When Matron Ruled explores the qualities and values that set the matron apart as a leader of nurses, and looks at individual personalities, from the time of Nightingale's matrons to their demise three decades ago. In her commanding role within the hospital, the matron was both feared and revered, and her main abilities were her organizational skills, maintenance of nursing standards within the hospital, and resolution of the problems of her staff and patients. With many direct accounts from matrons and their nurses, this book dispels the myths about these remarkable leaders of nurses.