December 1954 School Magazine

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

December, 1954

December, 1954

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

for girls. There are great opportunities for those who are ambitious and wish to advance in the many fields of work offered, and perhaps what is more important is that with all the added studies and specialization, the sick in a community must receive better care , and the well arz taught how to keep weii.-Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? W e are told now, that besides having a real desire to nurse, good health and a good basic education are two important requirements for the future nurse. Girls are being advised to go on the Senior Class and if poss ible gain a matriculation-so do pass on this information. This is one of the qualifications needed for entry to the College of Nursing after gene ral basic training . On asking questions I've been told that at the completion of her basic general training a nurse may, if she desires, go on to train in a mid- wifery unit and later in infant care at a Baby Welfare Centre. She usually then remains in a hospital or some of the clinics to gain further knowledge and proficiency and in return she is giving to the community the experi- ence she has gained during her training years. But now it seems she can go on to further studies in whatever branch of nursing appeals most to her and apparently this is where fhe College of Nursing comes in ! At present there are courses in Nursing Administration for Tutor Sister, for Midwifery Tutor and for ward sisters. It is hoped soon to add two more post graduate courses: Theatre Technique, and Public Health Nursing. One hears a lot about public health work. It seems to me as if it might be the nursing of the future . The amount of nursing experience for these courses varies, but information can be obtained from the Dean of th= College of Nursing , Australia, which is at present housed in the Nurses War Memorial Centre, 431 St. Kilda Road , Melbourne. I've read a most interesting prospectus which came from there. The costs to attend the coll ege are high, as they are in all colleges to-day. It's the living cost that makes it so hard. However, I've learned that Nursing organisations iike the Florence Nightingale Memorial Com- mittee of Australia are gathering funds to assist nurses to the College- sometimes offering full scholarships. Other bodi es are doing likewise and it seems Nurses hope to have many full scholarships in a few years to assist students . The prospectus tells that the College in Australia was founded just about eight years ago by a group of enthusiastic nurses . I did not know, but apparently some countries have had colleges for 40 years! However, in its short history this college in Australia has attracted many nurses from all over the Commonwealth and from the near Asian countries. It all sounds very interesting and makes me wish for the opportunity I missed.-But I'm sending this information to you. It may be useful for you and perhaps you can do something to pass on the good news to those who, at this moment, are having · to make decisions about their future. Good wishes, Sincerely, FLORENCE.

- WENDY POPE, IIIE.

NURSING AS A CAREER Sister Godfrey, an old girl of the School and now Sister Tutor at the Brisbane General Hospital, has asked us to insert thi s article in order to interest girls in a nursing career. Bri sbane, 13th October, 1954. Dear Jane, It has just occurred to me, have you thoug'ht of Nursing as a career? I've been hearing quite an amount of late about the Coll ege of Nurs ing, Australia, and wondered if you had heard anything about it? You know I used to think that there was not much of a futur e for a nurse and that whe n her training per iod was ove r she just settled into a spot and there remained tied down to the daily routine , wh ich appeared to be unchanging except for the different peop le who came to be unde r her care. However , of late, reading and hearing about what nurses a re doing I am beginn'ng to realise that it off e rs a wide and varied futur e 44

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