Matron Knows Best

(Paperback)

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Description

Joan Woodcock always dreamed of becoming a nurse. And in 1966 the dream came true. From her very first day as a naive sixteen-year-old cadet, standing nervously outside Matron's office, this is Joan's story of an eventful career spanning forty years in the NHS.

Working on hospital wards, casualty units and out in the community, as well as stints in a prison and a police unit dealing with sexual assault, Joan has seen it all. In this moving memoir she gives an honest, revealing account of a challenging, unpredictable and ultimately rewarding life in nursing.

From an early encounter with a horrific axe injury, to the patient who swallowed their suppositories, to daily dealings with difficult patients and all kinds of bodily fluids, Joan shares memories of laughter and tragedy, and of the now defunct matron system that at one time instilled nurses with such high standards of professionalism and patient care.

Reviews

'Joan has seen it all, and she tells it with compassionate insight and a sense of humour.' * Choice *
'An unforgettable and extremely satisfying read.' * Good Book Guide *
'One can't help but think that the NHS would run a whole lot better if Joan Woodcock was in charge.' * Scottish Daily Record *

Author Bio

Joan Woodcock was born and brought up in Lancashire, to working class parents. Hospitalisation at the young age of four inspired her to become a nurse, and at sixteen she started as a cadet nurse, before beginning formal nurse training two years later under the traditional matron system. Despite the strict discipline and harsh training regime, Joan qualified as a State Registered Nurse in 1971. Her career spanned forty-one years, and included positions in hospital casualty departments, GP practices, the prison service, Marie Curie cancer care homes and in a Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Centre. Joan took early retirement in 2008 to spend more time with her family.