Yes Sister, No Sister: A Leeds Nurse in the 1950s

Based on the author’s own experiences, Yes Sister, No Sister is the fascinating story of one young nurse who enters training in 1952 and eventually progresses to become a ward sister. At that time nursing was one of the few career paths open to young women, and Yes Sister, No Sister paints a fascinating picture of the lives of student nurses in Leeds. Naive and idealistic, girls entering nurse training were immediately immersed in an atmosphere of strict discipline: stern sisters, starched uniforms and early curfews. The work and training was hard and the hours long and tiring, and some did drop out. For those that remained, however, there were compensations: the satisfaction of providing good care, and the support and camaraderie of the other student nurses. A healthy dose of traditional Yorkshire humour helped them to cope with the rigours of hospital life, and the book is peppered with comic episodes.