Lutheran Deaconess Hospital School of Nursing - Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

Page 25 text:

Lift Up Your Eyes nu---Q 'fi ., ',,. lJ X Mabel L. Thorstensen Field Secretary A Are Tranined Christian Workers Needed Today? 'lift up your eyesf' The tcrm Social Service Work, is gaining such prominent recognif tion today, that it may be well for us to consider the meaning of the same and its adaptability to our needs. By Social Work is meant caring for needy children in institutions or placing them in foster homesg investigating cases of neglect, abuse or crueltyg supervising delinquents who are placed on pnrolcg caring for and helping unmarried mothersg untzingling family dillicultiesg providing Hnzmciul ussistunccg securing and explaining necessary medical careg finding work for men and womeng inspecting houses and factoriesg direct' ing the use of leisure time and zictivitiesg teaching and advising immif grantsg promoting public interest in health, thrift and law enforcement -these are only a few of the tasks of the social worker. In other words Page Twentyfthrce

Page 24 text:

Lift Up 'Your Eyes M service, and in the foreign mission Helds, young women are seeking admission to our school. Our Training School has built up a curriculum with high standards that can compare favorably with those of secular institutions. ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS Classes are enrolled in February and September of each year. Candi- dates for admission to the School of Nursing must be graduates from an accredited high school or its equivalentg 18 to 32 'years of ageg of good moral character, with Christian trainingg and in good physical condition. Nursing is an art, and, if it is to he made an art, it requires as exclusive a devotion, as hard preparation, as any painters or sculptors work, for what is having to do with dead canvas or cold marble com- pared with having to do with the living body-the temple of God's spirit? A nurse is limited only by her own limitationsg for according to her ability will be her opportunity, ' For full and detailed information regarding the nurses training write to the Director of the School of Nursing. The Nightingale Pledge I solemnly pledge myself before Goal cmd in the presence of this assembly: To pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or administer knowingly any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold in conidence all personal matters committed to my keep' ing, and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my profession. ' Witlm loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care. Page Twentyftwo

Page 26 text:

Lift Up Your Eyes -social work is the art of adjusting personal relationshipsg the art of helping people out of trouble and teaching them to help themselves. The term Social Work has come into use during the twentieth century, though the work is as old as human society. For centuries the care of the needy was exclusively the function of the church and was performed for the most part by persons who had other duties. Very little discrimination was used as to how to give relief and to whom to give relief, and so the poor grew in number, rather than decreasing in number. Then with the rise of public relief, charity got into politics and here too it became the work of those who had so many duties to perform and who lacked specific training. Today we look upon social work as a profession. It is going through a period of development similar to that which has been experienced by other professions. A complete revolution has taken place in the teaching of medical students. In the early days we found that a doctor would have an apprentice. He would learn by assisting-and soon become a doctor. Then we find that a few private medical schools were opened. Later Universities established medical schools. Great care was taken in planning for a better curricula-and today we find that a High School, some College and Premedic course are necessary before a student is admitted to the Medical school. He must then study and do his laboratory work for a period of four years. In addition to this there is the supervised practice-interneship for a period of one year. Developments in engineering show that the recent apprentice method has given way to a University training. The lawyer no longer becomes such by ureadingn law. He must have at least three years of college work with history, political science and economics before he is admitted to professional work. Many a man has left the furrow for the ministry with no other pref paration than the call to preach-but today the professional training of a pastor includes a full college course followed by two or three years in a theological seminary. So also in the social work. The fact that a man or women desires to help the poor and needy is not enough. The worker must be trained to help the needy and teach them to help themselves. In order to do this he must be speciically trained along the lines which he or she wishes to work. Social work might be stated as being the sum of all efforts made by society to take up its own slack, to provide for individuals when its established institutions fail themg to supplement those estabf lished institutions and modify them at those points at which they have Page Twenty-four