Joan Woodcock always dreamed of becoming a nurse. And in 1966 the dream came true. From her very first day as a naive 16 year old cadet, standing nervously outside the matron's office, this is Joan's story of an eventful career spanning over forty years in NHS nursing.
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.
- ISBN10 1444810197
- ISBN13 9781444810196
- Publish Date 1 March 2012 (first published 3 February 2011)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 31 March 2021
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher F A Thorpe (Publishers)
- Imprint Ulverscroft Ltd
- Edition Large type / large print edition
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 440
- Language English