As a group, we started the day by walking together to Birmingham City University. We took a different way to the university today and entered the campus on a path surrounded by picturesque nature. It was a beautiful way to start our days. I deeply appreciate how the UK considers all aspects of well being when constructing their buildings.

After ordering our coffee from the campus coffee shop and seeing our new BCU friend, Gema, we listened to a school nurse talk about her pathway, job responsibilities, and experiences. School nurses in the UK are not just school based but instead consider the entire community that contributes to the overall environment and health of a child obtaining education. These critical school nurses tailor their care to those who need it the most. Their priority is to provide equitable support, education, and access on the basis of health to the children and families of the community they serve in. They consider the wider impacts that influence the health and wellbeing of children and young people. The school nurses take pride in advocating for the children and their families. School nurses are multi-faceted and act as children’s superheroes by supporting and advocating for the children and facilities that need it the most. Their role in society is essential and prevents the cycle of poverty and abuse. Whereas, the school nurses in the states do not have the power or resources to provide for the community in the ways that improve health equity. It is absolutely brilliant that the UK has a system in place that allows school nurses to work to combat inequitable healthcare and serve the most vulnerable populations as much as they can. The school nurse presented and went through each of the vital roles they play and the list is incredible. The UK health system is built upon the concept of teamwork and community. The presenting school nurse who is now a senior lecturer puts this perfectly into words by saying “it takes a village to holistically provide for children during critical ages of development.” The school nurses take a public health approach to keep the present children well and healthy to stop the endless cycle of poverty and ensure the future of the next generation is provided for. The UK believes the children are the future and should be at the forefront of care in society and puts this ideal into all their systems.

The school nurse also shared the models they follow to provide equitable care to the children and communities they serve. She showed us the bronfenbrenner model and it literally has the child at the center of care focus with multiple rings of social determinants of health that can affect this child. Their holistic approach to healthcare and health promotion in educational realms for children ultimately shows where the UK’s priorities lie in society. School nurses also work off of the MECC model which stands for making every contact count. This model shows that they utilize all resources and preventative screenings to combat any detected abuse or issue early on. By following these models they are delivering their crucial care in the most effective and efficient way as possible. However, this incredibly important nursing role in society is at a crisis-level shortage as well. The school nurses that are working tirelessly providing for their assigned communities often experience burnout which could ultimately make them unable to promote, advocate, and educate on the basis to health if they are too busy safeguarding. More school nurses are needed and are extremely essential in preventing abuse and life-long poverty while also promoting healthy habits and relationships to assist in eliminating negative social determinants of health that children are unable to control. School nurses are needed to end the cycle of harm, abuse, and poverty while taking care of future generations. The health and well-being of children in the United States’ would almost certainly improve if our health system implemented and revised the role of school nurses to those of that in the UK.

The second presentation was all about mental health, where it originated, and the history closely associated with it. Their expertise on explaining the mental health crisis was incredible. I learned mental health in a way I have never been informed about before. The nursing educator described the timeline of Birmingham and when certain populations arrived due to trade and money-making opportunities for the people in positions of power in the United Kingdom. The start of this presentation went hand-in-hand with the last presentation of the day because both show how the ugly history of slavery and trade shaped what Birmingham is today. Birmingham is in turn one of the minority majority cities. Mental health issues are directly affected by each one of our histories and experiences. The speaker explained that in order to work and serve the society we must first understand the rich history of society. To do so, we must acknowledge and address all of history, including the ugly parts, to recognize effects on specific populations so we can be aware when we are in practice. He then went on about the theories surrounding psychiatric drugs and his explanations gave me an entirely different perspective that must be heard in the states. Some theories advocated that these drugs should be the last resort of healthcare to improve mental health because there is a lack of evidence-based information pertaining to these drugs. Side effects are also often overlooked and the risks are not always told to patients receiving these drugs. His expert and clinical opinions he provided were excellent and gave me a new way of thinking about mental health and what should be done to treat it. As nurses we must holistically take care of our patients and be aware of the affects causing mental illness while also not always resorting to drugs.

I loved what I learned today and can’t wait to see how it all comes together by the end of this trip.