I left the NHS in 2022 after 41 years of clinical experience and still registered as an RGN. I have reviewed many nursing text book, the obvious was Florence Nightingale and laterly we heard of Mary Seacole but never Rebecca Strong. So was really interested to learn more about this remarkable lady and when asked by NetGalley I was privilaged to do so.

What a remarkable lady who spent her life educating young nurses. I had no idea there was a scottish connection having worked in Edinburgh in the 80s. Dhe put down her long life as hard work and simple living.

Sad that she was a young protege of Florence Nightgale but never celebrated until now and sad she was not more known in scotland also.

Interesting read for nurses and students.

Rebecca Strong (nee Thorogood) (23 August 1843–24 April 1944) was widowed by the age of 20,so she decided to go into a career in nursing and was accepted as one of the first probationers at the Nightingale Training School at St Thomas's Hospital, London in 1867.Strong continued her training at Winchester Hospital before moving to the British Army Hospital at Netley as part of a team of nurses selected to reorganise nursing at the hospital.Strong was appointed matron of Dundee Royal Infirmary in 1874.She took up the post of matron, installed at the behest of Florence Nightingale at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in 1879.She was also encouraged to take up this post by William McEwen, a surgeon, who had been impressed by her work in Dundee.While Strong was Matron at Glasgow Royal she worked alongside two assistants, Miss Mackie and Miss Wood, to give further classroom education assisted by drs from the medical and surgical specialities.Although this was worthwhile and appreciated by the nurses, their long working hours and little rest time, made it difficult for the nurses to learn.Despite requests from Strong for better working conditions for the nurses this was too slow in being approved leading Strong to resign.Apart from a period between 1885-1891 when she ran her own nursing home she remained at Glasgow until she retired in 1907.Strong was re-appointed Matron at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, in 1891.Sir William Macewen suggested that a preliminary nurse training programme could be commenced,with instruction in elementary anatomy, physiology and hygiene.In 1893 at GRI she started its first training school for nurses, based on Nightingale's model.Strong was a committed supporter for nurses having state registration.She was also President of the Scottish Nurses Association.In 1926 Strong, along with others including Mrs Bedford Fenwick,became involved in setting up the British College of Nurses,which focused on postgraduate nurse education.Strong remained in Scotland until March 1941 when her home was bombed.She then moved to stay with family in Vicars Cross, Chester,Cheshire.In 1939, Strong was awarded the OBE,and received accolades from her associations.

2.5/5 stars. This review is in exchange for an eARC kindly gifted to me from NetGalley.

Rebecca Strong is fascinating woman whose vocational work in nursing and long life spent educating the next generations of nurses cannot be overstated. I enjoyed learning about the history of modern day nursing in Scotland and the rest of Britain. However, the editing in this book was so terrible that it often was nearly unreadable. I was going to refrain from mentioning editing as it is an ARC, but then I noted that the publication date is today, 9/30/24. I received the ARC on 9/20/24 and thus should have received what is essentially a final copy of the book. The text often had errors of spelling, grammar and sentence structure. The content was truly interesting, but I would not recommend this book simply because it was so incredibly difficult to read. Had I not wanted to give a fair review of the book, I would have DNF'd it.

TL;DR
Would only recommend this book if you are specifically looking to learn about Rebecca Strong, otherwise, it is not worth the difficulty to read it due to being poorly edited.

I had never heard of Rebecca Strong until this biography. Reading it was inspiring and left me feeling empowered and amazed. What an amazing influence on the nursing profession! How she got overshadowed by Florence Nightingale, I'm not sure. This woman ranks right up there with impressive nursing innovation especially in the realm of education and registration for nurses. I am in awe!

Rebecca Strong lived to be 100. She nursed with Florence Nightingale and was the first nurse to take a temperature and get reprimanded by a doctor for doing so. However, she pioneered the training of nurses in hospitals, which helped standardize and improve training. This is a very interesting biography of a nurse who is not as well known as others but made a significant contribution to professional standards. It's well-written and an enjoyable read.