
Yes Sister, No Sister
My Life as a Trainee Nurse in 1950s Yorkshire
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Narrated by:
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Jennifer Craig
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By:
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Jennifer Craig
About this listen
'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 naïve 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.
©2011 Jennifer Craig (P)2011 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Finished in 1 and 1/2 days
- By Philos on 04-15-17
Interesting Story
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It makes you realize just how many improvemei s there have been in medicine and that the nurse always is empathetic.
Must read for all nurses
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Jen you're my hero!!!
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That being said, there really is no plot to this book, its a memoir in somewhat chronological order (I'm sure with the author's discretion), and the narration is flat and uninspired. Kudos to the author for trying, but a professional narrator would have been a better choice.
If you are a nurse who trained in the days before university nursing program (yes, we are the dinosaurs of the profession), then check this out.
Fairly true to life
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In the opening of the book, the author states she has taken liberty with the dialogue and some situations to make the book read more like a novel versus a memoir. She stated she did her best to keep the language and situations as they were in the 1950s.
The book is well written and brought back lots of memories. To me the 1950s do not seem that long ago but nursing and medicine have sure changed a lot. It also seems to me that good manners have also disappeared over the years. I enjoyed the book and will look for the other book written by the author entitled “Jab, Jenner and Juggernauts: A Look at Vaccinations”. Craig moved to Canada in the 1960s and went back to school. She obtained a BSN, MA and her Ph.D.
The book is just over nine hours long. Jennifer Craig did a good job narrating her book.
Interesting
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Interesting Book.!
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The book details her training as a nurse in the 1950s in England and it might not be for everyone. It's a quiet book full of details about her duties in the hospital, & her fellow nurses-in-training.
If that sounds like something you'd enjoy (and I did) I wouldn't hesitate to give this a listen.
I enjoyed it but it probably isn't for everyone
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Great story
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Good story, but wrong reader
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Interesting view of the life of nursing students in the 50s and 60s Britain
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