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89
STAFF TRAINING AND STUDENT TRAINING
To ensure that the nursing staff are kept abreast of current
changes within their professional sphere, the Council sponsors
various members of staff to attend refresher and post-graduate
courses. It is possible to second only a limited number of staff
but they, on return, disseminate information to their colleagues.
Four health visitors and two domiciliary midwives attended
refresher courses held by professional organisations, namely, the
Health Visitors' Association, the Royal College of Nursing, and
the Royal College of Midwives.
Other members of staff, including school nurses, audiometricians
and clinic nurses attended short courses on subjects relevant to
their particular fields of work.
Three health visitors and four home nurses completed postgraduate
courses to enable them to practise as field-work instructors
and practical work instructors respectively. One home nurse undertook
district nurse training at Croydon Technical College.
The ten health visitor students who were sponsored by the
Council in September, 1969 all qualified and took up duty as
health visitors in September. 1970, being a welcome addition to
the staff.
Nine nursery nurse students were accepted for the two-year
training course for the National Nursery Examination Board
certificate, and were placed for practical training at the four training
day nurseries within the Borough.
Thirty-four pupil midwives from the South London Hospital
for Women received three months' district midwifery training with
nine of our teaching domiciliary midwives.
One hundred and forty-four obstetric nurses were given an
insight into community care provision for expectant and newlydelivered
mothers by domiciliary midwives. The nurses were from
St. George's Hospital, Weir Hospital, and Queen Mary's Hospital.
Observation visits, involving all the community staff, were also
arranged for student and pupil nurses, trainee social workers and
students from local Colleges of Education. These visits totalled
500 by the end of the year.