Part 35

PHYSIOTHERAPY

There shall be a medical officer skilled in Physiotherapy designated as Chief of Physiotherapy for each district. He may be a part-time or a full-time man, as the necessity requires. His duty shall be to supervise and direct the installation of the equipment in the District and Sub-District Offices, and, upon request from Central Office, to visit and report upon the work in any hospital in his district. His line of communication will be through the District Medical Officer and the District Manager to Central Office; and Central Office’s line of communication will be to the District Manager—Attention, Chief of Physiotherapy.

FOLLOW-UP NURSING

Field Order No. 18 covers the entire matter of Follow-Up Nursing.

C. R. Forbes. Director, U. S. Veterans’ Bureau. ]

EXHIBIT C

File No.

U.S. VETERANS’ BUREAU October 19, 1921.

FIELD ORDER NO. 18

Subject: STATUS AND DUTIES OF NURSES WORKING IN THE PHYSICAL RECONSTRUCTION SECTION OF THE MEDICAL DIVISION, U. S. VETERANS’ BUREAU.

The following Field Order is hereby promulgated, effective this date, for observance by all officers and employees in the District Offices of the United States Veterans’ Bureau:

1. Appointment of Nurses.

All appointments will be made by the U. S. Veterans’ Bureau on the recommendation of the District Medical Officer with the approval of the District Manager under the regulations of the U. S. Civil Service Commission. Preference will be given to nurses who have had at least three years’ general nursing experience outside of an institution, particularly to those who have had experience in tuberculosis, neuropsychiatric and Public Health Welfare nursing.

2. Administration.

Nurses on duty in the districts will be carried on the District pay-rolls and will be responsible to the Chief Nurse of the District, who in turn will be responsible to the District Medical Officer under the District Manager. The work of all nurses in the various districts not on duty in hospitals will be directly supervised by the District Medical Officer who will be responsible through the District manager to the Medical Division; U. S. Veterans’ Bureau (Physical Reconstruction Section), to whom communications on matters in connection with their work should be addressed.

3. Chief Nurse.

In each district a Chief Nurse will be appointed by the Central Office of the U. S. Veterans’ Bureau through the Assistant Director in Charge of Medical Division upon the recommendation of the District Medical Officer and with the approval of the District Manager. The duties of the Chief Nurses in the districts will be to superintend the activities of the nurses in their respective districts, to visit the local offices when directed by the District Medical Officer, to inspect the work of the nurses, to co-ordinate the work of the nurses in the districts, sub-districts, and local offices and to check up the nurses’ reports. It will also be the duty of each Chief Nurse, through the District Medical Officer and the District Manager, to keep the Superintendent of Nurses in the Physical Reconstruction Section of the Medical Division, U. S. Veterans’ Bureau, informed of the quality of the work performed by the individual nurses under her direction. Reports of especially good work, or unsatisfactory work, should be sent in detail to the Superintendent of Nurses through the District Medical Officer and the District Manager. The Chief Nurse in each district will instruct nurses under her charge as to the proper form for conducting correspondence and of the channels through which the same will be sent.

4. Duties of Nurses.

General Duties.

(a) To assist Medical Officers of the Districts, whenever there is one at their station, in the care of beneficiaries who may require medical supervision and care.

(b) To keep contact with claimants and refer possible claimants to the proper authorities for the adjustment of their needs.

(c) To conduct medical follow-up work under the immediate direction of the local or sub-district authority where there is no medical officer on duty.

(d) At station where there is a social service worker to refer proper cases to them. If no co-operating social service agency is available the nurses will perform such social service duties as time will permit in addition to their regular duties.

(e) Whenever the address of a beneficiary is found to be incorrect, nurses will report correct addresses to the nearest Bureau Office immediately.

(f) Nurses, when visiting claimants, will give their residence address for emergency calls to each claimant under their care and supervision.

Special Duties.

These may be grouped under three heads:

1. For Tuberculosis Claimants: