Today’s lectures were full of information we had great lectures about school nurses in the United Kingdom, Mental Health Nursing, and went on a tour of Birmingham that highlighted the Black and other Heritages in Birmingham and had a former NHS nurse explain her professional and personal career.
Our first lecture today was with a school nurse in the United Kingdom. It was very insightful to see how similar but different in their tasks. In America, our school nurses are strictly in the school buildings and are there to serve the students who are not feeling well and need assistance while in school. School nurses in the United Kingdom serve a wide range of duties for the community. These tasks range from counseling, immunization, overall care, and social work. This is a perfect example of how the UK’s system is truly set up. They look at someone holistically and connect all the parts of these systems. The position of school nurse demonstrates the same idea of the bridge that the healthcare world has with education. These are all positive ways that even allow homeschooled children the same opportunities. The school nurses can still work with these students on specialty subjects that the parents wish. For example, some parents may ask for their child to receive extra instruction on what happens during puberty. The tasks of school nurses can be applied to help SLIFE students in the United States. Extending the care and support in the UK can help students not feel so disconnected from school when they are at home.
After our lecture with the school nurse, we sat with a nursing professor from Birmingham City University. He started the mental health lesson with the history of immigration into Britain. Many centuries ago, it all stemmed from one company. Due to many trades in the past and economic decisions, many different ethnicities have made their way into Britain. Specifically, Birmingham has a large diversity due to industrialization at that time. With many ethnicities comes the importance of understanding everyone’s culture and respecting them. This understanding is important for both teachers and nurses alike. Building rapport with these individuals will make life easier for everyone as they work together. In the United Kingdom, nurses choose their specializations early on. Like how teachers in the United States get an idea of whether they want to work with older or younger students. This lecture focused on the topics that a Mental Health nurse would be well versed in. One argument in the Menta health world includes “Disorders are just genetic”. They argue, if this is true then all history and environments are unimportant and no longer need to be discussed. They are working against the idea that this is a genetic lottery and many of these reactions are due to external factors as well. In the United Kingdom right now authors are working toward making change in the Mental Health World. Author Joanna Moncrieff is a British psychiatrist who writes to bring light to the overuse of medication. She finds many are being medicated too early on in their diagnosis leading to more problems later in life or once they finish taking the medication. The belief that the US is overmedicated is used when arguing for lowering the rate of medication. Another argument in the nursing world is Lucy Johnstone’s disagreement that the disorders are chemical imbalances in the brain. These imbalance phrases are becoming outdated because there is limited research that is finding physical evidence. Finally, there have been many controversies that have led to neglect. Nurses do not get as much credit for what they do and go unappreciated. Author Freya Collier Sewell has the strong quote “Justice is what love looks like in public, just as tenderness is what love looks like in private.”
The rest of the day was full of history that focused on the Black Heritage throughout the city. This was very insightful and eye-opening. Much of the history and important monuments in the city are not fully explained. They represent the many immigrants who worked to help bring the city to the glory it is now. Many immigrants from Jamaica are the ones to thank for the great parts of the city. We heard from a former nurse in the NHS, she shared her experiences in the field. During the 1960’s she faced some discrimination but overcame it and kept her eyes on what she wanted in the future. Her explanations gave us a perfect glimpse back to what the field was like back then. We ended our day with dinner at Jamaya. It was the best meal of the entire trip. I had a jerk chicken wrap with fries and ate every last piece.
Tomorrow we are heading to the botanical gardens, and I can’t wait to make more memories!
