Yes Sister, No Sister: My Life as a Trainee Nurse in 1950s Yorkshire

(Paperback)

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A fascinating memoir of the life of a trainee nurse in the 1950s - essential reading for fans of the BBC's nostalgic gem Call the Midwife 'What is your name' she asks, staring at me. 'Jennifer Ross.' 'Jennifer Ross, Sister. Well, Nurse Ross, you are dressed in the uniform of a nurse from the Leeds General Infirmary. Such a uniform is not worn with a cardigan. Take it off at once.' 'Yes Sister.' I can feel my face turn red. A trainee nurse in the 1950s had a lot to bear. In Jennifer Craig's enchanting memoir, we meet these warm-hearted yet naive young girls as they get to grips with strict discipline, long hours and bodily fluids. But we also see the camaraderie that develops in evening study sessions, sneaked trips to the cinema and mischievous escapades with the young trainee doctors. The harsh conditions prove too much for some girls, but the opportunity to help her patients in their time of need is too much of a pull for Jenny. As she commits to her vocation and knuckles down to her exams, she is determined that when she reaches the heights of Ward Sister herself she will not become the frightening matron that struck fear into her student heart ... Rich in period detail, and told with a good dose of Yorkshire humour, Yes Sister, No Sister is a life-affirming true story of a life long past.

Reviews

Enchanting * Sunday Times *
Affectionate and humorous ... a tribute to the resilience and loyalty of the nursing profession * Lancaster Evening Post *
An evocative, often amusing account of an era long-lost * Yorkshire Post *

Author Bio

Jennifer Craig trained at Leeds General Infirmary and rose to become Ward Sister. She emigrated to Canada in 1961, where she married and had two children. Later she studied for a Bachelor's degree in nursing, followed by a Masters degree in education and finally a Ph.D. Ten years as an educational consultant in a medical school preceded semi-retirement when she became a student of homeopathy and obtained her diploma. She now lives in the mountains of British Columbia with a dog and a cat and is a student of writing.