Does anyone know about Nurse training in the 1960s

[MrsPumpkinSeed]

Specifically in London - Whittington.
My late aunt trained there but I don't know for how long or what the course was like. I know it was on the wards.
Were the courses 3 years as they are now?
Thank you

www.socialhistoryhub.com/meg

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/5181233/

^
An analysis of the progress of student nurses entering training at Whittington Hospital, London, since May 1960
P W Redman. Int J Nurs Stud. 1967 Feb.

Thanks so much Galassia

I started in 1969, though not in London. The course was three years but very different from today as we spent much more time on the wards and were given a lot of responsibility very early. It was very strict too.

I also started my training in 1969 (not at the Whittington). Most hospitals had their own School of Nursing. Nurse training was three years, leading to State Registration (after successful completion of final written and practical exam).

Training was mostly ward-based with lecture days/weeks interspersed. Lectures were delivered by Nurse Tutors and Medical Consultants (ALL the doctors were male).

Student nurses were the main workforce in hospitals. We all lived in the Nurses' Home under the eagle eye of the Home Sister. Strict discipline was enforced, including having to be in by a certain time at night (midnight, I think it was) and absolutely no male visitors.

No married student nurses (a friend of mine had to leave when she married but was allowed to take her final exam) Pregnancy meant immediate dismissal.

We worked like dogs and were paid a pittance but had a ball, in spite of all the restrictions. Things started to become more relaxed in the 70's.

No personal experience, but there are quite a lot of nursing memoirs of that era on Kindle, off the back of the success of call the midwife I think.

There were 2 courses, one was for 2 years which led to the State Enrolled Nurse qualification, it was more practical the other 3 year course led to a State Registration which included a management, maternity and I think an acute ward placement like a&e or theatres. I cant remember if they included a psychiatry placement on the SEN course.
The uniform was very smart, dresses, aprons, hats and a cape or navy blue gaberdine coat. The hospital did our uniform laundry. They supplied us with belts, different colours for each year u til we got a navy blue one when we qualified, along with a hospital buckle, badge and the registration badge from the GNC, the general nursing council which is now the NMC. We had a big presentation of certificates in the Lecture Room where our parents were invited.
We all lived in the various nurses homes, no ensuite or mobile phones then and put noticeboards on our room doors to say what shifts we were working.
In the 3rd year
we were often left in charge of the ward on nights with a junior student or pupil nurse, relying on the night sister or nursing officers to help us with drugs, sick patients and calling a doctor, the nursing officer would often come down and ask for a bedside update on all the patients in the middle of the night.
It was much more formal, no first names, we stood up in the office when the ward sister came in the room.
The money was dire, the hours were dire, often 10 days on and nights were 7 on, 7 off.
It was hard work, we did a lot of cleaning but learnt so much and felt proud to be a nurse.

This was I London as a hospital not far from The Whit as it's called.

A bit earlier than the period you are looking for but I recently read and enjoyed 'Yes Sister, No Sister' by Jennifer Craig which was a memoir of training as a nurse in Leeds in the 1950s.

I really appreciate this.
I think it must have been the Enrolled nurse course. But I would love to read some memoirs. This is very interesting.

My training hospital has a past and present nurses group, the whit might have one too and you might find some nurses who knew your auntie. Do you have any of her badges or papers. SEN nurses were given a green badge and SRN got blue. I have a feeling the Whit joined with The Royal Free hospital so they may have a group or memoirs.

@FleasInMyKnees

There were 2 courses, one was for 2 years which led to the State Enrolled Nurse qualification, it was more practical the other 3 year course led to a State Registration which included a management, maternity and I think an acute ward placement like a&e or theatres. I cant remember if they included a psychiatry placement on the SEN course. The uniform was very smart, dresses, aprons, hats and a cape or navy blue gaberdine coat. The hospital did our uniform laundry. They supplied us with belts, different colours for each year u til we got a navy blue one when we qualified, along with a hospital buckle, badge and the registration badge from the GNC, the general nursing council which is now the NMC. We had a big presentation of certificates in the Lecture Room where our parents were invited. We all lived in the various nurses homes, no ensuite or mobile phones then and put noticeboards on our room doors to say what shifts we were working. In the 3rd year we were often left in charge of the ward on nights with a junior student or pupil nurse, relying on the night sister or nursing officers to help us with drugs, sick patients and calling a doctor, the nursing officer would often come down and ask for a bedside update on all the patients in the middle of the night. It was much more formal, no first names, we stood up in the office when the ward sister came in the room. The money was dire, the hours were dire, often 10 days on and nights were 7 on, 7 off. It was hard work, we did a lot of cleaning but learnt so much and felt proud to be a nurse. This was I London as a hospital not far from The Whit as it's called.

There were certainly some SEN, s that worked in mental health, i didnt do my training untill the 90,s but i worked with quite a few RMN, s that had converted from SEN.

x2boys. I think there was a SEN (G) and SEN (M) course. You could choose general, mental handicap or mental nursing. Thats what it was called in those days. I dont know if the general SEN course included a psychiatric placement. The general SRN course included psych and management. SENs had to undertake a conversion course to become SRN but there were post grad 6 month courses for SRN to register as RMN or midwife.
I do remember the competancy books we had to pass, we were observed and assessed on the ward
by our Tutor doing a bedbath, drug round, sterile dressing and management.

Still got my competency book somewhere

I had to resit my bed bath, it got "referred" as I forgot to draw the window blinds I was so nervous.

The Royal College of Nursing has a library and archive
www.rcn.org.uk/library/archives