Page:LewisMeriam-TheProblemOfIndianAdministration.djvu/270

At the present time there are one hundred and five positions for graduate nurses in the hospitals and sanatoria of the Indian Service, and fifty-one of them were permanently filled on July 1, 1927, by persons who had qualified under the civil service system. Several more were filled by persons classified as temporary who had not satisfied the requirements for permanent appointment. On July 1, 1927, the temporary nurses employed included eleven qualified graduate nurses who have not taken the civil service examination, twelve practical nurses who are hired locally because they are available and have had some practical nursing experience, and eight practical nurses who were certified as practical nurses only, but are occupying graduate nurse positions. The practical nurses are paid $100 a month while the salary for the position of graduate nurse is $125. In view of the fact that the tenure of office of this group is “temporary” and in many instances hospitals are without such assistants at long intervals, there being twenty-nine vacancies, July 1, 1927, these employees will not be considered in the present discussion. These nurses are employed by the local agency when necessary, and no special report is made to the Indian Office except as the agency accounts for its expenditure of funds. Attention, therefore, will be confined to the permanent graduate hospital nurses and the graduate public health nurses.

The prerequisites for graduate hospital nurse positions are as follows: (1) Graduation from a recognized school of nursing requiring a residence of at least two years in a hospital having a daily average of fifty patients or more (or having a daily average of thirty patients or more and employing at least one full time resident instructor in nursing) giving a thorough practical and theoretical training; and (2) evidence of state registration. Certificates of state registration or a certified copy thereof must be submitted with the application, together with certificate from the training school conferring graduation and showing the number of patients daily, and the applicant’s training; provided that the requirement under “(1)” as to the daily average of patients will be waived for applicants entitled to preference by reason of military or naval service as a nurse. Original diplomas should be submitted as evidence of graduation.^[1]