THE SCHOOL NURSE 



In addition, she should have had special experience with children, 

 of the sort that she would gain through serving on the staff of a 

 children's hospital. 



In judging the qualifications of candidates, success in dis- 

 trict work should be given preference over length of experience. 

 The successful school nurse is, first of all, an intermediary between 

 physicians, teachers, parents, and children. Permanent success 

 requires tact above all other qualifications. No single phrase 

 in our language adequately describes the qualification or ability 

 referred to. It is that attribute which the Spaniards designate 

 as the "don de gentes," which, freely translated, means the "gift 

 of getting along with people/' 



Among other necessary qualifications may be mentioned 

 activity, and ability to carry a large amount of work without 

 worry. Any tendency to gossip should constitute sufficient cause 

 for immediate disqualification. 



EFFECTIVENESS OF THE NURSE'S WORK 

 Reference has been made to the value of the school nurse's 

 work in reducing the number of exclusions on account of contagious 

 and infectious diseases. How this operates in practice is shown by 

 the experience of New York City before and after the organization 

 of the corps of school nurses. In the system prevailing up to 1902 

 all cases of contagious and infectious diseases were excluded by the 

 physician. If this system had continued in force the number of 

 exclusions in 1911 would have reached a grand total of 253,738. 

 This number is so great in proportion to the total membership of 

 the schools that had all these children been excluded the entire 

 school system would have been seriously disorganized. The 

 actual number of exclusions during 191 1 amounted to 8,154, or a 

 little more than 3 per cent of the number of cases of contagious 

 diseases. This means that in the experience of New York City, 

 through the employment of school nurses exclusions from school 

 had been reduced to something like one-thirtieth of their former 

 proportions. 



While a review of reports on medical inspection in American 

 cities shows that superintendents and medical inspectors have 

 abundantly endorsed the work of school nurses, it is only rarely 



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