Splendid Opportunities in Nursing

Nurses Rock

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Nurses, make $30-$35 a week! :)

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The Chicago School of Nursing was one of the first, largest and most popular of the Home Study nursing programs The school was founded in 1899 by Dr. Orville Juan Perkins, a graduate of Bellevue Hospital Medical College. Thousands of women compleated the 53 printed lessons and sent answers back by mail and became nurses.

This 30 page booklet "Splendid Opportunities in Nursing" was published in 1936 and explains in detail how the program works. The booklet answers all the questions one might have about the school and its gradates "INTRODUCTORY ANNOUNCEMENT: The reputation and standing of the Chicago School of Nursing is international. Our students come from every state in the union as well as from foreign countries and C.S.N. graduates are successful everywhere. In our long years of successful teaching - the Chicago School of Nursing was founded in 1899 - we have helped thousands of ambitious women to achieve success. Read this book carefully. It contains a message of vital importance for YOU." The C.S.N. played a big part in the early history of nursing and this is a wonderful nursing collectible.

Chicago School of Nursing Home Study Booklet 1936

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Also shared on the allnurses.com facebook page:

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Once upon a time all one needed to be a practical nurse was a certificate from a doctor stating that he deems you capable in providing competent bedside care.

Sounds...great? :no::dead:

All I have to say is thank goodness it's 2012 and not 1936!

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Specializes in Sleep medicine,Floor nursing, OR, Trauma.
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My, doesn't she just look thrilled as all hell to be a nurse. ::quirks eyebrow:: I've seen broader smiles on cadavers.
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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
My, doesn't she just look thrilled as all hell to be a nurse. ::quirks eyebrow:: I've seen broader smiles on cadavers.

hahaha - I think maybe they were going for "noble"? All I can imagine is a little thought bubble saying, "yeah, right". :p

I took home around $800/mo as an LVN in So Cal in the late 70s. It seems to me wages for nurses have stagnated or even lost ground in the last 5 years but I haven't done the math. I don't need any new reasons to be depressed.

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Specializes in Pediatric Private Duty; Camp Nursing.
Sounds...great? :no::dead:

All I have to say is thank goodness it's 2012 and not 1936!

Oh, I dunno... I would have liked avoiding all that work in nursing school and dealing w all those bizzarro instructors! ;D

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Oh, I dunno... I would have liked avoiding all that work in nursing school and dealing w all those bizzarro instructors! ;D

I won't pretend I enjoyed it, but if it means autonomy, I'd do it again!

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Specializes in ICU.

I love these vintage photos!

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I think it'd be really interesting to read the textbooks from this program....

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I, too, was a new LPN in the late '70s-my annual salary was $9000! And, because I was only 19 and still living with Mom and Dad, most of that income was disposable! My entire LPN program was $375, and that included 2 uniforms, 2 caps, a pair of bandage scissors, and all my books. I didn't go back for my RN until I was in my 30's and had 2 kids under the age of 10 and was working full time. Boy, would I have loved a mail order nursing program that only had 33 lessons in it!!

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An interesting page with a bit more info on these "correspondence schools": http://www.aahn.org/features/correspondence.html

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Specializes in CCU, Geriatrics, Critical Care, Tele.

Thanks for sharing BrandonLPN!

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Thank you for sharing!

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Specializes in Surgery.

I happen to have the text from this program. It is indeed a course for "Practical Nurses." I'm not sure exactly what the procedures were at the time regarding licensure for Practical Nurses as opposed to Registration for RNs. The copyright date is 1945, right around the end of WWII.

Practical Nurses, the vast majority of whom worked in Private Duty nursing for acute cases, taking care of new mothers and their babies for the first couple of weeks following delivery, or caring for chronically ill adults, children or the elderly, did not spend a great deal of their time working in hospitals. They are described here as working primarily in patient's homes, doctors offices, and small sanitariums which generally didn't have training schools for nurses. With the extreme nursing shortage that existed during the war, when hospitals were vastly understaffed and up to 80% of all hands-on nursing care was provided by Cadet Student Nurses and Red Cross Volunteer Nurses Aides, I imagine that there were ample amounts of work available for Practical Nurses to take on in private duty work, both in patient's homes and in hospitals.

There is a "Pledge of the Nurse" in the front of this book. It bears little resemblance to the "Florence Nightingale​ Pledge" (not written by or even for Florence Nightingale, but in her honor) taken by all RNs for decades, other than it's a promise to conduct oneself in a professional manner in regard to interactions with patients, their families and doctors. It says, and I quote:

"I pledge solemnly and in the name of God and my own conscience to perform faithfully all the duties that fall to a responsible nurse. I promise to live in Loyalty toward the physician; Helpfulness toward the patient intrusted (sic) to my care; Compassion toward all afflicted men, women and children; Honor toward the society in which I live, the homes which I enter, and the calling which I have chosen."

And it says, at the top of the first page following that pledge, "Practical Nursing ... a Respected Career" Tah dah! There's the proof.

It's a pretty thick volume, about 2" thick, with hardback covers, but it's laced together through two sets of grommets, and actually tied together on the back, and I noticed in going through the beginning pages of the program, where they explain "who we are and what we will do" and "who and what you should be and expect from us" etc, and so forth, they mention several times about "...The lessons as we send them to you." So, this book is gradually assembled by the student, as the lessons are provided over time. They give 20 "quizzes" and something they call "three honor examinations" as well, so they don't just send you lessons and leave it at that.

This book appears to be complete. It contains all 53 lessons, the last of which discusses the fact that you have now received the last lesson, and will be getting your certificate after completing the final exam. No other paperwork that might have been sent to the student. It was a very interesting read a couple of years ago when I got it from eBay. If you happen to come across one of these books, it might be worth it from the standpoint of historical education, and just general curiosity!

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