, and boys' clubs in the community. Qftentimes she is called upon to conduct Home Nursing and First Aid Classes in these group gather- ings. It is in this division that the nurse co-operates with the teacher in regard to the Hygiene and Sanitation, the Lighting, Ventilation, and Plumbing in the school, for the well-being of the child, as well as assisting the teacher with problems of children who often have a physical defect as a causative factor in their proble- matic handicap. The nurse finds this period of school nursing most interesting and instructive. As a health teacher she visualizes the need of better health supervision of our children in the home and in the school room, particularly during their early years, for she realizes more than ever the child is the father of man. From here we shall take a flying trip to the nurse who spends a month in the county doing county nursing. Wie shall get only a birds eye view of the situation since the nurse is called upon for innumerable duties of variegated nature while she is serving the public in this peculiar capacity, as a county nurse. VVe find the work in this division full of interesting instructive and productive factors. Here. as in her previous field work, she is under the constant supervision of the official county nurse, directly responsible either to the County Health Officer or to the Board of County Commissioners, depending upon the policy of that particular county. Wlhile in this phase of the work our little cadet has the opportunity of assisting with the organization of health clinics, as well as of conducting them. Today we find her here, there, everywhere, at a baby clinic here, interviewing there, weighing over there, confering with the doctor. Tomorrow we see her at a pre-school or pre-natal clinic. The next day it will be at a chest clinic, or perhaps we get a glimpse of her assisting with a health survey in one of the county schools, or perhaps we find her lining up the kiddies for immunization tests by the doctor. After these numerous clinics we learn that she is to make home visits on the patients who attended the clinics, and during an afternoon we might percliau e even to walk in upon our little cadet giving a health talk to the school children, or even to their parents at some Mothers Day program. That evening we find her giving a demonstration in Home Nursing, lnfant Care or First Aid at the com- munity town hall, ivhere the citizens of the county have met to confer for some civic purpose. Late that night we find her at the bedside of one who has pneu- monia. giving comfort and care to the loved one of those who are standing about helpless, and weary and worn. ln the early hours of morning we get a glimpse of her tearing down the road in her Dobbin, to assist the doctor with a new-born many miles from a hospital. The next day well find her at the office recording, report- --HS-

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f - Q-- -,,.. 'tif - -' -f' ,WL 4:1224 7,1421 -A-aaa -L , A.,. ,.,A . , I ,U ,f,,,4 V . N , 'XFIELD WGRK ACH member of the Nursing Staff at Firland, in addition to the instruction given at the Sanatorium in Tuberculosis Nursing, has been given an opportunity to affiliate themselves with the Department of Nursing Education of the University of Vlfashington, which offers three months of supervised held work or visiting nursing in the home,', along with the required academic studies toward a Public Health Certihcate. The post-graduate course in Tuberculosis Nursing at the Sanatoria also gives one month of visiting nursing under the direct supervision of the Tuberculosis Division of the Department of Health in Seattle. These four months of specialized practical training in the field give our nurses a fine background in Tuberculosis Nursing as well as in practically all the other phases of public health nursing, its needs and requirements, its problems and solutions, supplementary to molding out the nursels viewpoint and giving her a better survey of true service. you in detail the numerous duties and problems set goes along her adventurous path of knowledge in this give you a brief summary of some of the salient duties confronted and performed in this period of visiting nursing or field work as we call it.s Vtfere I to go into each field separately and discourse upon it at length, it would require many volumes to completely cover the subject so as to do perfect justice to it. Six weeks of the four months of home nursing in the field is spent with the Community Nursing Service in the city of Seattle under the direct supervision of the Community Nursing Staff. VVhile under their guidance, we familiarize our- selves with the bag techniquei' While making our daily rounds of bedside nursing or hourly nursing as it is sometimes called, we learn about the policies of the group We serve: we orientate ourselves to the salient factors regarding the ethical prin- ciples involved in caring for the sick in the home, as well as the principles involved in serving the public as a public health nurse or health teacherg we learn the methods and values in reporting and recording cases of a medical, social. or economic nature. It is during our sojourn in this division that we utilize some of our academic knowledge as health teachers, in instructing the members of the family in the bedside care of their sick, in advising them, or in assisting them, or in referring them to the proper agency for solving their problems. It is in the Community Nursing Service that we hear and learn a great deal about the organi- zation of such a service, of how, when, and why it is managed, and the value of such a service to the community. 'VVe learn about Industrial Nursing. VVe learn about Group Insurance and their ipolicies in dealing with their clients in sickness. As you may surmise. this period of Community Nursing Service is one of gleat I shall not try to give before a cadet nurse as she Work of service, but I shall active interests, great surprises, and best of all it is a great service. One of the four months is spent either in the schools of Seattle doing school nursing, or in the county doing county nursing. If in the schools, the nurse is under the constant supervision and guidance of one of the Seattle school nurses, of the Seattle Board of Education. Wihile in this division she is given the oppor- tunity to observe a health survey of an entire school under the direct supervision .-47.- 'wiki Wiiggid' Iwi F LA' .- ' -J., 5 .. . ' -1 sit fs-i f re'-ui

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ing and filing cases by mail, by phone, by wire,-to this doctor, to that doctor, to the County Social XVelfare Department, or to some county or state official, depend- ing upon the nature of the case. Wfhile here, we get a glimpse of her interviewing a young mother regarding her new baby. There, we see her interviewing an elderly gent who wishes transportation to his home in the southern part of the state, or even to California, and over there, another man waiting his turn in requesting much needed employment because of his ever-increasing family. Over there, in waiting, a mother with her crippled son anxiously waiting the returns of a con- ference regarding orthopedic aid. Then a call by phone requests a placing of a post-Sanatoria arrested tuberculosis patient in a desirable home until her family find the means to take her to their home. These and many other problems of similar nature confront this pal of public service. That evening we learn that our little cadet has, by special invitation been admittedito the District Medical Society Conference, as a co-worker for the good of the cause. Tomorrow there is to be a meeting of the County Commissioners, at which she is to report to them this, that, or the other civic problem which bears heavily upon the health or finance of the citizens of the county. The following week we note she is listed to speak at the Business Men's Club, the Garden Club, and this followed by a luncheon date with state officials who are surveying the health conditions of the county. Wfe note, too, that the District Public Health nurses are holding a conference of note and which we learn our cadet is planning to attend. As we Wave good-bye to our little cadet nurse, our motor speeds rapidly over mountain and valley as we leave the county. In leaving we are more than ever impressed upon the grave responsibility that is given our public health nurses as health teachers and public servants. NVe realize more than ever the need of thoroughly trained, capable, broad-minded, and far- visioned young women with the idea of true service at heart and a pure mind to serve all who need her care. In dealing with the numerous medical duties and problems she must also be capable and ,prepared in carrying and meeting civic, economic, as well as social disturbances that arise along her journey of service to the citizens of the county she serves. From here we will step into the Child Wfelfare Division of the Department of Health of Seattle. Needless to say, but over there we notice our little cadet, all starched up in her dainty blue uniform, all in readiness for two more weeks of very fascinating, instructive and productive field work. Here, as in the previous branches of the required service she is under constant supervision of the Child Wfelfare Director and her fine staff of assistants. NVhile in this department our little cadet again has the opportunity of putting her previous academic and prac- tical knowledge into effect and again learn by observing and doing. Here she adds to her knowledge of organizing and managing baby clinics, but this time it is in a large city. Here she assists with the weighing, measuring, and recording of each case, assists with the eye, ear, nose and throat examination by a specialized Specialist. She brings infants and small children to and from the clinic wherever illness is in the home and no one else about to do so. Here she has the opportunity of acting as a health teacher in the homes of these children in such subjects as daily infant routine, in nutrition and the cookery of certain baby foods. along with instruction to the mother regarding the doctor's orders. Here she also distributes health literature and advises the mother upon good modern reading regarding f-4,4 ,- ulc- gs A , Q 59 9 6 if' at