Who's in charge here? The General Hospital School of Nursing, St. John's, Newfoundland, 1903-30.

Abstract

This essay examines the effect of the political economy of the General Hospital, St. John's, Newfoundland, on the development of the General Hospital School of Nursing from 1903 to 1930. The General Hospital was the only government-funded hospital in Newfoundland providing health care for the entire colony of 124,000 people. The School of Nursing was the only nurses' training program in Newfoundland until 1929 when a second school opened. Two conflicting personalities who played an important role in the development of nursing at these institutions were Mary Southcott, Superintendent of Nurses from 1903 to 1916, and Lawrence Keegan, Medical Superintendent of the hospital. The resulting tension between these two people led to a major crisis at the hospital in 1914 with the government instigating a Royal Commission to examine the struggle between the nurses and the administration (doctors and government officials) over who had the power and authority to determine the nurses' role and status within the hospital. After a year of investigation, the Royal Commission agreed with Keegan's view and subsequently organized the hospital along new lines. Southcott was fired and a new, more compliant nurse put in her place. The second period, 1916 to 1930, saw the recommendations of the Royal Commission implemented, including establishment of a Board of Governors to run the hospital on a more businesslike footing.