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Financial aid for students Part-time work Scholarships for nursing students, both undergraduate and graduate, are offered by many private agencies, hospitals, and schools of nursing. Hospital administrators are increasing part-time work opportunities to attract older or married nurses willing to work half days or a few days a week. In the round-the-clock operations of hospitals, part-time workers can substitute for the regular staff on their days off and fill in on evening or night shifts. They can also provide extra help during the busiest hours of the day. A program of Federal scholarships for graduate work in nursing administration, supervision, and teaching was started in 1956 and has been extended through mid-1964. Under this program (administered by the U.S. Public Health Service), about 5,500 trainees have obtained advanced nursing education-including about 1,600 trainees during the school year 1959-60. Also, about 2,200 nurses received scholarships for short courses in 1959-60. Experimental training programs Educators in some junior and community colleges are developing associate-degree programs for trammg nurses. Instead of the traditional 3-year diploma course offered by hospital schools, the experimental collegiate courses take approximately 2 years, with repetitive practice reduced to a m1 mm um. Effective use of nurses The United States Public Health Service, the Veterans' Administration, the American Nurses' Association and others are making studies to encourage better utilization of nursing skills. They are developing ways to determine whether professional nurses are performing clerical, housekeeping, or other routine duties which could be done by clerks, maids, practical nurses, or nursing aides. The findings are being used by hospital administrators and supervisors in planning new staff assignments in an effort to provide the best quality of nursing care. Refresher training Older or married women formerly active in nursing are being encouraged to return to work. To help them regain unused skills and learn new medical techniques, some hospitals offer refresher training-on either a formal or an informal basis. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis ALLEGHENY COLL~GE LIBRARY Memo To: Co1n1nunities Re: The Nurse Shortage Checklist for Communities How does your community rate when these questions are asked□ Has your community a nurse recruitment program? D Are nurses' salaries satisfactory? D What financial aid is available for student nurses? D D D Are new methods of nursing education being considered? Are -nursing skills being used effectively? Are former nurses encouraged to return to work? D D Can refresher training be obtained readily? Are older women encouraged to become practical nurses? D Can part-time jobs be arranged for married or older women? Interested groups and community organizations may wish to review local needs for nurses and appraise current efforts toward meeting them. The success of communities in increasing and improving their nursing services is of vital importance to the health of the American people. Thi s leafl et is based on a r e port e ntitl ed " Nurses a nd Other H ospita l Personnel-Their Earnings and Employm en t Conditions" (Women 's Bureau Pa mphlet 6 R evised ), w hi c h can be obta ined fro m the Su peri nte ndent of Docum ents, G overnment P rinting O ffice. W as h ington 25. D .C . Price 25 ce nts. For sale by the Superintendent of D ocumen ts, Government P rin ti ng Office. Washington 25. D.C. - P rice 5 cents. U. S. GOVE RN MENT PR I NT I NG O FF ICE : 196 1 OF - 61 99 48 • Ideas • Studies • Programs U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ARTHUR J. GOLDBERG, Secretary WOME ' S BUREAU MRS. ESTHER PETERSO , Director Leaflet 29 • Revised 1961 Here are some facts about the typical general duty nurse in non-Federal hospitals in 15 large metropolitan areas in mid-1960:* Memo To : Co1111111111ities • Earningsbetween $70 and Re: Tlte Xurse Slto1•tage • Workweek40 hours on the avera~e. Average weekly earnings of general duty nurses employed by private and non-Federal Government hospitals in the 15 areas surveyed in mid-1960 were: 90 a week. Area • Overtime workstraight-time pay. The Need for More Nurses __,,,, II I - I • Late-shift workpremium of 2. 50 to 10 a week. • Holidays with pay6- 8 in pri\ ate hospitals. 9 13 in non-Federal GO\ ernment hospitals. • Paid vacations 2 ,,ceb after I ~car·~ service. 3 week after 5 years' service. longer vacation after more service. • Health and retirement benefitsin almost all hospitals studied. A shortage of nurses faces many commumt1es in our Nation. This shortage stems largely from the rapid increase in our population and the widespread public interest in good health and prevention of illness. Although our nursing force is the largest in history-504,000 registered nurses in 1960- thousands of additional nurses are still needed to provide adequate nursing care. And the end of the problem is not in sight. The mounting demand of the American people for more nurses is expected to persist for many years to come. A search is now on for new ways to obtain additional nursing personnel. The major ideas and measures developed to date are described briefly in this leaflet. Hospital Salaries and Working Conditions Earnings and employment conditions are important to consider in: Recruiting newcomers into nursing, holding trained and experienced personnel, and encouraging inactive nurses to return to work. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Among hospital nurses, the director of nurses received the highest earnings, averaging 65 to 85 percent more than a general duty nurse in most of the survey areas. A supervisor of nurses and a nursing instructor generally averaged abm1t 20 to 30 percent more than a general duty nurse; and a head nurse, about 10 to 20 percent more. A practical nurse in over half the survey areas earned about 70 to 80 percent as much as a general duty nurse; and a :1ursing aide, about 60 to 70 percent as much. A general duty nurse in the 15 areas earned, on the average, more than an X-ray technician but less than a medical social worker, medical record librarian, dietitian, physical therapist, or medical technologist. Very few hospital nurses were provided meals or rooms in addition to cash salaries. Relatively more of the nurses received uniforms and/or laundry services. * A detailed report - entitled "Earniu~s and Supplementary Benefits in Hospitals. Mid- I 960" (BLS Bull. I 294 ) - of the survey made by the L .S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics can be purchased for 50 cents from the Superintendent of Documents. C.S. Go,·ernment Printing Office. \\'ashington ~5. D.C. II I I Date Atlanta ____ ______ __ June '60 Baltimore ____ ____ _ June '60 Boston ___ ______ ___ June '60 Buffalo ____________ June '60 Chicago _________ __ July '60 Cincinnati __ _______ June '60 Cleveland __ __ _____ July '60 Dallas ____________ June '60 Los Angeles _______ Aug. '60 Memphis __________ July '60 Minneapolis_ ______ July '60 New York_ _______ _ July '60 Philadelphia _____ __ July '60 Portland, Oreg__ _ _ July '60 San Francisco__ _ _ _ Aug. '60 A l'nai;e Zt'eel..lr earnings in .Von-Federal Pril'Gte Gm·ernment hospitals hosj,itals 67.00 73.00 78.50 78.00 85.00 73.50 82.00 74.00 85.00 68.00 80.00 81.00 71.50 79.50 83.50 83.00 87.00 88.00 83.50 82.50 102.00 82.50 86.50 81.00 94.00 Ways To Obtain More Nurses I I There is no simple answer to the shortage problem. Several ways of expanding nursing services are being tried: Intensive recruitment program The Committee on Careers of the National League for ursing (10 Columbus Circle, ew York City 19) is coordinating a nationwide program to recruit more trainees for nursing. It has available for distribution a wide assortment of materials about nursing and will assist State and local committees, hospitals, and schools of nursing in their recruitment activities.
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