We had a long day today! We started by touring the Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital, then we visited WAITS, a nonprofit for victims of domestic violence, and we ended the day with a BCU faculty dinner. This 12-hour day was good practice for future clinical! My favorite part of the day was touring the hospital. I especially enjoyed seeing the Emergency Department (we call it the ER for Emergency Room) and the pediatric intensive care unit. I am interested in both acute care and pediatric nursing. It was hard to see the parents of children in critical condition, but I was inspired by the resilience of both the families’ healthcare staff. I realized how much I still have to learn about patient care, but I am excited to be a part of a profession that helps make a difference for these patients and their families.
I noticed that the hospital had many accommodations to support parents with children in the pediatric units. They had a parent room in each ward for parents to store belongings and to rest if they are not at the bedside. There were also informational pamphlets about different illnesses and treatments for parents to take. Each ward also had a list of the staff with photos and titles so parents can recognize the staff working with their children. In the PICU, parents are not typically allowed at the bedside due to limited space. However, parents are offered rooms to rest in the back of the building. These accommodations help support parents during the difficult experience of having a child in the hospital.
On the staff side of parental support, the nurses told us that the National Health system provides any UK citizen one year of paid maternity leave. This pay can also be split between partners, for example if one partner takes off the first six months and the other takes off the last six months after the child is born. The only requirement is that they work at the company providing maternity pay for at least three months after the leave has ended. This is much more support for new parents than the US system. In the states, where employers determine maternity leave, people who do not have full time employment may not be eligible for maternity pay. Employers will also discriminate against women around birthing age to avoid paying for maternity leave. In addition the average leave is only a few months, meaning new parents have less time at home with their newborns.
Another conversation that stuck with me was the increase in mental health crises that nursing staff at the Birmingham hospital have experienced over the past few years. The nurse educators we spoke with said that self harm and overdose have both increased since the COVID-19 outbreak. The Birmingham hospital is made up of a women’s section, a pediatric section, and a psychiatric section. However, the psychiatric section only has an ED and not inpatient beds. This means that psychiatric patients need to be relocated to other areas of the hospital while they wait for a bed to open in a long term psychiatric care institution. This can take weeks in some cases, and the other department staff are not equipped to deal with the staff to patient ratio and psychiatric expertise required to care for these patients. This shows that the UK, like the US, is experiencing a mental health crisis, but it also reveals some downsides of the National Health System and subsidized healthcare. Because healthcare is free, people enter the system for more minor issues, and there are long waiting times to receive care. This leads to socioeconomic inequality because people who can afford it will go to private physicians to skip waits.
After the hospital we visited Women Acting in Today’s Society (WAITS), an organization that works to support victims of domestic abuse. We had a discussion about what domestic abuse is and heard from several of the staff members. WAITS advocates for victims of abuse by educating the public on domestic violence, and working to train the police force to be empathetic and fair to victims. The organization also works to support victims in finding independence and well being. Some members discussed how they support women by connecting them to refuges if they are unable to find safe housing. Next month they are providing a workshop to connect women to employers and prepare them for interviews. This helps victims who have been displaced to be more independent.
At the end of the day we enjoyed a meal with staff and students from the university. We heard from a midwife and two English teachers who graduated from BCU. Something that the alumni speakers touched on that stuck out to me was why they chose to teach in Birmingham. Both education alumni were from wealthier suburban areas of England. Both went to their placements in Birmingham and were moved by their students. There are many nationalities and cultures represented, and many students speaking English as an additional language. Many minority students also struggle with home life and have a low socioeconomic status. This leads to many students struggling with obtaining hot meals and increases mental health problems. This stuck out to me, especially because our DEI research focuses on how systems racism and class disparities influence health and education of mothers and children. It was inspiring to hear that these educators chose to stay in Birmingham to make a positive impact on their students.
I’m very grateful that the study abroad advisors from Pitt and BCU were able to provide this experience, especially the hospital tour. Here’s to turning in my blog and getting some rest for another full day tomorrow!
Dinner with the BCU staff and students
Equipment in the cardiac PICU at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital