This morning, we started the day with a breakfast at the hotel and then walked over to BCU for class. On the walk there, we discussed how business casual dress is expected for students of Birmingham. This is interesting to note because as a student in the States we can wear whatever we would like. It would be interesting to find out how the type of dress affects the attention span of the student in class. It may depend on a persons preference; it may be easier to focus for one person with sweatpants on, but for another it may make them relaxed and not wanting to concentrate. In grade school, I was in an required to wear a business casual uniform. I did not enjoy it at the time, but looking back on it, it provided simplicity and gave a business casual look, and made me not think about what I was going to wear. I am the type of person to concentrate better in professional clothing, so maybe business casual is better clothing for me to wear to class. It is interesting to learn about the culture of dress in the UK.
In the morning, we talked about the health and social care systems of the United Kingdom. First of all, health and social care and differentiated into two subcategories. Social care can be comparable to Occupational Therapy in the States, as it is when a patient needs additional support in daily life.
The National Health System (NHS) was founded in 1948 to provide free health care ‘from cradle to grave’. Free care is provided through taxation of UK citizens. General Practioners (GPs) are those that have the initial contact with a patient in the community for health management. If a patient would like to see a specialist, they must receive a referral from their GP. GPs can be compared to Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) in the States, but a referral is not required to see a specialist with a PCP. I think that this referral process is interesting- how does this referral process affect the patient outcomes and satisfaction levels? In the States, care is received almost immediately upon seeking care. The time of wait is usually dependent on the wait for an appointment. Sometimes you can seek a doctor the next day, but some will have their availability booked for months. It seems that appointment availability and referral wait time can be comparable to each other for a similar time frame produced. However, I think it would be intriguing to learn about the success outcome rate, patient satisfaction level, and patient advocacy when discussing these two ways of measurement. Patient advocacy is of utmost importance in any healthcare system, and it seems that both the US and UK make an effort to prioritize it. It is a hard thing to measure, as there is no quantitative unit of measurement for it, but I think that it would be interesting to get a close comparison of patient advocacy rates with one another.
An Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) , similar to an Operating Nurse and Resident Doctor in the States, spoke with us of her role in the health system. Her role is to work with the patient all three stages of the surgery, which include pre-operation, operation, and post-operation. She emphasized the importance of giving the patient a voice in their care treatment plan. They learn as much as they can about the patient’s health during pre-op, so that they can have all of the knowledge in case a complication arises. She noted that consent is clear and the patient can withdraw from the process at any time, up to anesthesia administration. Personally, I am not sure of the pre-operation process in the States. When I had surgery a few years ago, I do not remember the staff reminding me of my rights in consent, but I was a minor at the time, so it may have been signed by my parents. Her ideas raised great points and I agree that it is important for a patient to be aware of all of their consent and treatment plan. As stated above, patient advocacy is something that needs to be prioritized in all settings.
We took a break after a day of classes by going to the Botanical Gardens for a bit! It was beautiful and so fun to walk around. In fact, there was a peacock walking around the grounds which was cool (but slightly frightening). I took a picture with it though!
After the gardens, we learned about the Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Coordinator position. A SEND Coordinator is a specialist that assesses children individually and offer support. She emphasized the importance of equity and equality in this role, as we need to support all so everyone is given access to equal opportunity. Equity is enabling a person to these opportunities by giving them the additional support that they need. This role looks different in the States, as many different professions are put into place and work together, like Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, and School Nurse. Overall, supporting children with special education needs is more in one professional in the UK while in the US it is composed of a team of professionals.
We ended the day with a lovely meal at Bistrot Pierre, looking out on the canal. Can’t wait to go to Stratford tomorrow!
Mary
