Then, if we can get the hospital aid bill out of the Ways and Means Committee this year, then this Congress will have set truly a notably record in the field of education and public health. I have two principal observations to make, Mr. Chairman. One is to submit respectfully for the consideration of your committee that all of the assistance to be rendered student nurses in training to be professional nurses should be by grant, and not by loan. I base that observation upon the acknowledged fact that the nurses receives such low compensation for the services that they render, most of them being ladies, I take it. It will be a difficult job for nurses not receiving any more compensation than they presently receive to pay back any sizable sum of money; although I would rather have that than nothing, of course. But I wonder if it would not be proper for this committee to broaden the reach of this program by making sufficient grants available that would make assistance necessary to all the student. nurses who are not able to provide their own financial resources. I think the need is so great, the relationship of an adequate number of nurses to the health of the country is so proximate, the challenge to us to make adequate provision for the training of these people, it seems to me, justify, all these needs and the demands, justify this program being broadened to the point where all the aid necessary will be rendered by grant rather than any of them having to be burdened with a loan that they would have to pay back out of salaries too low in the years after they have received the loan and the training that the loan made possible. The other suggestion that I would make, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, is this: I feel that the National Government should take the distinct lead in this whole nursing recruitment field, and that there should be some central point or central authority, indeed some central person in the Government of the United States who would coordinate all the activities of the Federal, State, and local authorities, also of the private agencies and authorities working in the same field that would have the principal responsibility for the dissemination of information relative to the desirability of the profession of rursing and the opportunities that it offers for satisfaction as well as for service. And I believe that such a position as that should be created in the Office of the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service. Now I do not know whether there is authority already existent that would permit the Surgeon General to establish a person in such capacity, or whether there is the general authority in this act that that could be done. If there is, that is all right. But I do want to go on record as believing that should be done, whether it should be done by administrative arrangement or whether it should be done by provision being inserted in the bill itself. With all respect to a public information officer, I don't care how good such an individual is, that is not tied in with the subject of nursing recruiting. I think it is in the public interest to have somebody whom all the public and private agencies identify as the focal person in the Office of the Surgeon General whom they will come to know as a person with whom they will keep in constant contact, to whom, from time to time, they will address inquiries, who will be a stimulating influence in the whole nursing recruitment field, and a coordinating agency for all the many agencies, authorities, individuals, and institutions hat are working toward recruitment in this field. So, I submit, Mr. Chairman, with all respect, those two observations for the consideration of the committee. I hope they may receive the sympathetic consideration of your distinguished subcommittee. Mr. ROBERTS. The Chair would like to thank the gentleman from Florida for his statement, and also for his long interest in this very important field. I would like at this time to put into the record, following the gentleman's statement, some figures which have been given to the committee growing out of the questions raised by the distinguished gentleman from Florida, Mr. Rogers, a member of our subcommittee, which I think will strengthen the observations that you made in your statement. I would like to point out that there is one question, how many general-duty hospital nurses earn less than $4,000 per year? The answer is, more than 55 percent of the full-time general-duty nurses in nonFederal general hospitals earn starting salaries of $4,000 or less per year: almost 3 percent earn less than $3,100, according to a recent survey. Now this shows the total number of nurses reporting $15,570, and contains a column for annual salaries, less than $2,400, 0.5 percent; $2,400 to $3,100, 2.4 percent; $3,100 to $3,600, 19.1 percent; and $3,600 to $4,068, 33.4 percent. Now this information is furnished by the American Nurses Association, research and statistics unit, a "Spot Check of Current Hospital Nursing Employment Conditions, November 1962, New York." I would like to put this statement in the record. And also another statement showing the comparison of nurses' salaries with other occupations. I just picked out one figure here. General-duty nurses in non-Federal general hospitals, for beginners, $3,900; for all, $4,080. Compared to public school teachers for beginners, $4,536; and for all, $6,365. General stenographers, private industry, $4,132; senior stenographers, private industry, $4,749. The source there again, are the American Nurses Association, that report made November 1962; the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, January 1964; and the U.S. Department of Labor, in February-March 1963. Then two other statements which show comparisons in various parts of the country. These, I think, are very revealing and I think substantiate what the gentleman has said about low salaries in this field. Without objection, I would like to place those in the record. (The information referred to follows:) Comparison of nurses' salaries with other occupations General duty nurses (non-Federal general hospitals): For beginners_ For all Public school teachers: For beginners_. For all General stenographers (private industry) – Current median salary per annum $3,900 4, 080 4, 536 6, 365 4, 132 4, 749 American Nurses' Association. Spot Check of Current Hospital Nursing Employment Conditions, November 1962. New York: The Association, 1963. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Merit System Methods. No. 177. January 1964. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Survey of Professional, Administrative, Technical, and Clinical Pay. FebruaryMarch 1963. Bulletin No. 1387. Average annual salaries-Selected positions in nonfederal hospitals of 15 major metropolitan areas June-July, 1963 Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Earnings and Supplementary Bepefits in Hospitals, June-July 1963. Preliminary releases for the 15 areas listed. Average weekly earnings adjusted to annual rates and rounded to the nearest hundred dollars. Annual earnings of nurses in hospitals and schoolteachers in public schools in 12 urban areas,1 1963 1 Counties included in 12 metropolitan areas: Atlanta: Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Guinnet Counties, Ga. Baltimore: Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, and Howard Counties, Md. Boston: Suffolk County and 72 communities in Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Plymouth Counties, Mass. Buffalo Erie and Niagara Counties, N.Y. Chicago: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties, Ill. Cleveland: Cuyahoga and Lake Counties, Ohio. Dallas Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Ellis Counties, Tex. Memphis Shelby County, Tenn. Minneapolis-St. Paul: Anoka, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, and Washington Counties, Minn. Philadelphia: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties, Pa., and Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties, N.J. Portland: Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties, Oreg., and Oregon and Clark Counties, Wash. Hospital nurses' mean salaries and days on duty were computed from figures published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics which review earnings and supplementary benefits in hospitals in 12 urban areas for June 1963. Data for other areas are not available. 3 Teachers' mean salaries and days on duty were computed from figures in Public Research Salaries Series, pts. A and B, published by the research division of the National Education Association.Part A shows 1962-63 salaries received by public school teachers by individual systems. Classroom teacher salary schedules for 1963-64 in systems with enrollments of 6,000 or more are given in pt. B. The above figures were obtained by combining and weighting figures for all systems in each metropolitan area. Source: Division of Public Health Methods, Public Health Service. Annual salaries of nurses in non-Federal general hospitals, by position, 1962 Source: American Nurses' Association: "Spot Check of Current Hospital Nursing Employment Conditions," November 1962. Obtained by questionnaire from a sample of hospitals throughout the country. Figures have been adjusted from monthly to annual salaries and rounded to the nearest hundred. How many general duty hospital nurses earn less than $4,000 per year? More than 55 percent of full-time general duty nurses in non-Federal general hospitals earn starting salaries of $4,000 or less per year. Almost 3 percent earn less than $3,100 according to a recent survey. Total number of nurses reported, 15,570. Source: American Nurses' Association, Research and Statistics Unit, "Spot Check of Current Hospital Nursing Employment Conditions," November 1962. New York: The Association, 1963. 27 pages. (Processed.) Mr. ROBERTS. I have no questions. Are there any questions from the subcommittee? Mr. NELSEN. No questions. Mr. HEMPHILL. I have no questions. I just salute the gentleman and thank him for everything he has said. Mr. PEPPER. Thank you very much. Mr. ROBERTS. Next, we will hear from the distinguished gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Hemphill. STATEMENT OF HON. ROBERT W. HEMPHILL, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA Mr. HEMPHILL. Mr. Chairman, members of the subcommittee, I thank you for the opportunity allowed me here to appear before your subcommittee. I appear personally and officially am in favor of H.R. 10041, H.R. 2110, and any other legislation that I think would implement the Hill-Burton Act, the additions which we have before our committee now, which would serve to promote the number and the quality and raise in pay for the registered nurses of this land. I have supported Hill-Burton legislation consistently. I think the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare deserves a salute from every man, woman, and child in this country for the way it has administered this act, for the good that has been done, and for the people that have been helped. I intend to support this year the legislation now pending before our committee. On a purely local basis, because I am interested in people's health, I am one of those people who feel that if you are going to pray for them on Sunday, like most of us do, you ought to vote for them on Mon day. For that reason, I have supported medicare and anything else that will help people who are in distress. Now one of the great problems of medicine today is the problem of providing the nurses and the nursing care to people who are in need of professional expert nursing care. I say this in no criticism of those wonderful people who have been assisting with such training as they could pick up or command because of experience In these fine hospitals that this great country has put in the various counties in this land and my particular district has been greatly benefited-we have a shortage of registered nurses. I think that this is an opportunity for the people of this country, acting in a collective spirit through their Government, through this great legislation that you and Mr. Harris and others have introduced, to really do a great thing for people who are sick and in need of care. Recently a personal friend of mine who is a registered nurse wrote me a letter in which she included a very fine article from one of the leading periodicals, being the McCall's magazine of March 1964. Mr. Chairman, if I may have your permission, I would like to include this article as a part of my remarks at this point. It is entitled "Who Will Take Care of the Sick? A Look at Our Hospitals' Biggest Problem." Mr. ROBERTS Without objection. (The article referred to follows:) [From McCall's, March 1964] WHO WILL TAKE CARE OF THE SICK? A LOOK AT OUR HOSPITALS' BIGGEST PROBLEM (By Edith A. Aynes, R.N., with Neal Gilkyson Stuart) People still go to hospitals innocently expecting the solicitous, extrawatchful care associated with being very ill. It comes as a shock to find that if a patient is more than a few yards from death's door, he scarcely receives it. Even a normally cheerful, composed woman is reduced to tears of frustration in her hospital bed because no one comes with the bedpan or no one comes to take it away or no one comes with the painkiller the doctor promised- or only because she so badly wants her face washed. The sad thing is that the nurse on her floor is probably as frustrated as she. Not a member of the National League of Nursing at last year's convention was surprised when the dean of a university school of nursing stood up and asked for studies "so that we may say whether the patient is being nursed, and by whom.” The state of bedside care in our hospitals is so notoriously deplorable that no one in that professional audience was surprised at the speaker's grave implications. Certainly, most of the 25 million of us who are hospitalized every year need no further studies to know that that idealized person, the soothing. attentive bedside nurse, has all but disappeared from the American hospital scene. As one patient put it after the intravenous needle had slipped, and he had watched his arm swell for an agonizing half hour, as he waited for someone to help him, "You could die here before anybody answered the light.” Hospital trends have turned the job of general-duty staff nurse-and this is the backbone of nursing-into one of the most frustrating and most disheartening jobs in the world. Half of our million registered nurses no longer choose to work. The national annual turnover of staff nurses is 67 percent. It is 18 percent for teachers. If doctors, hospital administrators, and professional nursing organizations could settle their jangling conflicts of interest so that the ordinary nurse could go about her job in a rational manner, our nursing shortage might go a long way toward being solved virtually overnight. Let's look at an all-too-typical hospital-floor scene. Last year, as a consultant on nursing, I went to a small midwestern hospital with the title "Direc |