A Nurse in Time

by Evelyn Prentis

A young country girl trains to become a nurse in an English hospital during the 1930s and encounters the harsh realities of life at a city hospital

Genres: Biography, Memoir, Nonfiction, Medical

207 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Brought up in Lincolnshire, Evelyn Prentis (real name Evelyn Taws) left home at eighteen to become a nurse. She later moved to London during the war, where she married and raised her family. Like so many other nurses, she went back to hospital and used any spare time she might have had bringing up her children and running her home.
Evelyn Prentis died in 2001 at the age of 85. Her daughters Judith Campbell and Barbara Mumford say: ‘We have always felt that these books are special, as indeed was our mother. She was a larger than life character with a disarming and extreme sense of humour. We are delighted that our mother’s books are being republished. We miss her greatly and are thrilled that her legacy lives on for another generation.’

Reviews

[Fiona MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second or third of Evelyn's books I have read and they are just utterly wonderful. She writes with such charm, tenderness and wit that it's a joy to return to her tales of nursing. I will be reading the other two or three in the series and loving every minute of them.

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Evelyn Prentis describes her experiences as a young girl who was put into nurse training by her mother because she didn't know what else to do with her. Her story highlights the hierarchical, rigid system which ensured effort was put into hygiene and routines probably because there wasn't a lot else medicine could do for patients other than give them somewhere spotless to be cured or die.

As a nurse myself, I sometimes wonder if nursing would have been better if routine and hygiene remained a high prioroty for nurses as medicine itself progressed(less MRSA and bed sores!!) But Ms Prentis' anecdotes were often uncomfortable reading and I can't work out if it is her attitude to what happened, or her writing style that has leached compassion from her story.

I took up the book expecting something, I dont know what, perhaps the usual story of triumph over adversity. But in the end, I was left feeling sad. Evelyn never really came to like nursing; these "angels" were no more perfect than we are today. But, Ms Prentis' story does prove that if the regime in control doesn't work properly, neither can the nurses. One lesson we Brits should consider for the NHS today?

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is alternately sweet, sad and horrifying. It's the perfect read for anyone who romanticizes the 1930's when life was "better". The author's matter of fact approach to her training and difficulties of life makes one realize how much was expected of people to except hard circumstances and move on. Nursing during this period was all about on the job training with the lowest tasks given to probationers. From bedpans, cleaning, cooking and being run ragged it was less the sweet sitting at a bedside holding someone's hands and more about getting through the day seeing to a ward of patient's everyday needs. Evelyn tells her tale as if she is sitting in the room with you reminiscing about days gone by, which is an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.

[DoraLupin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evelyn Prentis beginnt 1934 im Krankenhaus von Nottingham ihre Ausbildung zur Krankenschwester. Es war nie ihr Traumberuf, aber ihre Eltern wollen kein Geld, für ihren Wunsch Lehrerin zu werden, ausgeben und ihre Mutter drängt sie mehr oder weniger dazu diese Ausbildung zu beginnen um finanziell auf eigenen Beinen zu stehen. Wenig romantisierend beschriebt die Autorin mit diesem Buch ihren eigenen Alltag in der Pflege um 1930.

Ich lese sehr gerne Bücher über die Gesundheitsberufe, da ich selbst im medizinischen Bereich tätig bin und fand es toll mal einen unromantischen und wahren Bericht über die Pflege um 1934 zu lesen. Leider konnte mich dieses Buch aber nicht ganz so mitreißen wie ich das gehofft habe...

Einerseits liegt das am Schreibstil, der eher nüchtern und wenig bildhaft zu beschreiben ist. Zwar passt das gut zu Memoiren, aber ich fand das ganze leider einfach wenig spannend zu lesen. Evelyn Prentis beschreibt zwar den Alltag der Pflege genau aber was sie wirklich denkt und fühlt, zum Beispiel als ihre Mutter ihr quasi die Wunsch-Zukunft verbaut, bekommt man als Leser nicht wirklich mit. Wenig emotional und wenig romantisierend berichtet die Autron deshalb von einem Beruf den sie eigentlich gar nicht machen wollte.

Sehr gut fand ich wiederum die Ehrlichkeit der Autorin. Denn es gibt ja sehr häufig Bücher über die Krankenpflege die romantisiert wird und dies ist hier nicht der Fall. Ebenso führt sie auf, das bis heute der Beruf eher als "Berufung" gesehen wird und nicht um gutes Geld zu verdienen. Dies war damals natürlich noch viel schlimmer.

Natürlich kann es daran liegen, dass ich in der Ausbildung selbst das Thema Geschichte der Krankenpflege hatte und ich deshalb einfach viele Aspekte schon kannte, die die Autorin hier im Alltag schildert. Deshalb war ich von der Handlung auch wenig überrascht und Spannung kam für mich kaum auf. Lediglich die Freund-und Feindschaften und die Hirarchie der Schwestern zur damaligen Zeit fand ich lesenswert.

Fazit: Wer sonst wenig mit dem Beruf Pflege zu tun hat und hier einmal in den Alltag einer Krankenschwesterschülerin um 1934 reinschnuppern möchte, dem kann ich das Buch wirklich empfehlen, da es sehr ehrlich und unbeschönigt beschrieben ist. Man muss sich allerdings klar sein, dass der Schreibstil eher nüchtern gehalten ist und mehr ein Bericht über die ersten Jahre der Autorin in der Krankenpflege darstellt. Wer mit dem Beruf aber vertraut ist oder schon viele andere Bücher rund um den Beruf gelesen hat, der wird hier nicht viel neues finden.

[Soozee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely read, taking you back to before the War, following a girl from Lincolnshire who is training to be a nurse - not because she had a vocation, but because her mother thought it would be a good career for her.
She draws a picture of life on the wards, as the lowest of the low, at the beck and call of more senior nurses, bullied and harassed. She tells how her colleagues managed to find the humour in a difficult world, and is quite off-hand when dealing with death, even when it comes unexpectedly. Several times I was reduced to tears, so poignant is the story.
I'd love to read the second in the series. This first book has captured the naivety and innocence of a world soon to be plunged into War again which will change everything, including the health service, beyond recognition.

[Charlotte Beauvoisin · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘A nurse in time’ is a personal account of training to be a nurse in the 1930s in Nottingham.

I enjoyed the insights into the challenges of being a nurse within the confines of the day. The level of bullying was quite appalling and there were a few passages that I found quite shocking.

The nurses were worked incredibly hard. Who can blame the nurses for being quite naughty? Many of the stories reminded me of being a teenager at a British boarding school.

Overall, a well-written historical cum autobiographical account. I'd like to read more of the author’s books.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

So-so.
a memoir of a nurse-to-be, mid 30's - seemed exactly the right read for me, but I found it rather boring. Too many details, not enough stories. Something like that.
Actually, there are plenty of characters with their little stories, but most of them vanish into the next little anecdote, without full development. It's like shaking kaleidoscope over again and again, expecting a complete picture of something which, of course, never happens. I think less would be more for this story.

[John Blakey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

Lovely stories with a whiff of sadness, joy and laughter, some tragedy but all worth while you will never forget

[Karyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, snarky look at being a WWII nurse

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story

[Beatrice Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting insight to nursing all those years ago.

[Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable. A humorous but insightful account of nurse training just before the Second World War

[Tracey Campton · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a nurse I found it uncomfortable reading and actually very depressing. Still can see some of the traditions ( not so good) still in nursing to thus day!

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

a rather dull read .

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Nurse In Time
By Evelyn Prentis
Autobiography (Historical)

This book is about the childhood and working life of Evelyn Prentis a nurse, who started working between the wars. She was brought up in a poor country home in the British Midlands and started as a trainee in a city hospital in Nottingham. It is a very vivid and realistic account of a time before sophisticated medicine and especially before antibiotics.

I really liked this book partly because I thought it was very educational and good to learn about how sickness was treated nearly 100 years ago. I was especially sad to read about how many people would die from what today (in hospitals) would be considered as such a simple sickness/condition. The writing was always interesting and very descriptive (especially when describing how harsh and unsympathetic the senior sisters/matrons/management were in those days).

I recommend this book to people who are interested in social history and medical subjects and I look forward to reading the next four volumes in the series.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evelyn Prentis trained to be a nurse in the 1930's, the training was so much different then ,and was very much a hands on approach the young girls were just thrown in at the deep end. Sisters and Matrons were very much in charge and to be feared. It seemed most people in those days went to hospital as a last resort and without antibiotics and medical knowledge we have taken for granted died from relatively simple things, which nowadays we would just shrug off.I think you had to be really hard to cope and the nurses seemed to take death in their stride, even the death of their colleague. The Matrons were very much on the ball with the cleaning and the wards had to be scrubbed and bed pulled out and everywhere spotless, you cant help wondering if those standards had been kept up maybe we wouldn't have the problems that hospitals are fighthing against today.This was a very easy entertaining read.

[Lizzie Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was recommended this book off the back of reading call the midwife.
Its a good book, quick to read and quick moving (maybe bordering on too quick occasionally). That been said I did enjoy it and will continue through the whole series.
I think once you have got into the idea of how medical conditions were "discussed" (hushed voice) by these young girls in the start then this book is a good example of the genre.
It also shows the maturing of the main character quite well.
I dont think you will be blown away but you will be far from disappointed with this - im hoping for some good reads with the books that follow.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book because it gave a good picture of what nurse training and nursing was like in the 1930s and was easy to read. Evelyn's story is an interesting one and has its funny moments. As a newly qualified nurse I found the differences between then and now interesting and amusing. At points in the story I would think, Id rather be a nurse then, and yet at others Im glad nursing has developed as a profession, and that training has developed. Defintely worth a read if you like this type of book and I look forward to reading the next in the series, 'A Nurse in Action'.

[Syafiqah Zable · Rating 3 out of 5]

One morning when the Irish girl stood in the cubicle arranging the roses the husband had brought the night before, she stopped messing about with the flowers and turned to the woman in the bed.

'Sure and it's lovely husbad you've got, Mrs Moore,' she said.

'Well, I think so, Nurse,' said Mrs Moore, smiling gratefully.

'Can I have him when you've finished with him?' asked the Irish girl.

'You'll have to wait a long time, I hope,' said the woman, laughing. She laughed too much and one of her damaged lungs collapsed under the strain and she died at once.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's a true story of a young woman who trains as a nurse in 1930's Lincolnshire. It's very funny, but in a realistic way. I've read a lot of novels by Betty Neels about young nurses, and this true story really makes me believe that what when on in nurses training was real. The nurses were paid horribly, and worked very long hours, and took a lot of abuse from their superiors.

[Anywavewilldo Anywavewilldo · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a really well written witty basic autobiography by someone who spent thier life as a nurse rather than a writer. I work in the NHS and it was great to read what it was like in the 30s before the NHS was born. Prentis says she was not a born nurse and I doubt she'd say she was a born writer but it's still an excellent read

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a nurse myself I found this a wonderful book to read. The extent to the way things have changed is overwhelming. She tells her story so passionatley, and however often she says she wasn't a born nurse, the way she describes certian events in this book I beg to differ. A must read for any nurse out there!

[Yasmin Rofidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a nurse like me, it's very interesting to see how things worked before, unless you are a parted the business profession or have a keen interest in it then it makes pretty good easy reading. Good book in all.

[Kathlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* An enjoyable and easy to read account. The humour and anecdotes remind me of the stories my mother and grandmother told of their training in the 1920's and 1950's respectively.

[Jo Marlow barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book

[T.R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic true story, very easy to read and really interesting.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had hoped it would be more interesting, but a good read nevertheless. Think the nurses of today would certainly find training much easier now than what it was back then in the 30's.

[Beckie Treble · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. I didn't find it funny. but it was interesting in learning what it was like to be a trainee. I'd give the next book a go but it's not one to shout about from the rooftops.

[Kath · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy to read account of a nurse's training in the 1930s. Not up to Jennifer Worth's standard, but interesting nevertheless.

[Lainy · Rating 3 out of 5]

review to follow xxx