NOTEWORTHY REFERENCES

HEIDGERKEN, LORETTA, “Nursing as a Ca- reer: Is It Relevant?” American Journal of Nursing, Vol. 69, $6, pp. 1217-22. Even though there are more nurses in today’s work force than ever before, the proportion of young women entering nursing is smaller than the percentage of women entering college. The professional woman today represents a smal- ler percentage of the total female labor market than she did 25 years ago. The compelling question is why fewer students enroll in nursing now that college and nursing educa- tion can be combined. It is naive to assume that increased salaries, improved working conditions, and the moving of nursing education to institutions of higher learning will automatically cause more students to enter nursing. Career selection is a very complex decision.

The choice of an occupation may be based on internal factors-conscious or unconscious -or external factors-economic, sociologic or educational. Career selection is closely related to the total process of individual growth and development. It reflects self- concept, the structure of needs, and individual personality characteristics,

It must be recognized that expansion of health careers to over 200 job titles provides competition for nursing with other occupa- tions through which one can help his fellow man. Also, the emergence of nursing as

a career for men brings competition to the career-oriented woman because we have too often seen that when men enter traditionally female occupations, they enter not at the bottom, but at the top of the hierarchic structure.

The role model given to young people affects the interest they may have in a given occupation. The public image of nurses has become less and less that of the “warm person” or “ministering angel,” and more that of an aloof, technically efficient person who is less concerned with the patient and more concerned with herself.

One group of high school students, half of whom had some hospital experience, had a poor image of the nurses they encountered. Most of the “group perceived nursing as involving: difficult schooling; hard work; blood; long, undesirable hours; service to others; and low pay. They felt it required: great dedication and patience; waiting on patients and doctors; manual skills; physical stamina; and a strong stomach. They were confused about the amount of intelligence necessary for nursing, but the trend seemed to be that a high degree of intelligence is not necessary. Many girls mentioned coldness and lack of consideration as a trait of nurses. Although they believed that nursing helps a woman mature, learn to help others and

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prepare for marriage, it is a career of question- able prestige.”

Why does this image exist? If a profession reflects its basic values through its practition- ers, then an attractive role model was not presented to these students. Perhaps, the opportunity for exploration and interpretation of these girls’ encounters was not provided. Dramatization and misinterpretation is fre- quent among adolescents. The image, how- ever, was set.

Accurate information about a career is essential in ultimate selection. High school counselors, nurses and doctors are the essen- tial sources. The “where” and “how” of learning the true characteristics of and the opportunities in nursing are important.

Studies show most women ranking mar- riage and homemaking first, career and homemaking second, and only a small minori- ty strongly committed to the pursuit of a career. Professional women are attempting to

identify with a stereotyped role rather than looking for a personal, professional identity. The homemakers role stands between the woman and the professional role with which she is trying to identify. “Young women need to be helped to see that they can successfully combine a career and homemaking and not be less a wife or mother for so doing. They need to see that they can make a meaningful contribution in a personal way to an important area of social need by becoming professional nurses.”

RUTH S. METZCER, R.N. Houston, Texas

MINCKLEY, BARBARA, “A Study of Practices of Handling and Opening Suture Packets in the Operating Room.” Nursing Research, Vol. 18, #3, May-June, 1969, pp. 267-70. This most interesting study on the routine handling of suture packets had surprising and most unusual findings. The stated purpose of

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this study was threefold: 1) To test the sterility of sutures taken

from suture packets exposed to several possible sources of contamination.

2 ) To ascertain the opinions of operating room personnel regarding the use of such packets.

3) To ascertain whether operating room personnel are aware that the hands may be a greater source of contamination than the floor.

Mrs. Minckley’s methodology and her means of collecting data required the use of eighty suture packets. There were four variable methods of handling the sutures, arranged in series of 20 each, before opening the packet according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Sterile blood agar plates were used. The same area on the sterile inner packet (leading edge), where contamination was most likely to occur, “was streaked on the culture media of each test.”

The experiment controls were: 1) Taking a suture from a freshly opened

box. 2 ) Washing of opener’s hands in an aseptic

manner before taking sutures from a freshly opened box. These controls were used to establish the fact of the possible contamination from the opener’s hands as a separate factor. The other two variables used in the handling of sutures were:

1) Dropping the packets to the floor in an area that had previously been cultured. (This is explained in detail in the survey.)

2 ) Removing a suture from a box that had been open for some time.

An interesting description of the culture results is given, followed by a discussion which states in part:

“This study has indicated that there is a higher risk of contamination from the open- er’s unwashed hands than from the aseptically maintained floor because of the greater numbers of bacteria found in cultures of the

opener’s fingers. Apparently, attitudes which have evolved in the practice of aseptic conscientiousness allow little room for excep- tions in the case of a product designed to preclude any possibility of contamination of its sterile contents under conditions of normal use and abuse.”

Even though results of culturing found more bacteria on the experimenter’s hands than on the floor, the personnel would accept a suture onto the surgical field from an opened box, but not from the floor. In this study, however, the sutures were not actually placed on the sterile field. Personnel considered safe those sutures which were taken from previous- ly opened boxes which showed more colonies than those dropped on the floor. Reaction to geographical location is apparent.

As long as the outer wrapper of the suture packet is unbroken and opened as the manufacturer directs, the results show no bacterial contamination of the inner packet.

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Continued from page 143

ADELMAN, R. M., D.D.S., M.D., "A New Hos- pital Dental Staff in Operation, Hospital Prog- ress, Vol. 50, $2, February, 1969, pp. 28-34. St. Therese Hospital in Waukegan, Illinois, has initiated improved patient care in the community. This improved care has been brought about by the establishment of a dental staff within the hospital's own staff. The Council on Hospital Dental Service of the American Dental Association and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals have approved the dental service. As a result of this approval, the organization has provided a dental OR in the emergency-outpatient area of the hospital, as well as a surgical suite equipped with specialized dental equipment.

This unit enables the dentist to admit a patient to hospital care facilities if his case is too difficult to handle in the office. Since there is a rotating system of 24-hour emergency coverage, the citizens of Lake County have a

resource for emergency dental problems. Local nursing schools have included the

dental unit in the curriculum, and they teach nursing management of dental cases. Pediatric dental surgery is also provided.

The unit came as a result of the formation of an organized dental staff with constitution and bylaws distinct from the medical staff of the hospital. Patients admitted for care are under the joint responsibility of the attending physician and dentist. Standards of clinical work are evaluated by members of the dental staff.

Each new appointee to the dental staff is given an orientation that covers admission procedures, surgical scheduling, scrubbing, gowning, gloving, and draping techniques. A dental history form has been devised, and the importance of charting details to correspond to hospital requirements is emphasized.

MABEL CRAWFORD, R.N. Los Angeles, California ++

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Septemhpr 1969 147