After fulfilling the requirements for the organization of a class and the instructor has been formally appointed the class is free to begin work, and very interesting work it proves to be. The course of instruction in first aid begins with an introductory lesson in anatomy and physiology followed by nine lessons with practical demonstration in the care of emergencies and accidents most likely to be met with in the every-day walks of life. It is most desirable that each pupil be given an opportunity to practice on a model or manikin the various points covered in the lessons. After the ten lessons are over, those members of a class who have not been absent more than three times, are ready for examination. This is given by a physician other than the instructor of the class who is appointed direct from the first aid office. The examination is one-third oral, one-third written and one-third practical.
There are fifteen lessons in the Home Nursing course, and these should prove of absorbing interest and practical value to every one. The preliminary lessons deal with matters relating to the healthfulness of the home, such as contamination of food and its prevention, sources of impurities in water and air, personal hygiene and the preservation of health. Then follows simple instruction in the home care of the sick, how to make a sick bed, to transfer a patient from bed to chair, the general care of a patient, including baths and the use of ordinary sickroom appliances. For example, the theory of bed-making was being taught in one of our classes the other day, and after the instructing nurse had finished her lecture, every member of the class had to make the bed with and without the patient, the patient in this case being a life-sized doll covered with oilcloth so that it could be bathed. Several members of the class did not make the beds satisfactorily and were told to practice at home so that at the next lesson they could do better. A special examination also follows this course.
After those Home Nursing lessons are over, it is planned to have a series of lectures on home economics and dietetics.
So much for the plans and organization, now for the actual classes. The records show that on March 30th almost six hundred women are taking this instruction.
Twenty-four classes in First Aid and three in Home Nursing have been formed in different localities. Both the Young Women’s Christian Association and the Girls’ Friendly Society have become interested in this work.
In Genesee, New York, the fox-hunting community has formed a large class for women to teach them to cope with the accidents of the hunting field.
In Manchester, Connecticut, where the Cheney Brothers have their big silk mills, classes in both First Aid and Home Nursing have been organized among the employes.
In Cincinnati a group of society women are taking the First Aid course.
In one of the suburbs of Washington, a group of young mothers have formed a class.
Other classes are active in Lexington, Ky., Providence, R. I., Detroit, Mich., North Attleboro, Milton and Manchester, Mass., Milwaukee, Wis., York, Pa., Philadelphia, Pa., and Washington, D. C.