We started off the day by meeting up together and walking over to BCU as a group. Once we got there, there was a delay in starting our lecture about female genital mutilation because the person who was supposed to give the lecture had an emergency. So, instead, Chinenye gave us the lecture. In the little bit of time we had waiting for Chinenye to arrive, we discussed the schedule we had for the next few days and the International Nursing Conference. We briefly talked about the criteria we had to meet for our presentations that we had to present for this international conference.
Next, we started the lecture about female genital mutilation (FGM). According to the World Health Organization, FGM are procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. This is usually done on young girls anywhere from infancy age 15 and it has absolutely no health benefits. FGM was a violation of girls’ and women’s fundamental human rights, yet more than 230 million girls/women are alive with the procedure and more then 4 million girls are estimated to be at the risk of FGM every year. There is no religion that supports FGM but families perform this procedure on their daughters as part of passing it down from generation to generation and tradition. I found it absolutely insane and crazy that families would bring their daughters to their native lands for an extended amount of time just to have this performed. The only way to stop this awful thing is by providing proper education and awareness in communities where FGM is highly prevalent. Next, we learned about the 4 main types of FGM: Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, & Type 4. Type 1 is the partial or total removal of the clitoris and/or the prepuce. This was the safest type compared to the other types because it had the least future consequences. Type 2 is partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minor, with or without the labia majora. Type 2 heals with scar tissue which could cause a problem later on. Type 3 is the partial or total removal of the clitoris and inner labia and/or the outer labia with the inner labia sewn together leaving a small hole. This gives a lot of challenges and pain, in addition to possible infertility to the girl/women. Finally, Type 4 is the piercing, burning, scraping, or stretching to the external female genitalia. This is an extremely painful procedure and is not related to medical procedures. There are also so many health consequences of FGM, such as excessive bleeding, genital tissue swelling, infections, urinary problems, vaginal problems, and even psychological & emotional impacts. To be honest, I did not know FGM was a thing until we had this lecture today. I found it cool and insane that things like this are still happening in our world even today. FGM is illegal in the UK since 1985 and it is illegal to take a UK resident abroad for FGM as well. In the US, it is also illegal with 41 states having specific FGM laws and 9 states not having specific laws. In addition, there is a global goal that has been set: by 2030, in the 18 high-prevalence countries and worldwide, FGM should be eliminated and not performed.
After this lecture, we got to eat lunch. Then, we all got on a bus and made our way to the Birmingham Children’s Hospital (BCH). First, we were given some background information about the hospital. BCH has nearly 120K patients every year. One phrase that really stuck out to me during the presentation was “angels without wings”. Once I heard this phrase, it only motivated me to pursue more and help as many people as I possibly can and make a positive impact on my patients/community. In addition, I really like the quote that was on the screen at the end: “As a nurse we have the opportunity to heal the mind, soul, heart, and body of our patients. They may forget your name but they will never forget how you made them feel”. This quote was said by Maya Angelou and as I read it, it just made me realize how powerful a career in nursing is, beyond just doing procedures and giving patients medications. Then, we were given a tour around the hospital. Looking at the hospital and comparing it to what I’ve seen in the US, it was extremely different. The external architecture, the layout, and even the way things functioned inside the hospital was also very different. As we progressed with the tour, it slowly started to get very emotional, as I was seeing kids in beds being pushed from one hospital to another or seeing parents holding their sick children. When we entered the chapel in the hospital, there was a tree with many notes from families who had lost a child. As I read these notes, I started to cry because there was sorrow, pain, and love shown in each and every one of these notes, whether it was a parent, older sibling, or cousin writing it. Next, we went to the Magnolia house, which was really interesting but all very emotional and sad. This is a place where families can go to forget that they are in a hospital. It gives them a break from the fast paced environment in a hospital. The house is very nicely set up explicitly expressing the feelings of being home and is completely made out of donations from families and not NHS. If a child passes away, the family can spend time in this “home” before the child has to be taken away for the later process. It was very sad having to think about this and it hit me really hard. However, in a way, despite the bad things that could happen when working as a pediatric nurse, there are many good things too which make an impact on a child and their family. This is really important to remember. Soon, I realized, spaces like the Magnolia House do not really exist in the US.
After the hospital tour, we went to the pediatric ICU. It was very cool to see from a medical standpoint. There were a few things that really stood out to me. One thing was the fact that the ICU was one big room rather than a hallway that consists of many small rooms for each patient. When we asked about this, I learned that this was because with one big room, it is easier to move around equipment and is very efficient. On the other hand, in the US, privacy is highly important, allowing each patient to have a room rather than looking at the efficiency of the ICU. This was one big difference. The other big difference was the ratio of nurse to patient. In the PICU, the ratio is 1:1. However, in the US, each nurse looks after more than 1 patient, usually 2 to 3 or even more depending on the age and other factors. Finally, the other difference is the uniforms for the nurses. There are different uniforms for different levels of nurses and that depends the amount of experience one has in a specific role. Every nurse starts off at band 5 and can work their way up. I found this very interesting because this concept does not exist in the US.
Overall, I have definitely learned so much today, ranging from basic medical knowledge or the viewpoint/perspective of families in the hospital. It was quite an emotional day, but I am sure this will only give me the motivation to try even harder!
After the hospital visit, we took the bus back to the hotel room and I am ready for a restful night!
