This morning, we started our journey by taking taxis to Birmingham’s Children’s and Women’s Hospital. The taxi ride was quite lovely. The driver is enclosed in the front by a clear plastic shield while in the back there are five seats for customers. I have never been in a taxi with more than three seats, but they connect two extra to the back of the plastic shield wall protecting the driver. The UK seems to make little things like this that are often overlooked, more efficient and more pleasant for its citizens.
As a group we arrived in three different taxis and then went to a local coffee shop near the hospital to grab take away coffee before we started our day at the hospital. The coffee was delightful and the pastries looked scrumptious.
Once we went into the hospital, I noticed straight away how colorful and bright it is. It creates a warm and welcoming environment for all its patients and visitors. The hospitals in the U.S. lack these characteristics that make a big difference in first impressions. It also contained leadership boards that had all of the faculty per hospital unit pictured with their official job title listened beneath their professional picture . The hospital also had large white boards in each unit that effectively communicated who patients’ nurses and medical team were for the day. Families and the medical teams seem to work together and these open communication systems assure all parties of care stay informed. The hospital also displays pamphlets for families and patients to take home. They contain vital information that promotes healthy recover even at home. Additionally, the UK utilizes written charting, but will be moving to a online medical record in the upcoming year. However, from my learning in my Intro to Professional Nursing class, we learned that online charting has often taken away from the beauty of nurse to patient interaction, leaving the patient feel like they are not as valued. It is interesting that the UK has held on to hand-written charting mechanisms for longer than we have. The hospital also contained a James Brindley center which promotes education to children staying in the hospital. It brings education to the children instead of allowing the children become far behind in school. We observed the education center with special education teachers teaching all grade levels important skills. The UK has implemented a system to prevent sick or unable children from falling behind in school while also providing the children with a sense of purpose and belonging. Children in the states need a system like this to support their educational pathway while recovering in the hospital. Open communication and accessible education of quality healthcare is a fantastic tool to in prove patient outcomes. I would love to utilize and provide these examples in my future research to improve the United States’ health outcomes and overall well being.
We then listened to nurse educators that work in this beautiful hospital speak about their experiences and expertise. They informed us that nurses have a annual leave that can be anywhere from twenty-seven to thirty-five days long depending on how many years they have already dedicated to working for the hospital. These days can be chosen whenever works the best for the nurse just as long as she requests these days off in advance. This annual leave requirement prevents burnout and low performance levels from the nurses to promote improved patient outcomes. The U.S. lacks annual leaves for its nurses working in hospital settings. Working three long shifts back to back or every other day or so with no extended break has a direct correlation to nursing burnout or low-quality performance due to the exhaustion and lack of self-care time. The U.S. should implement these standards for their tertiary nurse employees as well.
When the nurses were sharing their education journey, we were again enlightened that nursing students in the UK pick their specialty before they obtain their education at uni. Whereas in the states we learn about all the specialities and complete clinical rotations for all specialities and then choose which to pursue in the workforce. In both the UK and the U.S., it is easy to transition to a different speciality for nurses once they are employed so both educational systems yield very similar results for the flexibility of employed nurses.
We ended our day by chatting with BCU alumni at a lovely restaurant. The food was magnificent and was of a Thai cuisine. The food is all so fresh and flavorful and we were able to connect with impactful alumni that all have powerful experiences and expertise to share with us. I cannot wait to learn more.