US Army School of Nursing - Taps Yearbook (Washington, DC)

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Nurses ' Quarters Number One, Walter Reed General Hospital

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!• aen the ninety section which had just been comjileted, and where the department now continnes its work. That was an important epoch in the histor} ' of occupational therapy at Waher Reed General Hospital. At last there was an opportunit ' to develoj) new ideas and to fornnilate better plans to broaden the scope of the work. Many aides were apjjointed and sent to this hospital for a short course of work prei)aratory to ajipointment for overseas service, as well as for work in the many Army hosj)itals then bein established in this country. With this in mind, a series f)f lectures and demonstrations were arranged and given. There were lectures on jisychologfy, 7 rmy discipline, and customs oi the service, and the importance of coo])eration with doctors and nurses. There were denifjiistrations of yari(nis crafts that could he done with very little equipment or extra planning ; there were others analyzing the various move- ments of joints and muscles as they were brought into play in using different tools, devices, and machinery. This was the outgrowth of tests made in metrotherapy, a subject dealing with the measurement of im])rovement in the range of movement in joints and strength of muscle as applied to ortho- pedic cases, and many j)atients of this type were assigned to definite shop work in order to develop and strengthen the injured members. Aides were continually coming and going: some were sent overseas; others were sent to the Army hospitals in this country. With the signing of the armistice more definite plans were made and conditions became more settled in the spring of 1919. • Occupational Therapy, Walter Reed General Hospital 1923 L2!l J

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ft6.a ] Ianv classes were oro anized, iiickidinp work in various academic and commercial sulijects. instruction for civil service, the use of office ajipliances of various tvpes, printing, photography and motion-picture work, art work, drafting, weaving, electrical work, wood work, jewelry and metal work, oxy- acetvlene welding, auto mechanics and machine-sho]) work, vulcanizing, and various tvjies of work in agriculture, including greenhouse, dairy, and poultry work. As the department grew and new work was estahlished, reorganization and new systematizing was necessary. ISesides furnishing diversion to occujiy a patient ' s mind and thus hasten his recovery by keei)ing him in a contented attitude, and being a thera])eutic measure for those assigned to a definite cura- tive work, the shops and classrooms furnished a large exploratory field to prepare patients for vocational training after their discharge from the hospital. For others it has sui)plied an avocation that they are carrying into their homes. For still others it has been the means of developing an a])preciation for better quality in many of the little things that contribute to their environ- ment. In the spring of 1921 The Coiue-Back. an official Army ])ublication, was discontinued as such, but the name was allowed to be ap])lied to the little ])a])er since then ])ublished by this 1ios]iital under the direction of the occupa- tional therapy dejiartment. Mien the need for aides was at its height a one-year course in occu])a- tional thera])y was established, but as the war emergency passed and other schools supplied the demand, this was discontinued. .Also, shftrt courses in the work have been arranged and given to the student nurses of this hos])ital. For the interest and education of the public, and the disposal of extra Ijroducts made 1iy the patients, an exhibition and salesroom was established in Building 95. where visitors ma - see or ])urchase the work of the patients. In the summer of 1919 the Aides ' Club came into being. A large remod- eled farmhouse, located a cou])le of blocks away from the hos])ital grounds, was secured for headquarters. This, with the aid of si.xteen Armv tents and one mess tent, furnished living acconmutdations and manv unforgetable ex])e- riences to the aides. During the war emergency the Medical .Social Service I)e] artment of the . rmy had a large personnel and functioned most coojjeratively as an inde- ])endent organization. Later, however, they were reduced in numbers, their work l)eing largely comjileted or absorbed by other organizations. The re- maining personnel are now a ])art of the occupational thera])y department, though they still conduct a sort of clearing house for the social need of the patients as discovered not only by themselves, but by other occupational therajiy aides, all of whom do some social service work ; also by ward sur- geons, nur.ses, other agencies, and individuals. They are especiallv active in disseminating information regarding the school and shops. T - 1923 - I 31 1