Her family were in the medical profession and seeing her uncle at work made her decide to be a nurse.

She spent two years teaching at Camden High School for Girls but then joined Guy's Hospital as a trainee nurse where her three uncles had also trained.

[1] In 1928 she became the assistant General Secretary of the College of Nursing,[1] which was established with a Royal Charter that year.

[2] In 1935 Goodall became College of Nursing's General Secretary[1] when the Trades Union Congress promoted a Bill to secure a 48-hour working week for all hospital employees.

In 1948 the National Health Service was created and she sat on the Joint industrial council which was the formal meeting of the nurses with their new employees.