Today was a packed but super rewarding day at BCU’s second campus, City South. As we walked onto the campus it was so cool getting to see how it differed from their City Centre Campus. I especially loved how much green space and trees were around campus, it felt more like I was walking through a beautiful park than anything else. Once we entered the building we were able to make a quick Starbucks stop and then we jumped right into the lectures for the day. 

The first session focused on public health, and I was surprised by how broad the field really is. It’s not just about preventing illness, but rather it’s about improving life for entire communities. Public health efforts happen at all levels, and it was interesting to hear about all different aspects of public health that I didn’t necessarily associate it with. For example, our speaker, Alicia Lashley, explained that requiring people to wear seatbelts in cars is a public health initiative meant to reduce fatality rates. Although it makes sense to be an issue of health, I had never thought about it directly in that way before. Something that really stuck with me was the idea of the “social gradient” which basically explains that your health is greatly affected by your social status. Things like income, education, and even your zip code can make a huge difference in your lifespan. That was both eye-opening and a little unsettling.

Next came a lecture on FGM, and honestly, it was one of the hardest but most important things we’ve learned about. I didn’t realize how many different types there are or how widespread the practice still is, affecting over 200 million women and girls worldwide. The reasons behind it range from tradition and religion to ideas about purity and marriageability. It was heartbreaking to hear about the physical and emotional trauma that survivors go through, but I appreciated how the speaker emphasizes it as a human rights issue, not just a medical one. We were also able to watch a video about someone who experienced FGM as a young girl, and it was particularly interesting to hear how she was able to approach it from a broader understanding and from a place of empathy, rather than simply blaming her older family members

After that, we had a fascinating talk about mental health in nursing. We explored the history of Birmingham’s diverse population and then dove into how the mental health system works (or sometimes doesn’t). We especially focused on how some professionals are pushing for a shift in how we think about mental illness. One shift that really stood out to me was that the “chemical imbalance” theory of mental health issues isn’t as simple and solid as we’ve been led to believe. Another takeaway from this lecture that really stood out to me was how important it is for nurses to not just fall victim to ‘doing it the way it’s always been done’, but rather challenging methods and ideas to provide better and more individualized care.

The final lecture focused on HIV and sexual health. We learned what HIV nurses do day to day such as offering testing, administering treatment, and educating the public, and the struggles that come from how much stigma still exists around the virus. Even though HIV is treatable, many people are often still under the impression that HIV is an automatic death sentence, and oftentimes people don’t even get tested when they should, especially if they don’t fit the typical “stereotype.” This lecture really showed me the importance of educating people on the reality of different aspects of health, the importance of de-stigmatization, and the importance of understanding that available treatments are constantly improving and ever changing.

We then had dinner with the BCU faculty and some students, and it was the perfect way to end the day. Some of the students got up and talked to us about their experience at BCU and transitioning to a career, and it was especially great to hear from the nursing graduate that came to speak. I loved hearing about her journey, her experience after working for five months, and the few pieces of advice she left for us. I left feeling inspired, thoughtful, and very satisfied from the delicious dinner. Today reminded me just how connected health is to everything else in life and reaffirmed one of the many reasons I chose this field.