More Info →Women's War Service Auxiliary Memorandum No. 16

WOMEN’S WAR SERVICE AUXILIARY
87 The Terrace,
WELLINGTON.
6th October, 1941

CIRCULAR MEMORANDUM No. 16.
To All District Committees and Sub-centres.

OBSTETRICAL NURSING AIDS:

The Dominion Executive has approved of a Nursing Division
comprised of its members under the jurisdiction of the St. John
Ambulance Bridge, undertaking training as obstetrical nursing aids.
The Scheme of training for such aids has been approved by the National
Aid Council, to assist obstetric hospitals in times of National Emergency

The following is the scheme as set out by Miss M. I. Lambie,
Chairman, National Voluntary Aid Council Department of Health, and it is
the wish of the Executive that nursing divisions, under similar condit-
ions throughout New Zealand should be formed where there are Maternity
Training Schools, to undertake this training. Attached is a list
of the Maternity Training Schools throughout the Dominion.
The scheme is as follows: —

(1) The training to be undertaken only in Public Maternity hospitals
approved as training schools for maternity nurses and midwives,
and to be controlled and carried out by the staff of these
hospitals.

(2) The training to be open to women up to the age of 50 years who
are members of the Nursing Division under the jurisdiction of the
St. John Ambulance Brigade and who possess certificates issued
by the St. John Ambulance Brigade in Home Nursing, First Aid, and
Hygiene.

(3) The training to consist of: -

A series of 6 lectures to be as follows: -
(i) Ethics and principles of Obstetrical Nursing – showing its
importance, what has been accomplished. Points to be
observed in dealing with patients and relatives.

(ii) Outline of Anatomy and Physiology of Pregnancy – the
placental site and its relation to the asepsis of maternity
practice. (District Nurses’ charts to be used.)

(iii) The value of Ante-Natal care – what should be taught to the
mother. What to prepare for labour.

(iv) The care of the mother immediately after labour and during
the puerperium.

(v) The care of the baby at birth and during the first fourteen
days.

(vi) The care of the breasts and the principles of establishing
breastfeeding.

Practical work to consist of four periods of four hours to
include: -

Bathing of baby with demonstration of treating new born
baby, care of eyes and care of cord.

Preparation of dressing – labour and puerperium outfits.
Sponging of mother with demonstration of panning,
emphasising importance of asepsis.

• 2 -

Taking of temperatures and pulses – demonstration of charting.

Giving of soap and water enema. Points in regard to administer-
ation of medicines. Feeding of patient.

Care of the breasts.

Each Aid should possess a schedule on which her course is out-
lined and as she attends each lecture or completes a practical
procedure the aid, must initial the schedule which must also be
initialled by the instructor. The course should be repeated
each year.

No training school should be asked to take more than 2 to 4 of
the voluntary aids at one time, in view of the size of the
hospitals.

(4) The certificate to be awarded by the St. John Ambulance Associat-
ion, and countersigned by the Matron of the hospital.

Before the form of the certificate is finalized it must be
submitted to the National Voluntary Aid Council for approval.

(5) Each division must have a registered nurse in charge of it as
Commandant and at the conclusion of the training, a confidential
report should be supplied by the Matron of the hospital to the
Commandant.

This Commandant should also be responsible for arranging with the
Matrons of the Training Schools for the Aids undertaking the
practical course.

(6) A register of Aids should be kept by the Matron of the hospital
so that they may be called upon by her in an emergency.

(7) It should be clearly understood that his training is to be
undertaken only be persons who would be free to nurse at maternity
hospitals in times of emergency only.

These conditions are laid down because under the Nurses
and Midwives Registration Act, it is illegal for any woman to be engaged
in obstetrical nursing unless she is a registered maternity nurse or
midwife.

(SGD) M. I. Lambie

Chairman,
National Voluntary Aid Council

P.S. Arrangements will be made for [--?] all aids to be medically
examined and x-rayed at the hospitals concerned.

M Malempre
DOMINION SECRETARY.