Mary Fraser

Mary started with nurse training in Oxford and London. At a time when the first degrees in nursing were being established, she was determined to secure her career against such competition and began a degree in Psychology part-time while still working full-time as a nurse. On graduation she had both practice and academic skills. She was appointed to a post in higher education and set up one of the first degrees for registered nurses in the UK. She obtained an MSc with a Department of Health Studentship, then a PhD at Goldsmiths College, University of London. Her interest in how different professional groups talk about their lives and work through the pages of their professional journals started with nursing. For the last 10 years she has been developing a similar approach with the police, another large public sector organisation with a remit of public service.