The organization of the staff deserves special comment. The physicians
employed are mature men, graduates of well-known medical schools. The
youngest medical inspector on the staff is 29, the oldest 46, and the
average age of all the doctors is 36. They are picked men, selected
for the work because of their skill, intelligence, and social
viewpoint. They are splendidly representative of the medical
profession in Cleveland. They have fairly wide private practices and
in many cases are carrying on the school work at real financial
sacrifice because of their interest in the problems it involves. Their
assistants are all registered nurses from the Visiting Nurses
Association and distinctly high grade women.
Medical inspectors receive $100 a month during the school year. They
are required to give three and one-half hours a day, five days a week,
to work in the schools, inclusive of traveling time between buildings.
Nurses are paid on the schedule of the Visiting Nurses Association and
salaries range from $60 to $80 depending upon length of service. The
upper limit will probably be raised to $85 in the near future. Nurses
are on duty from 8:30 to 4:30 every weekday except Saturday, when work
ends at noon. Nurses are regularly employed only during the school
year, but two are retained longer for service in summer schools.
The efficiency of doctors and nurses is in no small measure due to the
frequent informal conferences of the staff. In addition to many
smaller conferences, once each month the entire staff meets--nurses as
well as physicians--to discuss problems which have arisen during the
preceding weeks, and makes plans for the future. These meetings are
very informal; nurses are urged to take part in the discussion, and
the result is the enthusiastic co-operation of the entire staff.