Information Program 
for the 
United States Cadet Nurse Corps 
NOT FOR GENERAL DISTRIBUTION 
For the use of media presenting information to the public 
Prepared by the 
Office of Program Coordination 
Office of War Information 
In cooperation with 
U. S. Public Health Service 
Federal Security Agency 
September 1943 Preface 
The shortage of nurses, both for the armed forces and for the maintenance 
of civilian health, has created an emergency. 
To meet this emergency the Government has now provided funds for the free 
training of student nurses, who will wear the official uniform of the United States 
Cadet Nurse Corps. 
This is important news for thousands of young American women. Now 
they can serve as they learn a proud profession. 
It means that training for a career in one of the best paid, most highly 
respected professions open to women is now available, not only free of charge, but 
also with pay during the training period. 
But even this is not of itself sufficient inducement to attract the 65,000 young 
women who must become new student nurses this year if we are to meet our 
national need. 
For the training is long, the work demanding. 
Only those women will respond whose highest humanitarian instincts are so 
touched by the urgency of this need that they will dedicate their lives to saving 
others’ lives. 
And those women will respond only to appeals that interpret their thoughts 
with sincerity and emotion. 
Your job is to create those appeals. 
It calls for more than information. It calls for inspiration. 
This program can only give you the facts of why we need more nurses and 
what provisions have been made for training them. 
The rest is up to you. The Problem 
Unless we enlist 65,000 new students in schools of nursing for 1943, we will not be able to 
maintain civilian health at home 
Why the Problem Is Acute 
Unlike most war jobs for women, nursing 
is a profession. Unlike women in war plants 
and variqus branches of the armed forces, 
nurses cannot be trained in a few weeks or 
months. They must train 24 to 30 months. 
Hence the major source of nurses for the 
armed forces has of necessity been our civil- 
ian pool of graduate nurses. At the present 
time, there are 35,000 nurses in the Army 
and Navy Nurse Corps and thousands more 
are needed by the end of 1943. 
This has already caused, in civilian life, an 
alarming shortage of nurses that is becoming 
more acute daily. The war has imposed a 
strain on civilian health that makes the need 
for nurses on the home front as essential as 
the need for them on our fighting fronts. 
Industrial boom towns, defense plants, and 
public health services are demanding thou- 
sands of nurses. Sometimes there are no 
doctors, much less hospital facilities. In 
1942, the number of patients admitted to 
hospitals was approximately 1 million more 
than in 1941, almost 2 million more than 
1940, and this figure continues to mount. 
More nurses must be available to prevent 
needless suffering and loss of life through 
the constant menace of epidemic, disaster, 
and industrial accident. 
Even in Government and civilian institu- 
tions, there are already thousands of vacan- 
cies, and the number is increasing steadily. 
Despite the Nation’s desperate need for 
more hospital space, many civilian hospitals 
have been forced to close some of their 
wings because of the nurse shortage. 
The pressure of work on available nurses 
is rapidly' reaching the point where the 
only solution is to curtail even further the 
limited public health and other services now 
available. 
All these needs could be met only by put- 
ting into training immediately at least 
115,000 new Cadet Nurses. Existing train- 
ing facilities, however, limit this number to 
our present goal of 65,000 new Cadet Nurses. 
It is obvious that reaching this goal as soon 
as possible is now doubly important. 
Special Problems Inherent in the 
Nursing Profession 
There are several problems which make 
the recruiting of Cadet Nurses especially diffi- 
cult and aggravate the seriousness of the 
situation. 
1. Nature of the work.—Nursing is much 
more than a job. It is a profession, and 
a demanding one. Even in times of 
peace, it appeals only to those compara- 
tively few women who are not deterred 
by the nature of the work, and by the 
great demands it makes on character. 
To be a nurse calls for a large degree of 
personal sacrifice and unselfish dedica- 
tion of which only the finest type of 
woman is capable. 
2. Competition.—Womanpower is at a pre- 
mium in this war. Most jobs in war 
plants require less training than does 
nursing and they pay very well from the 
outset. Women are replacing men on 
many farms. Women’s branches of 
the armed services the WACS, 
WAVES, SPARS, Marines—all offer 
quick, comparatively glamorous partici- 
pation in the war and make a strong 
appeal to women who might otherwise 
be interested in a nursing career. 
3. Long training period. Nurses must 
train from 24 to 30 months. Although 
student nurses in the United States 
Cadet Nurse Corps will be identified with 
the war by their service and official 
uniforms, they must be attracted to the 
profession by a sincerity of purpose 
that goes beyond a mere desire to “get 
into the war.” 
4. High standards.—There are certain req- 
uisites beyond a desire to serve human- 
ity which further reduces the number 
of women eligible to be student nurses. 
1 A woman must be at least 17 or 18 years 
old, preferably not over 35. She 
must have graduated, with satisfactory 
grades, from an accredited high school; 
a college education is a distinct advan- 
tage. 
5. Parental objections. Many parents 
with an overprotective feeling toward 
their daughters often stand in the way 
because they have common misconcep- 
tions about nursing as a career. Some 
of them feel that nursing would be be- 
neath their daughters socially. Others 
are afraid that the work is disagreeable, 
disillusioning, too confining, and that, in 
effect, it takes their daughter “out of 
circulation.” These misunderstandings 
must be overcome by emphasizing the 
many opportunities for nurses of ability 
and proper training. 
The problem of obtaining new student 
nurses, therefore, is not one which can be 
solved merely by waving the flag and stress- 
ing patriotic appeals. It can be solved only by 
convincing American women that our need 
for nurses presents them with a moral obli- 
gation which can be fulfilled by no other 
means than a selfless dedication of the indi- 
vidual, which in the end is turned into a 
personal advantage. 
The Government Program 
Until the recent passage of the Bolton Act 
by the Congress and the creation by the Gov- 
ernment of an emergency measure to meet 
the practical problems of training new Cadet 
Nurses, the national recruitment drive had to 
rely almost exclusively on patriotism for its 
persuasive appeals. There were at best too 
few women who felt themselves tempera- 
mentally attracted to nursing. Of this num- 
ber, many were discouraged by the fact that 
they had to pay for the long training. Others 
who, though they could afford it, wanted to 
be quickly identified with some war activity, 
were more attracted by the Women’s Army 
and Navy Auxiliary Services. 
The official creation of the United States 
Cadet Nurse Corps removes most of the prac- 
tical deterrents to new recruits. 
The United States Cadet Nurse Corps.— 
Under the provisions of the Bolton Act, ap- 
proved June 15, 1943, the Government now 
pays for the training of nurses for civilian 
and Government hospitals, the Armed Forces, 
health agencies, and war industries. The 
funds are administered through special 
grants to accredited schools of nursing that 
meet requirements of the Bolton Act and are 
approved by the U. S. Public Health Service, 
Federal Security Agency. Students who join 
the United States Cadet Nurse Corps will 
receive free training from time of enroll- 
ment until graduation. Those eligible to join 
include student nurses now in training in 
speed-up courses as well as new students. 
In return for benefits received, members of 
the Corps agree to remain in nursing, either 
military or essential civilian positions, for 
the duration of the war. 
The United States Cadet Nurse Corps will 
give the nursing profession a more equitable 
position in the growing competition for 
women war workers because it will offer eight 
substantial inducements to new recruits; 
1. Training for a career. 
2. A lifetime education—free. 
3. An accelerated period of training. 
4. A paid nursing assignment earlier. 
5. An official uniform for optional wear. 
6. National identification with war serv- 
ices. 
7. Girls can enter at the ages of 17 or 18 
which is younger than they can enter 
other branches of the military services 
such as WAGS or WAVES. 
8. They serve while they learn. 
Here Is a Brief Summary of What the 
United States Cadet Nurse Corps 
Offers Recruits: 
1. Training for a Career.—Of all war work 
open to women, nursing is one of the feiv 
professions. It trains a woman for a career 
that is one of the best paid and most re- 
spected in civilian life, and no work could 
better prepare a woman for marriage and 
motherhood. Regardless of how a woman 
may choose to use her nurse’s training in 
2 future years, she will have acquired an un- 
derstanding of people, a strength of charac- 
ter, and a mental alertness which will enrich 
her life immeasurably, 
2. Paid Training Period: 
(a) Who is eligible.—Entrance require- 
ments vary with schools of nurs- 
ing. In general, however, they 
include graduation from an ac- 
credited high school, with satisfac- 
tory1 grades, and good health. 
College education is a distinct ad- 
vantage. Age: 17 or 18 to prefera- 
bly not over 35. All races and 
creeds are needed. An increasing 
number of schools of nursing accept 
married students. Student nurses 
now in training in speed-up courses 
may also join the Corps. 
(b) Where to get information.—Go to 
your local hospital for information 
about all accredited schools of 
nursing, or write to United States 
Cadet Nurse Corps, Box 88, New 
York, N. Y. 
(c) Where to apply.—Applications for 
the United States Cadet Nurse 
Corps may be made to any school of 
nursing participating in this pro- 
gram. Applicants are advised to 
secure catalogs from at least two 
schools before making a decision. 
(d) Expenses paid.—Tuition from date 
of registration until graduation 
will be paid. Living expenses pro- 
vided include room, board, laundry, 
textbooks, health, and laboratory 
fees. The smart new outdoor uni- 
form will also be provided without 
cost to the student. 
(e) Monthly allowances.—Students will 
start training as Pre-Cadets and 
receive sls a month. From this 
they will pass to Junior Cadets at 
S2O a month, and then, where su- 
pervised practice as Senior Cadets 
is included in the program, to 
not less than S3O a month until 
graduation. 
3. An Accelerated Period of Training.— 
Under the provisions of the Corps, the Cadet 
will receive complete preparation through 
speed-up courses ranging from 24 to 30 
months. The Pre-Cadet period is the first 9 
months, the Junior Cadet period the next 15 
to 21 months, depending upon the school’s 
curriculum. Some States permit graduation 
after 24 to 30 months training. In those 
States where regulations require 36 months 
for graduation, a Senior Cadet period is pro- 
vided. In such cases, at the termination of 
the Junior Cadet period, the Cadet Nurse be- 
comes a Senior Cadet; as such, she is given 
important nursing assignments under super- 
vision until graduation. 
Even though this course is accelerated, a 
student is given the same complete education 
that she would have received before the cur- 
riculum was condensed. Upon graduation a 
Cadet Nurse is eligible to become a Registered 
Nurse. 
4. Completion of Training Assured.—lt 
should be pointed out that this education pro- 
gram will not come suddenly to a halt when 
the war ends. Any member of the Corps en- 
rolled 90 days prior to the end of the war will 
be able to complete her training with full 
benefits of the United States Cadet Nurse 
Corps plan. 
5. The Official Uniform.—For the duration 
of their training, members of the Corps will 
be privileged to wear a distinctive outdoor 
uniform that will identify them officially as 
members of a Government wartime service. 
Provided without cost, the uniforms have 
been designed by leading fashion experts and 
are eminently attractive. They include the 
flattering Montgomery beret, topcoat, rever- 
sible raincoat, and a complete summer and 
winter outdoor uniform with insignia. The 
insignia is that of the United States Public 
Health Service and the Maltese Cross, both 
of which are rich in tradition and signifi- 
cance for the wearers. Students will not be 
required to wear the uniform at all times but 
will wear it when they choose and on all occa- 
sions specified by the school. The wearing of 
this official uniform is a privilege and neces- 
sarily carries with it certain obligations. 
The indoor uniform is that of the school of 
nursing upon which may be worn the insignia 
of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps if 
the school so desires. 
3 Copy Themes 
The need for new Cadet Nurses is a major emergency caused by the war. It 
follows therefore that the Nation’s need should be included in all copy appeals. 
However, it should be remembered that in spite of this need, the training is 
long because nursing is a highly developed profession that requires adequate 
preparation. To compensate for this time element, appeals other than patriotism 
should also receive important emphasis. 
The following themes are offered only as suggestions. Since the subject of 
nursing lends itself admirably to a vast range of emotional and dramatic appeals, 
the types of copy approaches which may be used effectively are as varied as 
humanity itself. 
Theme No. 1 
Learn a Proud Profession—Free; 
(a) The United States Cadet Nurse Corps 
enables a woman to study the profes- 
sion of nursing without cost and with 
pay while she is in training. She 
trains at an accredited school of nurs- 
ing with all tuition, living expenses, 
and uniforms provided without cost to 
her. In addition she receives a 
monthly allowance. 
(b) Nursing offers many types of 
careers—administrative, educational, 
specialized services (industrial, public 
health, institutional), and community 
organization. 
(c) Nurses’ pay on the average is better 
than that of women in other profes- 
sions. Graduate nurses with college 
education and special ability can earn 
from $5,000 to $7,500 a year. Army 
and Navy nurses are commissioned 
officers and receive pay, insurance, and 
cash allowances for travel and living 
expenses according to the pay schedule 
of the Army and Navy. 
(d) Nursing is woman’s highest calling in 
the service of humanity. It com- 
mands the respect of everyone. As a 
profession it demands a sincerity of 
purpose and depth of understanding 
unmatched in any professional field 
open to women. 
Theme No. 2 
Nursing Assures Financial Independ- 
ence; 
(a) Nursing is one of the very few careers 
which can be resumed without loss of 
professional standing after a period of 
inactivity. 
(b) A nurse may take “time out” to marry 
and raise a family, then return to 
nursing. 
(c) Nursing is insurance against want 
because it represents reserve earning 
power. 
(d) Nursing may be practiced on a part- 
time basis to augment the family 
income. 
(e) Women who are trained as nurses will 
be better able than most to cope with 
the unpredictable exigencies of the 
post-war world. 
(/) There will be a great demand for 
nurses in the post-war world, for the 
United States will be relatively well 
equipped to help handle the vast prob- 
lems of disease, malnutrition, and war 
shock. 
(g) The growing popularity of group- 
health plans, with their greater de- 
mands on hospitals, probably will 
mean a continually increasing demand 
for graduate nurses in this country. 
4 Theme No. 3 
Nursing Develops the Individual: 
(a) A nurse’s hands are trained to be 
quick, sure, and gentle. Her eyes, 
ears, and touch are trained to be alert 
to the slightest changes. Her mind is 
trained to relate cause to effect. She 
learns the science of health, the art of 
human kindness. 
(b) Many qualities which nursing de- 
velops in a woman are those most 
admired and respected by men. A 
higher percentage of nurses marry 
than in any other women’s profes- 
sional group. Nursing is a fine prep- 
aration for homemaking and mother- 
hood. 
(c) Nursing develops self-discipline, the 
most essential quality in any emer- 
gency. 
(d) Nursing develops the ability to main- 
tain successful human relationships. 
(e) Nursing develops that most enviable 
personal attribute—the ability to keep 
confidences. 
(/) Nursing develops a capacity for team- 
work and for leadership. 
(g) Nursing develops a combination of 
patience and scientific knowledge so 
often needed in family relationships. 
(h) Nursing develops a genuine sense of 
pride in a woman’s attitude toward 
her work. 
(i) Nursing develops a community leader- 
ship that reaps rich rewards in per- 
sonal satisfaction and the respect of 
fellow citizens. 
(j) Nursing develops self-confidence be- 
cause it teaches women how to cope 
with the unpredictable. 
(k) Nursing develops adaptability to 
sudden changes in environment or 
fortune. 
(I) Nurses have an opportunity to develop 
a special depth of human understand- 
ing because of their presence at 
births, deaths, and the myriad dramas 
of medicine. 
Theme No. 4 
Nursing Is Woman’s Foremost War 
Work: 
(&) The United States Cadet Nurse Corps 
uniform, now provided by the Gov- 
ernment, officially identifies all Cadet 
Nurses as participants in America’s 
war program. 
(b) As soon as she enrolls, the student 
nurse becomes an important figure in 
a busy hospital and helps send a grad- 
uate nurse to the front ... a nurse 
who may take care of her own brother 
on some remote battlefield. Since 
every school of nursing is connected 
with a hospital, the nursing she does 
in a hospital makes it possible for the 
hospital to get along with fewer grad- 
uate nurses. 
(c) Student nurses wage war while they 
learn. On the home front they fight 
casualties, disease, and time lost 
through illness. 
(d) As Senior Cadets, members of the 
United States Cadet Nurse Corps may 
work in civilian, Army, Navy, Vet- 
eran, or other Federal hospitals or 
agencies engaged in war activities. 
(e) Twenty-five hundred more graduate 
nurses are needed every month by the 
fighting forces. Six nurses are needed 
for every 1,000 men in the Army. 
(/) Nurses bring wounded soldiers home 
from battlefronts. 
(g) Nurses assist in operations immedi- 
ately behind the battle lines. 
Timing 
A Continuing Program.—Efforts to obtain new additional students have been 
made over the past year through the press, radio, publications, posters, 
motion pictures, and organization activities. All these will be continued on a 
greatly expanded scale, made possible by the creation of the United States 
Cadet Nurse Corps. 
5 Peak Emphasis.—Special recruiting efforts should be made in August, September, 
December, January, February, April, and May to coincide with the beginning 
of new classes, which start each fall, spring, and summer. Under the new 
accelerated program many schools have classes beginning in January to 
March, others that begin in June or July, in addition to the August to 
October classes. Intensive efforts for the balance of this year will be essen- 
tial if we are to meet our goal of 65,000 new student nurses. 
Appendix 
ORIGIN, ADMINISTRATION, AND STANDARDS 
United States Cadet Nurse Corps 
The Bolton Act, sponsored by Representa- 
tive Frances P. Bolton, of Ohio, and approved 
June 15,1943, provides Government funds for 
the training of nurses for civilian and Gov- 
ernment hospitals, the Armed Forces, health 
agencies, and war industries. 
The Bolton Act represents the combined 
thinking of professional groups responsible 
for increasing the nurse supply of this coun- 
try. This legislation was developed with the 
advice and help of the nursing profession, 
hospital groups, and educational institutions 
concerned. 
The United States Public Health Service, 
Federal Security Agency, acts as the admin- 
istrative agency for the United States Cadet 
Nurse Corps program. It was passed unani- 
mously by the Congress. 
Rules and regulations governing the stand- 
ards by which the United States Cadet Nurse 
program is administered were developed with 
the Advisory Committee to Dr. Thomas Par- 
ran, Surgeon General, United States Public 
Health Service. In general, standards of the 
National League of Nursing Education are 
used as a guide in formulating regulations. 
There are no Government schools of nurs- 
ing, and the United States Cadet Nurse Corps 
program will not standardize nursing schools. 
Student nurses will be directly responsible, 
as always, to the school of nursing in which 
they are enrolled. Students are paid by the 
schools, not by the Federal Government. The 
schools, in turn, receive allotments from the 
Unites States Public Health Service covering 
tuition, maintenance, uniforms, and salary for 
each Corps member. 
Appendix “B” 
DETAILED MEDIA AND PROMOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS 
National Program 
Radio 
Two weeks network allocation plan and 1 
week station announcement plan during 
August. 
Network allocation 1 week, and wherever 
possible 2 weeks, during the months of 
September, December, January, April, and 
May. One week of the station announce- 
ment plan during the same period. 
Motion Pictures 
The news release of the President signing 
the Bolton Act should be followed at the 
earliest possible moment by a short feature 
film for national distribution. At the mo- 
ment a one-reel feature is in production, 
which will be distributed locally, and even- 
tually, it is hoped, nationally through the 
War Activities Committee. In addition, a 
3-minute trailer has been prepared for local 
use. Effort should be made to secure news- 
reel cooperation whenever any outstanding 
national event in connection with the 
United States Cadet Nurse Corps takes 
place. 
6 Press 
Spot Neivs 
Some attempt should be made to get special 
news stories, even though we realize that 
this is particularly difficult to do. 
Feature stories 
There should be a heavy and continuing 
barrage of feature stories released telling 
of the necessity for young women to join 
the United States Cadet Nurse Corps. 
These stories should emphasize the basic 
copy appeals. 
Magazines 
Magazines can be particularly helpful, es- 
pecially if the material is prepared with a 
long-term view. It takes 24 to 30 months 
to turn out a nurse. Therefore, there 
should be no let-up in magazine stress 
which emphasizes the nurses’ contribution 
and discusses the future and security of 
the nursing profession. 
Posters 
Through the War Advertising Council a 
poster has been prepared by1 J. Walter 
Thompson Agency task force. A car card 
also has been designed by the same agency. 
The Outdoor Advertising Association will 
be approached for their cooperation on a 
24-sheet billboard, and every other pos- 
sible “message distribution” technique and 
medium should be employed. 
Special Services 
An attempt should be made to reach all 
girls who are about to be graduated from 
accredited high schools. This should be 
done both by bulletin and by public ad- 
dress. 
Pamphlets 
The War Advertising Council, through 
J. Walter Thompson task force, is cur- 
rently preparing a pamphlet on the United 
States Cadet Nurse Corps for wide distri- 
bution. 
War Advertising Council Support 
The War Advertising Council is preparing 
a “formula folder” for the use of national 
advertisers. This folder will include sug- 
gestions for messages to be run in regular 
advertising and for special institutional 
copy. 
Appendix “C” 
DETAILED MEDIA AND PROMOTIONAL SUGGESTIONS 
for Local Nursing Councils for War Service* 
Local Nursing Councils for War Services should make every effort to 
capitalize on the national program in the following ways: 
Radio 
The Nursing Council for War Services should work with the regional offices of the Office of 
War Information to get local radio programs. No contact should be made by the NCWS 
directly with radio stations unless cleared with the OWI regional office. Name and address 
and territory covered by these regional offices are listed below. 
Regional Office 
1729 Chandler Bldg. 
Tel: Walnut 4121 
ATLANTA, Ga. 
17 Court Street 
Tel.: Lafayette 7500 
Ext. 204-205 
Even.: Lafayette 7503 
BOSTON, Mass. 
Regional Chief 
Willett Kempton 
Territory 
Georgia, Florida, Alabama, 
Tennessee, Mississippi 
Walter Hackett 
Maine, New Hampshire, 
Vermont, Connecticut, 
Massachusetts, Rhode Island 
* Addresses of State and Local Nursing Councils for War Service may be obtained from the National 
Nursing Council for War Service, 1790 Broadway, New York, N. Y. 
7 Regional Office 
Suite 905 
75 E. Wacker Drive 
Tel.: Andover 5727 
CHICAGO, 111. 
728 Union Bank of Commerce 
Bldg. 
Tel.: Cherry 7913 
CLEVELAND, Ohio 
1031 Mercantile Bank Bldg. 
Tel.: Riverside 5711 
Ext.: M-100-1-2-3-4 
DALLAS, Tex. 
717 Kittredge Bldg. 
Tel.: Tabor 3173 
DENVER, Colo. 
203 Mutual Bldg. 
Tel.: Harrison 6464 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. 
205 Midland Bank Bldg. 
Tel.: Main 3244 
Nestor 4518 
Even.: 5032 
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. 
% OWI Office 
280 Madison Avenue 
Tel.: Murray Hill 3-6800 
Ext. 284-285 
Even.: Murray Hill 3-6828 
NEW YORK, N. Y. 
Stephen Girard Bldg. 
21 South 12th Street 
Tel.: Rittenhouse 9420 
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. 
19 North 7th Street 
Tel.: 7-1841 
RICHMOND, Va. 
Western Merchandise Mart 
1355 Market Street 
Tel.: Klondike 2-2300 
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. 
Regional Chief 
Mrs. Lavina Schwartz 
Alfred H. Llewelyn 
David Russell 
William H. Welsh, Jr. 
Marvin McAlister 
Hayle S. Cavanor 
Harry Levin 
Broughton Tall 
Benjamin W. Huffington 
Luther Keplinger 
Territory 
Illinois, Wisconsin, lowa, 
Indiana 
Ohio, Kentucky, 
West Virginia, Michigan 
Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana 
Colorado, Wyoming, 
New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, 
Montana 
Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, 
Arkansas 
Minnesota, North Dakota, 
South Dakota 
New York, New Jersey 
Pennsylvania, Delaware, 
Maryland 
Virginia, North Carolina, 
South Carolina 
California, Oregon, Nevada, 
Arizona, Washington 
Press 
Work closely with each newspaper, establishing good relationships with those doing report- 
ing on every paper. 
Motion Pictures 
Call on the chairman of the War Activities Committee in your city and enlist his support 
in special lobby displays. 
Special Services 
Work directly with schools, colleges, and community groups and organizations. Keep them 
supplied with information, and be alert to “cash-in” on any news from the front, local girls 
who join the Corps, magazine articles on the subject of nursing, etc. 
8 Appendix “D” 
Statistics 
Student Nurses 
Student nurses now in schools of nursing 100,486 
Actual number new student nurses admissions needed 115,000 
Quota new student nurses 65,000 
(Maximum number present instruction facilities can accommodate) 
New students admitted to schools of nursing in 1942-43 ... 49,169 
Summer 1942 11,656 
Fall 1942 25,709 
Spring 1943 11,804 
49,169 
Hospitals 
Admissions: 
1942 12,545,610 
1941 11,596,188 
1940 10,187,548 
Patients received over 14 million more days of hospital care in 1942 than in 1941. 
Every 2.5 seconds a patient entered a registered hospital in the United States during the 
year 1942. 
Surgical operations were performed at the rate of one every 5.6 seconds. 
Group Hospitalization Enrollment: 
1943 12,000,000 
1935 75,000 
Births 
Year {Rate per 1,000 persons) Number 
January-May 1948 21.7 
(Increase of 15.5 percent over same period 1942) 
1942 20.9 2,807,445 
1941 18.9 2,513,427 
1940 17.9 2,360,399 
“NUMBER OF BIRTHS FOR 1942 IS PROBABLY THE GREATEST EVER 
RECORDED IN THE HISTORY OF THE COUNTRY”—U. S. Bureau of the Census 
High School and College 
Total number of women enrolled in colleges for 1942-43 520,800 
Total number of girls graduated from accredited public high schools: 
Y ear Number 
1930 366,528 
1931 409,459 
1932 452,262 
1933 468,051 
1934 482,993 
1935 506,361 
1936 529,729 
1937 562,839 
1938 595,950 
1939... 623,074 
1940 650,198 
1941 663,000 
1942 676,800 
OVER 10 PERCENT OF ALL GIRLS GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOLS MUST 
BE ENROLLED IN THE UNITED STATES CADET NURSE CORPS TO MEET QUOTA 
OF 65,000 NEW STUDENTS FOR 1943-44. 
Number 
9 Professional Opportunities 
Graduate Nurses 
Nurses with a college education, special ability, and training may earn as high as $5,000 
to $7,500 a year. 
Field Salary 
Public Health Nurses 
Voluntary or Official Agency, Schools, Industry $1,200-$7,500 
(without maintenance) 
Civil Service 
United States Public Health Service, United States Bureau $1,600-$6,500 
of Indian Affairs, United States Veterans Administration, (with or without maintenance) 
special hospitals in United States and Panama 
Hospital and Institutional 
General and Special hospitals $825-$7,500 
(with maintenance) 
Nursing Education 
Nursing Schools, Hospitals, or Public Health Nursing agen- $825-$7,500 
cies, American Red Cross, colleges, universities, and pub- (with or without maintenance) 
lie school systems 
Army 
2d Lieutenant to Colonel in Army Nurse Corps $l,BOO-$4,000 
(with rent, subsistence, and 
5 percent of base pay for 
each 3 years of service up 
to 30 years) 
Navy 
Ensign to Captain in Navy Nurse Corps sl,Boo-$4,000 
(with rent, subsistence, and 
5 percent of base pay for 
each 3 years of service up 
to 30 years) 
Other Fields 
Private duty, American Red Cross Direction, nursing spe- $1,300-$7,000 
cialists (without maintenance) 
National Nursing Inventories 
Graduate Nurses 
1941 1943 
Total Returns 289,286 259,174 
Active 
Institutional 81,708 77,704 
Public Health 17,766 18,900 
Industrial 5,512 11,220 
Private duty 46,793 44,299 
Inactive hut available for nursing 25,252 38,746 
(of these, 
23,576 are 
married and 
under 40) 
Inactive, not available 90,979 49,829 
In Nurse Corps of Army and Navy 6,371 35,000 plus 
(precise data 
not available) 
10 Appendix “E” 
NATIONAL NURSING COUNCIL FOR WAR SERVICE 
Executive Secretary—State Nursing Council for War Service 
Alabama 
Mrs. Walter Bragg Smith 
625 South Lawrence St. 
Montgomery 
Arizona 
Miss Minnie C. Benson 
1620 Hedrick Drive 
Tucson 
Arkansas 
Mrs. Mary T. Wright 
5404 Country Club Blvd. 
Little Rock 
California 
Miss Shirley C. Titus 
26 O’Farrell St. 
San Francisco 
Colorado 
Miss Irene Murchison 
621 Majestic Bldg. 
Denver 
Connecticut 
Miss Margaret K. Stack 
252 Asylum St. 
Hartford 
Delaware 
Mrs. Mildred A. Marshall 
914 Jefferson St. 
Wilmington 
District of Columbia 
Miss Edith M. Beattie 
1746 K. St. NW. 
Washington 
Florida 
Miss Ruth Mettinger 
State Board of Health 
Jacksonville 
Georgia 
Miss Durice Dickerson 
131 Forest Ave. NE. 
Atlanta 
Hawaii 
Mrs. T. L. Gage 
510 South Beretania St. 
Honolulu 
Idaho 
Miss Nellie J. Chapman 
St. Luke’s Hospital 
Boise 
Illinois 
Miss June A, Ramsey 
8 South Michigan Ave. 
Chicago 
Indiana 
Miss Helen Teal 
1125 Circle Tower 
Indianapolis 
lowa 
Miss Adeline Hendricks 
503 Shops Bldg. 
Bth and Walnut Sts. 
Des Moines 
Kansas 
Mrs. Anne Lee Wick 
359 North Clifton Ave. 
Wichita 
Kentucky 
Mrs. Myrtle C. Applegate 
604 South Third St. 
Louisville 
Louisiana 
Miss Clemence Vanderwalle, Chairman 
Charity Hospital Nurse’s Home 
New Orleans 
Maine 
Mrs. Marion T. Gray 
238 Concord St. 
Portland 
Maryland 
Mrs. Hester G. Frederick 
1217 Cathedral St. 
Baltimore 
Massachusetts 
Miss Helene G. Lee 
420 Boylston St. 
Boston 
Michigan 
Miss Thelma I. Scratch 
51 West Warren St. 
Detroit 
Minnesota 
Miss Caroline E. Rankiellour 
2642 University Ave. 
St. Paul 
Mississippi 
Mrs. M. Anita C. Perz 
Baptist Hospital 
Jackson 
11 Missouri 
Miss Bernice Huffman 
416 South Kingshighway 
St. Louis 
Montana 
Mrs. Margaret C. Alsop 
Lalonde Block 
Helena 
Nebraska 
Miss Halcie M. Boyer 
626 Electric Bldg. 
Omaha 
Nevada 
Miss Maude Hicks 
139 North Virginia Ave. 
Reno 
New Hampshire 
Miss Ruth B. Whitcomb, Acting Sec. 
209 South St. 
Concord 
New Jersey 
Miss Wilkie Hughes 
17 Academy St. 
Newark 
New Mexico 
Mrs. Charles C. Bailey 
107 South University Ave. 
Albuquerque 
New York 
Miss Emily L. Creevey 
152 Washington Ave. 
Albany 
North Carolina 
Mrs. Marie Noell 
415 Commercial Bldg. 
Raleigh 
North Dakota 
Miss Clara C. Lewis 
State Capitol 
Bismarck 
Ohio 
Mrs. Elizabeth P. August 
50 East Broad St. 
Columbus 
Oklahoma 
Mrs. Virginia Fowler 
724 Hoover St. 
Norman 
Oregon 
Mrs. Linnie Laird 
205 Stevens Bldg. 
Portland 
Pennsylvania 
Mrs. Katharine Miller 
400 North Third St. 
Harrisburg 
Puerto Rico 
Miss Celia Guzman 
Buffautt No. 22 
Santuree 
Rhode Island 
Miss Anna J. Delmore 
42 Weybosset St. 
Providence 
South Carolina 
Miss Nellie C. Cunningham 
306 Carolina Life Bldg. 
Columbia 
South Dakota 
Miss Carrie A. Benham 
321 Western Bldg. 
Mitchell 
Tennessee 
Mrs, Lucille H. Marshall 
615 Warner Bldg. 
Nashville 
Texas 
Miss A. Louise Dietrich 
1001 East Nevada St. 
El Paso 
Utah 
Mrs. Evan G. Richards 
414 Boston Bldg. 
Salt Lake City 
Vermont 
Mrs. Abbie L. Starkey 
3 Nelson St. 
Montpelier 
Virginia 
Mrs. Jessie Wetzel Paris 
811 Grace-American Bldg. 
Richmond 
Washington 
Miss Marian G. Kent 
514 Medical Arts Bldg. 
Seattle 
West Virginia 
Mrs. May M. Maloney 
47 Capitol City Bldg. 
Charleston 
Wisconsin 
Mrs. Edith M. Partridge 
3727 East Layton Ave. 
Cudahy 
Wyoming 
Miss Louise M. Gray, Acting Sec 
Matrona Memorial Hospital 
Casper 
12 Appendix “F” 
STATEMENTS FROM GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ON PRESENT AND 
POST-WAR NEED FOR NURSES 
“There have never been enough nurses. 
Today the shortage of nurses has reached the 
danger point. Civilian hospitals are carrying 
peak loads. Some of them have closed units 
because they are unable to secure sufficient 
numbers of nurses. In industrial boom areas, 
nurses are needed for hospitals, war plants, 
and public-health services. Health agencies 
in all areas report a critical shortage of 
nurses. 
“We must meet these war needs first, but 
the demand for nurses will not end with the 
war. In the post-war world, there will be 
ever greater opportunities for nursing 
service. The Cadet Nurses of today will be 
ready to take advantage of tomorrow’s 
opportunities. 
“The objectives of the Public Health Serv- 
ice and of the Advisory Committee in formu- 
lating the regulations for the United States 
Cadet Nurse Corps were to insure a sound 
educational program, but to leave the respon- 
sibility for the administration of specific pro- 
grams to the individual schools and hospitals. 
No one Federal pattern is to be set. The 
schools will be free to select their own stu- 
dents, to plan their own curricula, and to 
formulate policies consistent with the Bolton 
Act and the traditions of the institutions 
concerned.” 
Dr. Thomas Parran, 
Surgeon General, 
U. S. Public Health Service. 
“The task of the United States Cadet Nurse 
Corps is to enroll 65,000 additional students in 
basic schools of nursing during the present 
fiscal year; to make the students available for 
full-time nursing duty under supervision at an 
earlier date than was possible under the 
former plan; and to maintain a continuous 
supply of graduate nurses pledged to serve in 
essential nursing positions for the duration of 
the war. Whether we accomplish this vital 
war objective depends upon the teamwork 
which all of us apply to our specific tasks in 
the program.” 
Dr. Thomas Parran, 
Surgeon General, 
U. S. Public Health Service. 
“The United States Cadet Nurse Corps will 
prepare nurses for the war needs of today and 
for the even greater needs of woild wide re- 
construction. Created as a wartime emer- 
gency measure, under the Bolton Act, the 
Corps is designed to increase available nurse 
power for the country by preparing more 
nurses more quickly. 
“This year, 65,000 Cadet Nurses should be- 
gin their education so that they may be ready 
to replace graduate nurses going into military 
service. As Senior Cadets, student nurses 
will find great opportunities in civilian hos- 
pitals, health agencies, industry, and some of 
them will, of course, go into military service. 
Wherever they serve, they will be filling a 
vital wartime need and will be given the 
recognition they merit. 
“The need for nurses will continue to grow 
after the war. A marked expansion in the 
fields of public health, industrial, and vet- 
erans care is anticipated. Already, America 
is actively planning methods for meeting 
post-war nursing problems both at home and 
abroad. Even now, some countries are look- 
ing to the United Nations and especially to 
the United States for assistance in coping 
with the many serious conditions which will 
follow the war. It is obvious that nursing 
will play an important role in the rehabilita- 
tion program of the post-war world.” 
Miss Lucile Petry, 
Director, Division of Nurse Education, 
U. S. Public Health Service. 
“I believe that the pressure, both during 
the war and the reconstruction era to follow 
will demand a supply of graduate nurses in 
excess of what we now have. We of profes- 
13 sional nursing have approached the problem 
of nursing shortages with great care and ut- 
most conservatism. In the present situation 
many retired nurses being called back to 
service during the emergency will return to 
their homes following the war. Also, today 
we are able to provide private duty nurses 
only for critically ill patients. It seems 
quite logical to suppose that many other pa- 
tients will again seek private nursing service 
once the war emergency is over. The fact 
that there was an oversupply following the 
last war does not mean history will be re- 
peated. The magnitude of the present war 
makes comparison with the last war an im- 
possibility. It is reasonable to suppose, 
therefore, that the reconstruction period will 
also be vastly greater in scope and duration 
than the reconstruction period of World 
War I.” 
Miss Stella Goostray, R. N., 
President, National Nursing Council 
for War Service. 
“The health and strength of both the home 
front and the fighting front demand nurses, 
many more than we now have. We must 
provide an adequate nursing service for the 
sick and wounded both at home and overseas. 
Our nursing service can be maintained only 
through an ever-increasing reserve of stu- 
dent nurses being educated to replace the 
graduate nurses called to the armed forces 
and to essential civilian duty. The Nation is 
counting on the United States Cadet Nurse 
Corps to provide that essential reserve. . 
“The young women who become Cadet 
Nurses now will be prepared to serve the Na- 
tion in both war and peace. It is the Nation 
at war which calls them now.” 
Paul V. McNutt, 
Administrator, Federal Security Agency, 
Chahman, War Manpower Commission. 
“The United States Cadet Nurse Corps 
training program, established by the United 
States Public Health Service, as an emer- 
gency measure, is designed to help supply the 
greatly increasing needs for professional 
nursing care in the military forces and the 
civilian population. Because of the shortage 
of trained nurses it is quite necessary at this 
time to have a decided increase in the number 
of student nurses who should seek this type of 
training. It is our duty and obligation to 
encourage the enlistment of well qualified 
young women to participate in this patriotic 
service.” 
James E. Paullin, M. D., 
President, American Medical 
Association. 
“Unless 65,000 young women enter nursing 
schools at once, it is inevitable that nursing 
service will have to be rationed in the very 
near future. Prior to the war there were not 
enough nurses to meet ever-growing de- 
mands. During the war these demands have 
virtually doubled. 
“Both the production and fighting fronts 
are calling for nurses in unprecedented num- 
bers. With 35,000 nurses already in the 
armed forces, the Army and Navy are asking 
for double that number by the end of the year. 
“Civilian hospitals have more patients and 
proportionately less nurses to take care of 
them than at any time in their history. 
“Fourteen million more patient days of 
hospital care were given in 1942 than in the 
previous year, and the number is steadily ris- 
ing. Probably more babies were born in 
1942 than in any previous year in the Nation’s 
history, according to the Census Bureau. 
The situation has become acute. 
“A large reserve of student nurses in ac- 
celebrated curricula is the practical solution. 
I believe that the United States Cadet Nurse 
Corps is the ideal organization to establish 
this reserve.” 
James A. Hamilton, 
President, American Hospital 
Association. 
14 
549698 U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE