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The period of Australian Nurse Training was three years. It was compulsory for the nurse to be single and not pregnant during their training and to live in the nursing home at the hospital. The nursing curriculum was based on English Nurse Training. The mode of teaching consisted of block lectures, demonstrations and examinations. In the first year, we need to pass examinations covering our three months of Preliminary Training (PTS) before we could be rostered into the ward for clinical training. In the classroom teaching included twelve hours of Anatomy and Physiology and twelve hours of General Nursing and demonstrations. There were also twelve hours of invalid cookery by a dietician. The general nursing teachings were given by nurse tutors or senior nurses who had the knowledge and abilities to teach. In General Nursing, we had lectures on simple nursing skills accompanied with demonstrations such as setting trays for simple nursing skills like sponging a patient in bed, taking oral temperatures, and testing urine and faeces. We were expected to practise our nursing skills in the demonstration room whenever we could. At the end of the three months of Preliminary Training, we had our examinations on the theory as well as demonstrations. If we passed, we were then rostered to the ward to work under the trained nurses' or senior nurses' supervision in the ward. We were paid for our preliminary training. There was an increment of pay when the nurse passed their examinations and got promoted to the next stage of training.
Photo: Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital (c. 1964, archive ref. S19/032)
In the second year of training we had twelve hours of medical and surgical nursing. These lectures were mostly given by doctors from the hospital in an honorary capacity. The nurse educators gave us nursing demonstrations on nursing procedures pertaining to the medical and surgical skills required such as stomach washout, insertion of Ryles tubes, and simple dressing technique. Since Queen Victoria Hospital was a female hospital, we were sent to Alfred Hospital for our male nursing. For infectious disease nursing, we were sent to Fairfield Hospital. The bus or tram fares were paid by the hospital. There were times when the wards were short of trained nurses and the nursing students were expected to be in charge of the ward. I found this very frightful and often prayed for guidance and hope for an uneventful shift. When there was a problem, an evening or night supervisor would be called to advise on the problem. he supervisor would decide if a doctor was required to see the patient and the doctor called by her. I believe patients' lives were in the hands of untrained nurses. Many procedures were done by trial and it was unlucky if anything went wrong. The body of knowledge gained by unqualified nurses at that period of time was inadequate for the number of patients' illnesses. Patients too had to pray that nothing untoward happen to them and that the nurses be given the guidance.
In our third year of nursing we were given six hours of infectious diseases training and were rostered for three weeks of theatre nursing in addition to out-patient, casualty nursing and ward experiences. We were sent to Fairfield Hospital for our infectious nursing experiences and for our operating nursing experiences we went to either Jessie McPherson Hospital or the Queen Victoria Hospital Operating Theatres. In the wards we found we were often in charge. We had a broader experience in our third year and found it less stressful. At the end of our three years training, we had to take our final hospital examinations and State Board Examinations for nursing registration. If we were unsuccessful with our hospital examinations, we were not allowed to sit for our State Board Examinations. Each nurse was given one chance to repeat their examinations. The Examinations comprised of Medical, Surgical and Paediatrics Examinations in addition to Oral and Nursing Skill Procedure Demonstration Examinations. Written examinations were held in a common hall with all other nurses from all the Victorian hospitals. The results of the State Board written examinations were published in the newspapers and I remembered we were thrilled to see our names in the papers as one of the successful candidates. The Oral examinations were conducted by Honorary Doctors and Principal Tutors selected by the Nurses' Board. We took our turn to be questioned by the doctors and nursing personnel as our names were called. After the Oral Examinations, we then selected a Demonstration Examination Slip from one of the Examination Board. There were two questions and we had to set up at least two major procedure trays as instructed, for example, stomach washout and cauterization. The nursing sisters examined the trays or trolleys set and we were then told how we had performed. I found the examinations very nerve racking and was glad when I was told I had passed.
Photo: News clipping about State nursing examinations. Original newspaper unknown, but most likely to have been from The Sun-News Pictorial. (c. August 1966, archive ref. B02/009)
The nursing school was under the control of a Sister tutor who organised and gave the theoretical components of the course with her assistants. Lectures were given once or twice a week and nursing students would have to make sure they were present for their lectures even though they were on night duties. There was no remuneration received by nurses for attending lectures in their off duty time. We were given a salary and the pay depended on the years of experience and how successful we were in our graded examinations. We were given a rise in salary for the next year if we were successful in our examinations.
In the ward areas the ward sister played an important role in the teaching of the nursing students in their wards. A sister tutor went to the wards occasionally to check on the nursing students clinical training in the wards. There was no formal organised clinical instruction during training within the clinical areas. We had to learn from the ward nursing sisters and our senior nurses. The sister-in-charge of the ward gave a report of the nursing student after their stay in their ward. There was a blue book that the nursing student had to get signed off by sisters who supervised their nursing skills in the ward. A selected amount of nursing skills and competencies had to be achieved each year before nurses were considered successful in their year of training.
We were provided with three purple uniforms with three starched collars and five white aprons for our ward duties. We had to purchase our brown shoes and grey stockings. We were measured for our uniforms. I remember standing on a wooden box when I was measured for them. The length of the uniform had to be below the knees so that when we needed to bend our underwear would not be seen. On our starched caps, there was sewn first, second, or third year or there were stars on the front band in some hospitals. One star indicated first year of training, two stars on the caps would show people that nurses were in their second year, and three stars in their third year. We often were very glad to have our years increased as we knew we were being promoted into the rank of senior nurses. Besides, there would be a rise in pay! Nurses were very proud to be in their senior year, as junior duties comprised of giving out bed-pans and dusting the over-bed tables.
Photo: Lai Fun with fellow nursing students in uniform. See below for closeup photo of badge. (c. 1965, archive ref. B02/002)
Photos: Nurse's pin and name badge issued by Queen Victoria Hospital as worn in photo above (archive refs. Z25/07,10)
Sometimes nurses performed duties which were not within their capabilities or competencies and not allowed according to nursing hospital policies. However, there were junior nurses who liked to take an ego trip now and then and subject themselves to risks. I personally believed they liked to do tasks beyond their abilities because of the inferiority complex they had of themselves and that they were sick of the routine dirty work they had to do in the pan room. So a change would do them good and the feeling that they got to do senior duties would make them feel good even though it was artificial.
The uniform laundry was provided by the hospital. We were given a brown cardboard case to put our dirty uniforms and an inventory slip for laundry in a specific area. Once a week we collected our cleaned uniforms on selected days at the same location. We were expected to check the return of the cleaned uniforms straight away and report any losses. Uniforms were replaced only if they did not fit or when they were worn out. There was a sewing room where we could go for any repairs and had our stars sewn on or have our caps replaced.
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