[Education of younger nurses and nurse assistants by the Polish Red Cross in the years 1949-1966]

After the 2nd World War there were not enough nurses. In virtue of a decision of the Ministry of Health, in 1949 the Polish Red Cross started an action of training for younger nurses, originally having lower qualifications than graduate nurses. The training in boarding schools lasted six months. Women from 17 to 35 years of age who had completed 7 grades of primary school could apply for admission. Up to 1952 in total 19827 younger nurses completed the training. From 1952 the training lasted one year and also took place mostly in boarding schools. Up to 1955 when a new change was introduced, another 13360 women completed the courses. The large number of graduates of the Polish Red Cross courses allowed satisfying the most urgent needs of the health service. As it appeared later the nurses were not well enough prepared for the profession. So in 1955 the Polish Red Cross centers introduced two-year courses for nurse aides. The pedagogical staff of the centers was of diverse types. Nurses and physicians taught professional subjects and teachers taught general subjects. At the same time there were specialization courses for child's nurses, instrumenters, rehabilitants, laboratory technicians, psychiatric nurses. The students obtained graduate nurse diplomas and a specialization. For a long time the Polish Red Cross training activity had not had sufficient legal grounds. Only in 1960 the rights of state schools were vested on the training centers for nurses. Nursing courses were very popular among girls. There were much more applicants than places in the training centers. In all the centers, afterwards considered schools, there were Polish Red Cross circles. Most of the students were members of the circles. In 1966 in virtue of a decision of the Ministry of Health the Medical Schools of the Polish Red Cross Organization were taken over by Presidia of the National People's Councils.