Yes Sister, No Sister

My Life as a Trainee Nurse in 1950s Yorkshire

By: Jennifer Craig

Narrated by: Jennifer Craig

'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 Audio

Must read for all nurses

I thoroughly enjoyed this journey back to the 1960's and the glimpse at life as a nurse. It is both numerous and sad.
It makes you realize just how many improvemei s there have been in medicine and that the nurse always is empathetic.

Interesting Story

Very interesting story to listen to. The author read her own book which was great for me because I think its fun to listen to memoirs in that person's own voice. She did not vary her intonation for the different people talking--which was alright--we just get used to other narrators doing that. I thought she did a great job in relating her experiences with the reader. I would recommend this book.

Jen you're my hero!!!

Why oh why did I start to listen to this audiobook? I was afraid of this. When the book ended, I began to cry. What am I going to do now? Who will tell me about life on the wards? How will I know what is going on in Canada with Jenny? I was so wrapped up in this great audiobook experience, I feel lost now that it is done. But thank you so much for one of the best audio books I have ever heard. I am still a district nurse but I feel more motivated and inspired to be a better nurse because of this story. Again, thank you so much Jennifer! Love, Peter VanNuis RPN (paraMed health services, Belleville Ontario Canada)

Fairly true to life

I went to a hospital based nursing school 45 years ago. These stories made me laugh because they are so similar to my own memories.... our school rules hadn't changed since the 50's so I can relate with Nurse Ross' experiences: the patients who make you think, the ones who challenge, the docs and med students, the friends who gather to unwind and de-stress. I truly resonated with the tough, hardened senior nurses (the "dragon" and the "sod") who made our student lives miserable. Our school director was truly a "nurse who ate her young" and often tried to dissuade us from continuing our careers (wouldn't she be surprised to know I went on to get a master's and have this for all these years).....
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.

Interesting

This book brought back memories for me. After my sister and I were out of the house, my mother went into nurses’ training. This was in the 1950s in Canada. Many things were similar between Craig’s training and my mother’s. I remember visiting my mother in the nursing residence and taking tours of the long wards. The uniforms were similar. Ongoing to the hospital today, I miss seeing the nurses in their white dresses and caps.

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.