Happy day number three! Today was packed full of learning and included lectures and a walking tour. We were able to learn how connected different communities are, and that healthcare is such a broad topic, and there are so many jobs within it. Our lectures today helped me better understand how to listen to people’s experiences and the systems they are impacted by. It made me think about nursing from a broader viewpoint and how I could better support the people I will be helping.
We started in the morning with a lecture on public health, which was more interesting than I expected it to be. We talked a lot about how crucial the definition of health is because it is not just the absence of illness, but looking at a person as a whole. It also includes the mental, physical, and social well-being. I think it is easy to forget how many factors contribute to someone’s health, so it was helpful to hear it in this lecture. We talked about prevention and how in the UK, public health is focused on promoting a healthier lifestyle, so there are fewer problems down the road. It was interesting to learn how their healthcare system here emphasizes organization and prevention efforts in the communities.
The one part of the lecture that really resonated with me was the discussion about social determinants of health. We talked a lot about the multitude of factors that impact health outcomes, like income, environment, education, and housing. The lecturer talked about how in Birmingham, the difference of just five miles can dramatically change life expectancy rates. Hearing that really puts things into perspective for me because it shows how connected healthcare is to so many other issues. We saw how all the systems in the UK work together to support the general public health efforts, and just how big a role nurses play in that. I found it really interesting to be able to compare and contrast the UK healthcare system to the US healthcare system and see the differences in how healthcare is treated and approached.
Our second lecture focused on midwifery, which I did not know much about before today. I learned that in the UK, midwives are specially trained and autonomous practitioners who are present during every stage of pregnancy and birth. They are present without doctors unless there is medical intervention needed. They described midwives as healthcare providers and professional friends, which was a good way to describe the role they play in a family’s life. One thing that was a major difference between the UK and the US was that the UK centers their care based on women’s autonomy and choice. They work closely with the woman and support the choices that she wants, while still focusing on evidence-based care. Compared to the US, where we are more focused on medical needs and efficiency. Midwives are the ones who support families after birth, and some even go into extra years of school to become health visitors who go into the home. The healthcare aspect of midwifery is very focused on the long-term support and education of the patient and family.
We then had a lecture from a mental health nurse and his experiences transferring from adult nursing to psychiatric nursing. A key point was about empathy and how crucial it is to understand someone’s distress from their point of view. It is common to describe empathy as being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, but this lecturer explained that true empathy means trying to understand how another person experiences the world rather than imagining how we personally would feel in their situation. This was an important reminder for me because in nursing, we have to be aware that each patient has a different background, and how they deal with distress will be different.
Our final lecture of the day was on Black history in Birmingham and the historical aspects of the city. We learned about how Birmingham was developed through sugar, spice, and slavery. There are many parts of history and economics that are connected to colonialism and slavery. I appreciated that the lecture did not avoid the hard parts of history and said that even the difficult parts of history are still a part of it and need to be talked about. There are so many cultures that contributed to Birmingham and its success, and it is important to address them all.
We then ended the day with dinner at a Jamaican restaurant with our guide. The day reminded me that being a nurse is more than just caring about someone’s medical care. Healthcare is connected to history, education, and culture. Each day, I am pushed to think more critically and keep learning about the world around me.