I’ve realized I need to implement the full English breakfast into my life back in the States because not only is it delicious, it keeps me full all day long. I go to sleep anticipating the next morning’s grand feast, the thought of it immediately wakes me up on these early mornings. We have started walking a lot more often and longer distances. I have even heard a few locals make jokes about how Americans are not used to walking and how it is hard for us, and they are not exactly wrong. I have noticed in Birmingham how walkable and accessible the sidewalks are for individuals trying to get to their destinations.
Our first lecture of the day was based on public health, and how important it is as individuals to work together to promote the total public health population. Public health is the idea of monitoring mental, physical, and financial states that affect a population rather than a diagnosis. The seventeen sustainable developmental goals (SNG) are very ambitious standards we as a country have set that need to be met by certain dates. They include ending poverty, clean water, renewable energy, and ending gender inequality. The main goal that goes along with public health is achieving good health. It is also important to remember policies and governmental officials play a crucial role in the status of public health.
Our second lecture was the most interesting and important to me. It was about the Midwifery program and how it compares to the United States system. Midwives are the main and can be only healthcare professionals during delivery. While in America, the main hands on person is the OBGYN with labor and delivery nurses on standby helping the mother have a smooth procedure. There are Midwives in the United States but there are not as many opportunities for them, so it leads to a lower enrollment rate in the Midwife graduate program. I loved that the main pillar of the United Kingdom’s midwife career is to focus on what the mother needs and wants, while in America the healthcare system tends to ignore what the patient wants but prioritizes the comfort and stress levels for healthcare workers. I was also shocked by the fact abortion rules are completely different in the States compared to the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom you can have an abortion all the way at the end of the pregnancy, only if two medical professionals approve the request.
Our third lecture was about mental health and how it is used in healthcare systems. Nurses in the US and UK both tend to focus on the patient and their own character instead of the medical diagnosis. Our instructor spoke from a philosophical perspective focusing on not creating a bad connotation while receiving care by not using medical terminology at all. It is an interesting approach that humanizes the experience more and gets on the same level as the patient, speaking as an equal rather than a higher individual. He also talked about the idea of stress being a unique feeling for our body. We are used to stress being a negative emotion that comes along with a hard situation. On the other hand, stress can make individuals work smarter and better under it. These ideas have left me questioning the standards we have for our psychiatric units in the United States.
Our final lecture focused on African American history in England. The main tragedy that happened in the past was known as the Windrush generation, where during world war two individuals from the Caribbean came to Birmingham to help rebuild after the bombing and eventually start making a life for themselves after. Then randomly in the 1970’s the Birmingham government decided these people were not real citizens even though they have been there for multiple decades. This action was deeply rooted in racism and a similar circumstance is happening in the United States currently with ICE. Listening and understanding history helps for future situations to not repeat past mistakes. We then went on a walk around the city stopping at plenty of important landmarks that showed history. One of my favorites of the day was the Birmingham Cathedral, which has been around since the 1800s in Pigeon Park. The beautiful stained glass windows really made the church have a rustic feel to the building.
We then went to Jamaya, a Jamaican restaurant, with the best jerk chicken I have ever tried. Trying these new foods every night has never disappointed and has been the best part of everyday.
