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Student nurses and ‘wastage’
Not all who entered nursing training completed the course at Wellington Hospital.
The first training school in the country
Wellington Hospital was the first in New Zealand to establish a training school for nurses, from 1883 - 1991.
'Wastage'
Not all who entered nursing training completed the course, and in various archived reports this is generally referred to as 'wastage'.
Details of the reasons why students left training before completion were not always recorded. In the early 1900s, the reasons for early resignation included students being ‘unsuitable’, ‘not strong enough’, ‘didn’t like the work’. A number of resignations were recorded as due to ‘ill-health’, ‘needed at home to look after family members’, and ‘inability to pass examinations’. A few students were dismissed for a variety of misdemeanors. Finally a relatively common reason was ‘getting married’.
The numbers of students who didn’t finish their training is also incompletely recorded though accurate data exists for most of the years 1902 – 1954 and can be seen in the accompanying graph.
Caption for top image: Nursing lecture with Sister Scott. Wellington Hospital Archives, as gathered by Ron Easthope, honorary archivist. Further image details unknown; reproduced with permission from Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora.
In a report on the School by the Nurses and Midwives Board in 1969, a section headed ‘Wastage’ appears.
The rather high percentage of resignations must have been an ongoing disappointment and concern to the School of Nursing administrators.
This article is part of a significant collection of historic digital content about Wellington Regional Hospital, providing insights into our history of health. It was gathered by Ron Easthope, honorary archivist and retired cardiologist at Wellington Hospital.
Discover more:
Read the introduction about this archival content featuring Wellington Hospital’s history.
Find out more about accommodation for student nurses at Wellington Hospital in times gone by.
Read about historical nursing teaching facilities at Wellington Hospital.
Read a selection of historical nurse recollections from Wellington Hospital.
Find out about the matrons of Wellington Hospital during its early history.
Discover the history of Thorndon Hospitals and the first colonial hospital.
Explore the history of the first Newtown Hospital.
View the early expansion of Wellington Hospital.
Discover Wellington Hospital’s services for sick children 1886 – 1912 (Part 1): before the building of a children's hospital.
Read about Wellington Hospital’s services for sick children 1912 – 1988 (Part 2): the first children's hospital - the King Edward V11 Memorial Hospital for Children.
Find out about the history of specialist dental services during the early years of Wellington Hospital.
Wellington Hospital was the first in New Zealand to establish a training school for nurses.