Hello!
I am so excited to be starting year 15 (14th grade in the States) in the Plus3 program located in Birmingham, UK!
The day we arrived, our flight from New York to London was 8pm to 8am (London time). I was able to squeeze in a little bit of sleep on the plane but was awoken many of times to feet kicking my chair. Not the best moment. But at last, we arrived! We then took a bus to Birmingham, and it was so exciting to finally be here.
To stay awake with jet lag, we went to lunch and walked around the city. For lunch, we went to The Malt House, and I had great fish and chips with mushy peas. It was really cool to explore the city as well! I saw a place called Pause, and it had a sign on the door that said it was a place for 0-25 year olds to get mental health support. I have never seen anything like this before in the States! It sounds like a great place and am hoping to learn more about it. Shortly after walking around, I took a two-hour nap, got some dinner, then had a blissful, full night of sleep.
The next day, I woke up and had a great breakfast at the hotel, including one (maybe two) chocolate croissants. We then made our way to Birmingham City University for our first day of school! We talked with the professors that would be teaching us throughout our program, and it was great hearing their stories, getting to know them, and asking them questions.
Hearing about their university system was very interesting! The values of their university are to create opportunity, think differently, and build community. I believe that these are great pillars of belief to have as a university to encompass their goals in educating the students. Walking around the university, I noticed that they had a great emphasis on accessibility and inclusion. For example, signs were displayed that hearing aids were available. In the toilets (not called restrooms!), there was a separate toilet displayed as an accessible toilet which I think is really important to have. There was a mental health mural that I enjoyed, it displayed what people’s first aid is for their mental health. Lastly, natural light was shining into the building in almost every classroom. In the Victoria Building at Pitt, the classrooms are in the center of the building so there are no windows. After sitting in the BCU classroom for a few hours, I could tell that I felt better having natural light flowing into the classroom. This is an important factor in considering the mental health of students, as having light come into the room- whether it is sunny out or not- is known to boost people’s mood and health!
This Plus3 program is focusing on healthcare and education in the UK. I got a glimpse of how they are vital to the other for a functioning society. In the nursing school, it is a three-year program with a six-week break. So, it seems a lot shorter than the four-year nursing program than what I am used to. However, having a twelve week break between years will equal out to the time frame of the UK program. Secondly, their nursing program is 50% theory and 50% practice. There is a present debate going on whether practice can still be achieved with ‘at-home’ learning and still present the same outcomes. I also thought that it was interesting that there was no NCLEX equivalent type of test. The professors described that once a student passes all trainings during university, they will be registered in the entire nation of UK to practice. Note that in order to stay licensed, medical professionals must continue with professional development every so years to stay on the registry.
We had a good discussion today about how the pandemic impacted education. Children need additional support in socialization and academia. More teaching, like tutoring or after-school care, is needed to educate students on learning that they may not have fully grasped. However, teachers are experiencing burnt out with online learning. The capacity of available teachers is the problem. University students with a focus in education can play a role here in educating students!
After our discussion, we had a wonderful lunch! I talked with a nursing professor, and she noted that they do not learn with cadavers, instead virtual simulations. She discussed that students have learned procedures well where a need for a cadaver is not necessary. She mentioned since it does not affect learning outcomes, they do not see a need to change the teaching technique.
In the afternoon, we went to the Birmingham City Art Museum and had a walking tour of the city. It was great to see and hear about the history of Birmingham! Some things I learned was that Birmingham was built on seven hills and there are more miles of canal here than compared to Venice! Also, these canals were the canals in the show Peaky Blinders, as it is based in Birmingham.
It’s been such a great day and I am so grateful for this opportunity to study abroad! I can’t wait for tomorrow.
Mary
