Today was a very interactive day! We started our morning by walking to Birmingham City University. One of the first things we learned about was the ambulance simulation that students use to practice before going out into real-life situations. It was very interesting to see how realistic the setup was and how students are able to gain hands-on experience in a safe environment before working with actual patients.

We also got the chance to look inside the ambulance and learn more about the equipment used by paramedics. I even tried on the bag that paramedics carry into houses, and it was very heavy! It made me realize how much equipment they need to bring with them and how physically demanding the job can be. Inside the ambulance, everything was very organized and easy to access, which I thought was really important during emergencies when every second matters. The inside was also bigger than I expected. However, in the United Kingdom, the roads are much smaller and narrower compared to home, so the ambulances cannot be too large or they would have trouble getting through the streets.

I also noticed that the color and design of the ambulance were different from the ambulances in the United States, which I found very interesting. It was cool to see how emergency services can vary between countries while still serving the same important purpose of helping people in emergencies.

We then split up into groups and rotated through different learning activities. In one of the groups, we learned about maggots and their role in medicine, which I found very interesting. We talked about how maggots can sometimes get into skin or wounds naturally, which can be harmful, but we also learned that sterile maggots are actually used medically to help treat certain wounds. The sterile maggots are placed into special bags and applied to wounds where the enzymes they release help break down dead tissue. This process helps clean the wound and can support healing.

I thought this was especially interesting because I had always viewed maggots as something completely negative. Learning that they can actually have positive effects in medicine and wound care changed the way I thought about them and showed me how unique and creative some medical treatments can be.

We also learned about different types and sizes of burns and how healthcare professionals assess them. Some burns were deeper and wider than others, and we learned how important it is to properly measure and assess a wound before beginning treatment. In wound care, understanding the size, depth, and condition of the wound is one of the first and most important steps in deciding how to care for it.

After that, we practiced patching and dressing wounds, which I found really fun and interactive. There were a lot of steps involved, and remembering to keep everything sterile could get a little confusing at times, but it was a very good learning experience. We also practiced putting on sterile gloves, which was much harder than I expected and definitely takes practice to do correctly without contaminating them. Overall, it was a really interesting experience that gave me a better understanding of how much attention to detail is required in healthcare.

We then learned how to wrap bandages around different parts of the body, such as the hand and foot. I found this skill very fun because it was hands-on and allowed us to practice techniques that are commonly used in healthcare. It took some patience to learn how to wrap the bandages correctly so they would stay secure and provide proper support. We also got to take the bandages home with us so we could continue practicing, which I thought was very helpful and a great way to improve the skill even more.

We then got lunch and moved to the second station, where we learned how to insert a catheter. This is a skill I have never done before, so I was glad that I got to experience practicing it for the first time. Before we started, we watched a video that walked us through the procedure step by step, which was very helpful because there were many important details to remember.

We all tried our best and definitely made some mistakes along the way, but it was still a very fun and valuable learning experience. The skill required a lot of focus, patience, and attention to keep everything sterile. It was exciting to practice something that I know I will be learning more about next year in nursing school. Experiences like this made the day feel very interactive and helped me better understand the hands-on side of healthcare.

I am so excited to see what comes next on this trip and to continue learning through all of these new experiences!