Nurse-The Girl with a Future." Later that evening the whole family talks about the possibility of Sally's becoming II nurse. Their conclusion is posit ive ; the Cadet Nurse Corp~ fills the bill. Smaillown "nd the Joneses. of course, are composites, drawn from the hundreds of communities and thousands of families that sent girls 10 nursing school from 194 3 to 1945. The story of their exposure 10 nursing via the Cadet Nurse Corps informational services offers valli;: . ble insight inlo how publicity nnd ndvertisemenl can foster a belleT image of nursi ng and improved pub­ lic relations fo r schools of nursing." Before the Cadet Corps, nursing received little attention from the general public. Like medicine and cerlain other profess ions, nursing had shied IIway from publicity, view­ ing it as unprofessional, undesirable, unethical, and undignified. In nddi· tion to this fear, nurses lacked Ihe skills necessary to present themselves and their cause effectively. But the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps, established by Congress on June 15, 1943 (the Bolton Act) as an emergency pro­ _ THE GIRL WITH A FUTURE gram to provide an adequale supply of nurses 31 home and for Ihe mili· tary, was to change all that. From July 194310 October 1945, some 132,000 girls were admiw:d In this documentary of the publicity campaign of the U.S. as Corps members to 1,125 of lhe 1,295 schools of nursing. Federal Cadet Nurse Corps, the Cadet Nurse was the "girl with a gra nts ..... ere made to schools of nurs· future" who was urged to "enlist in a proud profession." ing that mel the provisions of lhe act, which required that the school provide a 24- to 30-month accel· crated program and tbat students • PHILIP A. KAUSCH BEATRICE J. KALISCH admitt ed to the Corps pledge to "en· gagc in essential nursing, milila rr or civil ian, for the duration of the war." N IGHT fa~[s on Smalltown, About the same lime, the elder In return for this moral obligati on U.S.A. II IS 7:30 r.M., March daughter Sa ll y, a hi gh school se nior, on thc part of the student nurse, I, 1944, and the Jones fnmily has is viewing a short motion pi<:ture, thc government paid all reasonable sellled back to relax after their "Rewurd Unlimited," starring Dor­ evening meal. Their youngest daugh­ othy McGuire as Cadet Nurse Pegs}' • Docum~nta.ry uli<1ation 01 tbe (.CIlI In the article il derh' ~d Irom &everat prim»,. lQU!cei: ter Mary is in her room as the ndio Ada ms, at the Main Street movie ,he proa:dlnl!' of the rMetings of the! .cI~lrofY committee (0 the Dh"I,jon of !'une Edu~ " C!'" blares: "Do you want to be a girl theater. After the show the gang US PHS; pUblications 01 the F«Ier.1 $tNnlY with a future? Enroll in the Cadet stops at the drugstore to hash over A~nc)', USPHS. Division of Nut ... EcI~ C>II('/I, adminLs"l,t,-c memos and records of the U: S~ Nurse Corps of the United States the latest gossip under a compelling Caclet Num Corps; penonal intcrvle .... s ",-,t Funul Payne Bolton, Millnie Pobe CrfW.." Public Health Service and have a poster above the soda fountain and LucLIe Pel,), Leone:; and m;oc.Uanc SOUrcts. A detilled bibliography I. u.il.bIc war job with a future!" which proclaims: " He a Cadet from the lutllen \lpon request.

444 NURSING OUTLOOK tuition, fees, and other training costs within the shortest possible time by Until th is time the qual ity of and provided a distinctive uniform. utilizi ng all available media. nursing school catalogs had been al­ The Corps was administered through most un ive rsally poor and unappeal­ a new Division of Nurse Education POSTERS AND PAMPHLETS ing. But si nce one of the require­ within the U .S. Public Health Ser­ Some three mi ll ion posters we re ments for sc hool participation in the vice, headed by Lucile Petry (now distributed during the Corps' first Corps was the publication of an an­ Lucile Petry Leone), who was aided year. Tens of millions of Americans nual catalog, tremendous gains were by an advisory committee of repre­ were presented with a somewhat effected in this medium. Consultants sentative nursing and hospital lead­ glamorous image of nursing through from the Division of Nurse Educa_ ers. By the time the last stude nts illustrator Jon Whitcomb·s poster tion encouraged schools to incorpo­ were graduati ng from the Corps in depicti ng the so-ca ll ed "girl with a ra te ill ustrations of uniformed Ca­ June 1948, total federal expendi­ future." This and other posters (an­ dets into their publications and to IU rcs had amounted to more than other popular slogan was '"Enlist in describe the advantages of nursing S 160,000,000. a Proud Profession!") were placed in some detail. After a new bro· throughout the country in such di­ chure featuring the Corps was de­ VALUES OF VISIBILITY verse locations as theater lobbies, veloped at one school of nursing, The Corps' pu blic relations sec­ women's shoe stores, beauty shops, the school's director wrote to the tion was headed by Jean Henderson, high schools, YWCA's, public li­ Division of Nurse Education: with five publicists in the Washing­ braries, and churches. Downtown ton office and sil( others attached to shoppers were confronted wi th Ca­ ... the results which we have obtained from sending Ihis publication to schools each of the regional US PHS offices. det Nu rse window dis plays, and and colleges, have been far beyond our Another significant segment of the bill boa rds greeted city and highway e)(pectations and ... it has done more publ ic relations work was contracted drivers-those who had gas enough to put nursing ... before the public than any other project of our school of to the National Nursing Council for to drive in tho~ days! Prominent nursing. War Service, which-in addition to local businesscs were usually the other coordinating actLvltles­ donors. KAlliO AND MOVIES served as the official clearing house Pamphlets and leaflets were From July 1943 to ea rly June ('·Wri te to Box 88") where inter· placed nationwide in high schools, 1944, one and a hal f million dollars ested candidates could write fo r in­ physici an's offices, schools of nurs­ worth of radio time representing formation about the Corps. The ing. and drugstores. Car cards with 700 mil1ion listener impressions was American Hospital Association also such proclamations as "Only 5,4 16 donated to the Corps. Network pro­ received fun ds 10 cover some of the more opportunities to enlist this gramming made it possible to pre­ cost of maintaining information cen­ month, join the Cade t Nu rse Corps," sent Cadct Corps messages on all ters about the Corps in all member and accompanied by a sheaf of types of national radio broadcasts, hospitals. t h r ow~away leaflets describing the including soap operas, variety shows, One of the greatest publicity opportunity in detail, were placed in symphony concerts, and documen­ boosts came from the War Adver­ streetcars and bu~s for ready grab­ tary programs. Radio appeals were ti sing Council, wo rking through the bing. In one week, usuall y very intense during the two­ fede ral Office of War Informa tion . 100,000 street car passengers gog­ and four-week period preceding class The Council, made up of all Ihe gled at the sight of a pretty Cadet major advertising companies, do­ Nur~ on their pass who invited nated its services to publicizing im­ them to "Be a Cadet Nurse-the 80rh aulhors arc faclllly members al pOrtant war causes, pla nning and girl with a future." lire Uni~ersily 01 SOl/them MilJissippi, organizi ng Ihe work, persuading Teenage girls pored over the four­ Hallielbllrg, whtre DR. BEATRICE KALISCH (8.S.N., University 0/ Ne­ thousa nds of fir ms and ind ividuals color recruitment publication, EII­ braska, Omaira; Ed.D., UniversilY 0/ to donate lime and space for pub· list ill II Proud Profession! This 1 6~ , College Park) is cusociate hcity, and getting solid governmen_ page brochure contained photos of professor of lII"sillg. alld DR. PHILIP tal backing. Through the framework Cadets in winter and summer uni­ KALISCH (B.5., Uni~crsity of Nebras­ ka, Omaha; Ph.D., Pennsylvania Slate of this voluntary organization, the fo rms, attractive portraits and mes­ University, University Park) is assiSlant services of the well·known J. Walter sages from USPHS Surgeon General pro/eslor 0/ Ilistory. This arlicle stems Thompson advertising agency we re Dr. Thomas Parran and Lucile Jrom Uil exploratory Itlldy 0/ Ihe im­ made available to the U.s. Cadet Petry, numerous pictu res and de­ pilCt oj tire U.s. Cadct Nurse CorpI on Nurse Corps. Thus nursing, wi th scriptions of nurses working in vari­ tire nllrsing pro/ession Ihat the all/hors, as co-investigators. arc currently con­ Madison Avenue's sk ills and some ous parts of the wo rld, qualities ducling witir the mpport 01 N IH re­ $13,00{),000 worth of donated ser­ needed fo r en tering a school, and, sea rch gram NU00443 lrom Ihe Divi_ vice, set out to att ract unprece­ fi nall y, the immediate and long­ sion 0/ N llrsing. dented numbers of new students range benefits of Corps membership.

JULY, 1973. VOl. 21, NO.7 445 •

admission time. At both the net­ appeal for girls to join the Corps. live drama. Several short dramatiza­ work and local station level, inter­ To appeal 10 Ihe prime theater tions were written about the Corps views with Cadets and dramatizations audiences. the majority of whom for presentation by theatrical groups about the Corps were utilized. The were in their teens, Reward V/I­ at " Little Theaters," women's clubs, popular radio serial, "One Man's limited was produced for the pub­ high schools, and colleges through_ Family," eve~ wrote in a Cadet licity effort by Vanguard Films. out the country. One of these Nurse in the presence or Teddy, the Starri ng Dorothy McGuire as Cadet sketches, entitled "This Is Our War," adopted daughter of Paul Barbour. Nurse Peggy Adams nnd co-starring revealed the inner conflicts of a To capitalize on the record at­ such other screen favorites as Aline yeung care-free girl named Sall y tendance at moyie theaters dUTing MacMahon, Spring Byington, and Kimball who e\'entually recognized 194) and 1944, the Corps, through James Brown, the film was heralded her rcsponsibilities to her nation the facilities of the Office of War as the finest recrui tment film of and joined the Cadet Nurse Corps. Information, incorporated news 1944 and was presented at 16,000 The skctch was praised as one of items into several motion picture theaters with a potential audience the best special purpose plays writ_ newsreels. One clip, for instance, of 90 million. Late r, 16-mil1imeter ten during the war. showed President Roosevelt signing pri nts were made to he used by such the Bolton Act, and another fea­ organizations as Y.W.C.A.'s, parent­ UNIFORMS tured the modeling of the new teacher associations, church groups, In lime of all-out war. uniforms Cadet Corps uniform on August 17 , c ivic clubs, and high school and col­ are highly valued as they publicly 1943 at the Waldorf Astoria in New lege assemblies. demonstrate that the wea rer is doing York. Other news reels carried an Another effective medi um wa~ his or her part in the national effort.

The Cadet Corps flag is proudly displayed by Surgeon General Parran and Corps Director Petry.

446 NURSING OUTLoOf( Thus, a distinctive outdoor uniform her brow, and she walks in pride of the nsted during the July, I 943- June. gray blue, red accented uniform she was quickly selected for membe~ wears. She's a Cadet· nurse. 1944 year, one-fourth was contri­ of the Cadet Nu~e Corps at a well­ Her silver buttons mark her straight buted by Eastman Kodak. publicized fashion show luncheon in and tall as her red epaulets square her There were leiters, too---all kinds. shoulders to her job of study. Strai$ht . Four prominent ahead she looks to her future heahng Of the thirty.three million pieces designers competed with their crea­ role. She·s an important link in the of ma il sent in 1943, a fa ir share tions. The winning uniform was a chain of victory. of them carried information about There ate over 100,000 of these two-piece gray wool suit topped on Cadet nurses in the United Statu. nursing. For example, 5 million each shoulder with handsome regi­ It's a lucky thin$ for your boy and mailings of dependency checks to mine and for our Sick al home that so mental red epaulets; the sleeve in­ many young women have chosen for serviceme n's families carried insens signe was a silver Maltese cross on their war service the red insigne of the about the Corps during the fall of a red background. A bouncy Mont­ United States Public Health Service and 1943. Numerous letters, too, were taken their pledge to the Cadet Nurse gomery beret, sct off with the offi­ Corps. scnt out to publicize the U.s. Cadet cial cap device of the U.S. Public Nurse Corps and urge membership. Health Service, completed the eye­ Articles on the Corps appeared For example, in July 1945 Lucile catching outfit. in such popular magazines as Ma­ Petry wrote as follows to each of When General Bernard l. Mont­ dtmoiselle, Charm. , Tom.orrow, Cos­ +5,000 selected applicants who had go mery, commander of the British mopolirall, Click, Coroner, and a host asked fo r information about the troops in Normandy, heard about of others, 10ta11ing 100 pages in the Corps : ··a group of American gi rls copy­ fi rst year of the program alone. ing my beret," he asked for details. Even such pulp escapist literature as Dear Miss Brown: Lucile Petry responded with a com­ R tal Romances gave excellent co ... • This is a rather personal letter. I thought I would write you myself plete description of the uni form and erage and a good story. Striking to see if we had answered all your ques­ beckoned him to "recall the adage photos of good-looking Cadets ap­ tions about the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps, about imitation be ing the sincerest peared on the co... ers of the Ladies' when we last were in touch with you. I remember when I became a nurse: form of nattery!" Home JOllmal. Harper's Bowar, at first, there were a few doubts in my and Colliers. And, of course, the mind which made me hesitate. But when nlE PRINTED WORD those questions were answered- we n, it various hospital and nursing peri­ made me wonder why I had hesitated During these two yea rs of intense odicals d id their bit. Features were nt all. activity, there was generous news­ run in Modem Hospital, Hospital Perhaps you have some questions li ke that in your mind. If you do, I hope paper publicity for events connected Progress. and Hospital Mallagelllent. you will let me know what they are ... with the Corps. Division of Nurse and the American Hospital Associa­ I_udle Petry Education publicists scnt out scores ti on War Service Bureau devoted SPECIAL EVE1'I.'TS of public ity releases. Human in­ two of its issues to the U.S. Cadet teres t stories about Cadets, along Nurse Corps. T he American Journal Every opportunity to be involved I', ith photographs of Cadet nurses of Nllfsing fait hfully recorded all with a special ceremony was seized. for inclusion in Sunday supplements, activi ties of the Corps and provided For example, at the christening of were widely distributed. At the same editorial support for it. a ca rgo vessel in Richmond, Cali­ time, individual schools were urged Magazine ad ... ertising, in sp ite of forn ia, the ma ster of ceremonies to strive for publicit y in their own the war, reached a new high of 8SS proclaimed that "the largest ship­ communities, aided by suggestions million doll ars worth of business in yards in the world pay tribute to to feature, for instance 1944, and the Cadet Nurse Corps the largest group of women in uni­ .. a baby born in your hospital got its share. In cooperation with fo rm-the United States Cadet on July 4, with a Cadet Nurse, both the War Advertising Council, the Nurse Corps." Starring in the event celebrating birthdays. Eastman-Kodak Company sponsored were Minnie E. Pohe, associate di­ .. a local veteran of World War a series of full-page color ads that rector of the Corps, Cadets from 11 congratulating Cadet Nurses, to were placed in 15 of the nation's the Bay area schools of nursing, emphasize the importance of gradu­ leading magazines with a combined and the popular comedian, Joe E. ate nurses on the war front. circ ulation of about 12,000,000. Brown. Brown played the role of There was also a considerable Each ad contai ned a coupon which triggerman while a Cadet nurse amount of editorial and columnist the reader could send to Box 88 for christened the ship with champagne. Coverage. For example, the Cleve­ additional information. The single Induction and birthday cere­ land Plain Dealer ran a column largest re turn was in response to monies received nationwide atten­ Unde r the headli ne, "She's a Cadet the late February, 1944, install ment, tion. The 1943 and 1944 induction Nurse," which raved about how when some 33,000 inquiries were ceremonies were broadcast over na­ received. Of the more than one mil­ tionwide radio networks, and indio Her red and blue becomes her. Sbe ipOrts her beret smartly, tipped low on lion dollars in adve rtisements do- vidual' schools were encouraged to

JUlV, 1973 VOL. 21, NO.7 447 ~~ . -NUBSI'GOBP YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS ~OU Apply 10 Superintendent· Any Hosp.'tal

The publicity was largely hospital oriented. but many Cadet Nurses chose baccalaureate programs.

use the broadcast as a nucleus where they sold slices of "The joint sponsorship of the Division of around which to recruit for their Largest Birthday Cake in the World" Nurse Ed uJ;ation and the National own programs. The first ceremony as pari of a bond drive rally. Nursing Council for War Service, on May 13, 1944 was broadcast was organized in late 1943. Thirty from Constitution Hall in Washing­ RECRUITMENT special Corps representatives- an ton, D.C. Participants included Mrs. In an effort to attract and hold college gra duates themselves-vis· franklin RooseveH, Frances P. Boi­ the attention of potentially qualified ited 600 colleges and talked to some ton. Congresswoman from , candidates for the Cadet Nurse 60,000 college women and 800 fac· sponsor of the Act creating the Corps, a pledge program was in­ ulty members at over 2,000 student Corps; ; and some 750 stituted for high school juniors and conferences. The representatives Cadets from , D.C. area seniors. Using a posler showing a stayed in dormitories overnight in schools. There were 250 local cere­ Cadet nurse pinning a pledge pin on order to have informal evening ses­ monies that tied into the national the sweater of a high school girl , sions with the girls and get a better event, with at least one in every along with a leaflet " Pledge Your­ chance to talk with sorority groups. state. self:' this campaign turned into meet parents, and confer \\ith The bi rthday ceremonies .....ere quite a success. The names of those various college personnel. The fact also highly publicized. On the first who pledged were turned over to that this type of publicity cleared anniversary of the Corps, Surgeon stale and local council s who car­ up misconceptions about nursing is General Parran presented the new ried out a follow-up campaign. evident in the following excerpt froltl white, silver, and scarlet Cadet Corps Publishers of Senior Scholastic and a college field representative's reo nag to Miss Petry. On the Corps' Education lor ViclOry incl uded re­ port: second birthday, President Truman leases on the pledge pi n program r had a long conference with President reviewed the plans for the Cadet and reJ;ommended it as a worthwhile He was terribly Corps and Mrs. Truman cut a Corps SJ; hooi aJ;tivity. uninformed as to modern nursing and birthday cake. Simultaneously, in In an effort to en roll more col­ of cou rse the cadet program. Evidentl y. the majority of what he knew a~~ New York City, a group o f 500 lege women in nursing programs, a nursing was learned from the SGhouo Cadets gathered in Times Square college guidanJ;e program. under the nurses he had employed ... , hope bY

448 NURS1NG ounoolt lhe time we finished our discu ssion he somewhere, or news would be rc­ cated and highly skilled advertising understood more about modern nurs ing ported incorrectly. Certain individ. me thods. After making an inventory and will from now on feel satisfied to lead hi! students into our profession. uals felt that there was too much of the desi res; hopes, and dreams of emphasis on "free education with ttJeir ma rket, which consisted of all FRINGE EFFECTS pay" and not enough on "if you women 17 to 35 years of age living Whenever a potential demand for qual ify," attracting less capable in all areas of the country in all a product exists, some manufacturer people into nursing. Highly tradi· socioeconomic groupings, the Divi­ is li kely to take advantage or it. tional nurses complained thaI too sion of Nurse Education skillfully Thus, the Lentheric cosmetic com­ much glamour was used in selling projected these pre·existing desires pany created a special kit of lipstick the Cadet Nurse Corps; they com­ into the Cadet Nurse Corps. Dreams and rouge just the color of the trim plained about "hair touching the of obtaining an education, prepar­ on the Cadet uniform, named it collar" and "rings on their hands." ing for the futu re, be ing a nurse, "Rocket Red," and marketed it In response, one advertising agency helping with the war, and being especially for purchasc by Corps replied: glamorous were tapped, rather than members. These cosmet ics were any attempt to create: new desires or packaged in a gray plastic con­ Perhaps we should run the campai~ to educate the audience. In a way, saying that nursing is very poorly paid, it was not too di ffic ul t to promote tainer with an eight-point Maltese that the working conditions nrc terrible cross in red as the motif. and that, if you are really very !iI1y , thc Corps because it did offer a you might like to go to a very second grea t deal in the way of benefi,ts to Naturally, some criticisms of th is rate nursing scbool where ' you will live ~Ia di son Avenue publicity program in the most uncomfortable surroundings. those who joined, even though these we re heard. Occasionall y one could were of a long-term nature in con­ open a magazine or newspaper and Whet her one thought mass adve rtis­ trast to the immediate benefits of find the Cadet Corps being adver­ ing for nursi ng education was an working in a war plant (or good tised by a liquor or cigarette com­ embarrass ment or a dynamic ser­ W3ges. pany, even though th is was greatly vice, a blessing or a curse, it was ON TilE WHOLE discouraged by the Division of successful. Nurse Education. Now and then an Criticisms were rare, though, con­ Those associated with the Corps unfavorable editorial about the fed­ sidering the magnitude of the pro· rdlizcd that an effective publicity eral government running nurse edu­ gram, and the overall reaction of campaign needed fi rst to determine cation would appear in a newspaper nurses to the publicity program was the lcvel of awareness of the audi­ positive. The total evaluation of the ence. The public was generally cog­ Corps' effect should not be mea­ nizant of the fact that nursing ex­ sured solely in terms of the num­ isted, but didn't know much about ber of students attracted into nurs· il; many potential Cadets and their ing, although it certainly passed families we ren't aware that the pro­ this test with flying colors. Admis­ fession offered so many advantages sion quotas for the Corps were met or that it W3S so read ily available all three years, and so attractive to yo ung women. By linking exist­ were the incentives that it was not ing knowledge of nursing with until 1970 that admissions to all kn OWle dge of a new service, the schools of nursing surpassed the Corps, the publicity' campaign rein· landmark 67,051 who entered in forced the prospect's desires, sharp­ 1944; of these, over 57,000 we re ened her me ntal picture of how this Corps members. Perhaps of even acti on would help fulfill her hopes, more significance was the "loosen­ and offered a means for her to sat­ ing up" of the thinking of nurses ...... --_--- _...... ---_.... --...... isfy those desires. A stuffy attempt ...... ,...... -~ - .. about the advantages of publicity; to educate the gi rls into choosing a ;:%:£"a"" positiVe aspects were openly ac· career in nursing would not have ­ -'-- . knowledged and fears of gaining pub. been nearl y as effective. ----,-'--_...... ~. --_------... . ---.-~._...... _------'- --. lic attention began to dissipate. In the end, the cost of recruiting ...... _ ...... <--.... ---_--_ ::::-.!':":o:-...;-c Along with this change in attitude • each Cadet came to a total of $92, !:.::::::::.= =::'..::: ----._...... - _------_ ...... -- -- numerous nurs..: educators gained of which S87 represented donated ~.:::;:..'":"~... -- ~nowledge of some of the basics of space, time, and service. Given the ...... ':;:.::-.;::r;z.:'::- :::..•. :::.;.":.:.==-::..: good public relations. magnitude of the task and the com­ ----_.---"'-_.----_. --- The success of this huge publicity peting forces present at that tiq1e, - ._-- - -~- campaign is accounted for in ' part it was a remark.ably low amount by the professional use of sophis t i- with an impressively high return . •

JULY, 1913 VOL. 21, NO.1 44'