Today was definitely the longest and most tiring day we have had so far, and honestly it tested my limits both physically and mentally. Even though I was exhausted by the end of the day, I learned so many important things that made the experience so worth it. We started our day at 8:30 a.m. and of course I had to get my beans on toast, and then went to BCU campus where we first attended a lecture about public health taught by Dr. Sara Zarti. While some of the information was already familiar because I had learned about it previously in my Intro to Professional Nursing class last semester, hearing it again in a different setting helped me understand some of these concepts in the healthcare setting.
One of the biggest ideas I learned in the public health lecture was the difference between equity and equality. Before taking my nursing classes, I honestly thought those two words meant the same thing, but really they have two completely different meanings. Equality means giving everyone the same treatment, regardless of their individual situations. Equity means giving everyone different treatment depending on their individual situations so that everyone has the same outcome. Although equality may sound fair at first, it can lead to unequal outcomes since not everyone is on the same start or has the same needs. This concept stood out to me because it is so important in healthcare. Everyone and every patient is different, so nurses cannot give the same exact treatment to every person and expect the same results out of all of them. Some patients may need more physical or mental support than others, or even different treatment plans and assistance depending on their background. Learning this reminded me that nursing is not just about treating illnesses, but it’s also about making sure everyone has the same opportunity to receive proper care.
Another thing that really shocked me in the lecture was the fact that 1 in 4 adults in the UK experience mental illness every year, which is the leading cause of disability. I knew mental health struggles were common, but I didn’t know that many people were affected. It made me really think how often mental illnesses can be invisible. Someone may look happy and fine on the outside while struggling internally every single day. I think it’s important to understand that mental health is just as important as physical health. Although society has improved a lot when it comes to talking about mental health, there is still a lot of stigma around it.
My absolute favorite part of the day was the midwifery lecture that took place right after the public health lecture. I found it so interesting and honestly inspiring. Before today, I didn’t really know what being a midwife is. However, after hearing about what they do, it made me really want to consider being a midwife if it weren’t for the fact that I have such a big passion for anesthesia. After hearing about their role and what they do for all women, I gained so much respect for the profession. Midwives support women throughout pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postnatal period. What stood out to me the most was how much emotional support they provide in addition to medical care.
I also learned that there are so many differences between being a midwife in the UK versus the US. In the UK, midwives play a much bigger role in maternity care and are usually the main healthcare professionals women see throughout pregnancy if they are low-risk patients. This is different from the US, where OBGYNs are more commonly involved.
One fact from the lecture that completely shocked me was learning that breastfeeding prevents a woman’s risk of breast cancer! I had genuinely never heard that before and found it extremely fascinating, and I still don’t know how it completely works. Throughout the entire lecture, I learned that midwifery is not just about delivering babies, but it’s about educating women, promoting health, and advocating for patients.
The third lecture we had today was about mental health, and the main and most important thing we learned from that was the importance of empathy. We learned that empathy is so much more than just feeling bad for someone, but it’s about being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and being able to understand their emotions and perspectives. In a healthcare setting, empathy can completely change a patient’s experience which was shown very clear to me when Dr. Jonathan Gatsby was talking about his own experience with a patient.
The last lecture we had today was about Black heritage, and we learned about the Windrush generation. We got to hear from an amazing guest speaker Mardna who got to share her experience being a Windrush nurse in Jamaica. After the lecture, we went on a Black heritage walk to learn more about the statues in Birmingham and the meanings behind them.
After all these lectures and the long walk, we went to a Jamaican restaurant which turned out to be a lot better than we all expected! After this long day, I can’t wait to rest up and see what other exciting things I will learn about tomorrow!