Thirty years after the Crimean War, a job description of a bedside nurse in an American Hospital in 1887. In addition to caring for 50 patients, each bedside nurse will follow these regulations: 1) Daily sweep and mop the floors of your ward, dust the patients furniture and window sills.
2) Maintain an even temperature in your ward by bringing in a scuttle of coal for the days business.
3) Light is important to observe the patient’s condition. Therefore, each day, fill kerosene lamps, clean chimneys and trim wicks. Wash windows once a week.
4) The nurse’s notes are important to aiding the physicians work. Make your pens carefully, you may whittle nibs to your own taste.
5) Each nurse on day duty will report every day at 7 am and leave at 8 pm, except on the Sabbath on which day, you will be off from 12 noon to 2 pm.
6) Graduate nurses in good standing with the director of nurses will be given an evening off ch week for courting purposes, or 2 evenings a 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 30.00 a month, you should set aside 15.00.
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 administrations of five cents a day providing there are no hospital debts outstanding.
