And now I have a word for the Ladies, and a word for the
Nurse-Probationers. Which shall come first?
Do the ladies follow up their intellectual privileges? Or, are they lazy
in their hours of study? Do they cultivate their powers of expression in
answering Mr. Croft’s examinations?
Ought they not to look upon themselves as future leaders--as those who
will have to train others? And to bear this in mind during the whole of
their year’s training, so as to qualify themselves for being so? It is
not just getting through the year anyhow, without being blamed. For the
year leaves a stamp on everybody--this for the Nurses as well as the
Ladies--and once gone can never be regained.
To the Special Probationers may I say one more word?
Do we look enough into the importance of giving ourselves thoroughly to
study in the hours of study, of keeping careful _Notes of Lectures_, of
keeping notes of all type cases, and of cases interesting from not being
type cases, so as to improve our powers of observation--all essential
_if we are in future to have charge_? Do we keep in view the importance
of helping ourselves to understand these cases by reading at the time
books where we can find them described, and by listening to the remarks
made by Physicians and Surgeons in going round with their Students?
(Take a sly note afterwards, when nobody sees, in order to have a
correct remembrance.)
So shall we do everything in our power to become proficient, not only in
knowing the symptoms and what is to be done, but in knowing the “Reason
Why” of such symptoms, and _why_ such and such a thing is done; and so
on, till we can some day TRAIN OTHERS _to know the “reason why.”_
Many say: “We have no time; the Ward work gives us no time.”
But it is so easy to degenerate into a mere drudgery about the Wards,
when we have goodwill to do it, and are fonder of practical work than of
giving ourselves the trouble of learning the “reason why.” Take care,
or the Nurses, some of them, will catch you up.
Take ten minutes a day in the Ward to jot down things, and write them
out afterwards: come punctually _from_ your Ward to have time for doing
so. _It is far better to take these ten minutes to write your cases or
to jot down your recollections in the Ward than to give the same ten
minutes to bustling about._ I am sure the Sisters would help you to get
this time if you asked them: and also to _leave_ the Ward punctually.
And do you not think this a religious duty?
Such observations are a religious meditation: for is it not the best
part of religion to imitate the benevolence of God to man? And how can
you do this--in this your calling especially--if you do not thoroughly
understand your calling? And is not every study to do this a religious
contemplation?
Without it, _May you not potter and cobble about the patients without
ever once learning the reason of what you do, so as to be able to train
others?_
(I do not say anything about the “cards,” for I take it for granted that
you can read them easily.)
Our dear Matron, who is always thinking of arranging for us, is going
to have a case-paper with printed headings given to you, and to keep
this correctly ought to be a mere every-day necessity, and a very easy
one, for you.