By Elaine Rassel
On a wall opposite the Intensive Care Unit at Mercy Hospital are two interesting framings of the “present” day nurse and the nurse from the “past” that I thought was interesting.
The longer of the two framings was the Code of Ethics for Nurses. (1) The nurse in all professional relationship, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic statue, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems. (2) The nurse’s primary is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, or community. (3) The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety and rights of the patient. (4) The nurse is responsible and accountable for individual nursing practice and determines the appropriate delegation of tasks consistent with the nurse’s obligation to provide optimum patient care. (5) The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to preserve integrity and safety, to maintain competence, and to continue personal and professional growth. (6) The nurse participates in establishing, maintaining and improving health care environments and conditions of employment conductive to the provision of quality health care and consistent with the values of the profession through individual and collective actions. (7) The nurse participates in the administration, and knowledge development. (8) The nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public in promoting community, national and international efforts to meet health needs. (9) The profession of nursing, as represented by the association and their numbers, is responsible for articulating nursing values, for maintaining the integrity of the profession and its practice, and for shaping social policy.
Now we move on to the nurse of “yesterday”. The title of this framing was: Duties of the Floor Nurse. In addition to caring for your 50 patients, each nurse will follow these regulations: (1) Daily sweep and mop the floors of your ward, dust the patient’s furniture and window sills. (2) Maintain an even temperature in your ward by bringing in a scuttle of coal for the day’s business. (3) Light is important to observe the patient’s condition. Therefore, each day fill kerosene lamps, clean chimneys, and trim wicks. Wash the windows once a week. (4) The nurse’s notes are important in aiding the physician’s work. Make your pens carefully; you may whittle nibs to your individual taste. (5) Each nurse on day duty will report every day at 7 a.m. and leave at 8 p.m., except on the Sabbath on which day you will be off from 12 noon to 2 p.m. (6) Graduate nurses in good standing with the director of nurses will be given an evening off each week if you go regularly to church. (7) Each nurse should lay aside from each pay day a goodly sum of her earnings for her benefits during her declining years, so that she will not become a burden. For example, if you earn $30 a month you should set aside $15. (8) Any nurse who smokes, uses liquor in any form, gets her hair done at a beauty shop, or frequents dance halls will give the director of nurses’ good reason to suspect her worth, intentions, and integrity. (9) The nurse who performs her labors, serves her patients and doctors faithfully and without fault for a period of 5 years will be given an increase by the hospital administration of 5 cents a day providing there are no hospital debts that are outstanding.