Today, we started our day later, and it was lovely to sleep in! After some quick coffee, we explored the UK general practice healthcare system. In general practice nursing, we learned that GP nurses work to manage chronic (but treatable) diseases like diabetes, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), provide lifestyle advice, and administer vaccines. We learned about the importance of these healthcare workers and how they take the pressure off hospitals and emergency rooms, as people with less extreme conditions can go to a general practice to get the care they need. We learned about the importance of general practice and the current crisis in the UK concerning chronic wait times and overcrowded hospitals. This conversation was fascinating because it compared public and private healthcare systems. For example, the National Health Service (NHS) is free in the UK but suffers from excessively long wait times, and it is often difficult to get the support needed to heal. However, in America, privatized healthcare is costly, but after paying for insurance, appointments are easier to get and there is less of a wait time.

These conversations are interesting because in America, many people view public healthcare as a better system, especially after paying excessive amounts for privatized healthcare. However, there are cons to the free healthcare program, as many people in the UK have switched to private healthcare to get appointments faster. It was also interesting to see people’s perspectives on the patient and practitioner side of things and how they view the healthcare system.

We took a quick break to grab even more coffee and some lunch, and when we returned, we got to do a transportable escape room to test our knowledge. This activity was super cool and interactive, and made me realize I knew a lot more about GP nursing than I thought I did.

After this, we learned about professionalism and how to give a good presentation. We were given tips and tricks for when we present our research projects on Monday, including finding someone specific in the crowd to make eye contact with, writing down quick notes to avoid reading off the paper, and speaking slowly so the audience can understand and absorb what is being said. I am super excited to incorporate this into my daily life!

Next, we learned about Nikki Brockie, the Chief Nurse of the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, and her journey through nursing and the healthcare system. It was refreshing to see that the path through nursing is not always straightforward, and there are different routes to a higher role.

Something very personal to me was Nikki Brockie’s experience with dyslexia and being a nurse. As someone with dyslexia, it was refreshing to see that there are strategies I can employ to overcome certain hurdles and still be successful as a nurse. Sometimes, learning differences in nursing are not always talked about. Still, it was nice to hear the experience of someone who went through something similar to mine, and it was empowering to hear about how she overcame challenges.

After a day of lectures, we joined a couple of Birmingham City University (BCU) students for dinner to discuss our experiences abroad and the differences in the nursing programs, as these students studied in Pittsburgh at the end of last summer. They also gave us some great advice on places to shop here and in London, and we will definitely be taking a look!

Today was great, and I cannot wait to explore more tomorrow!