We went to BCU this morning to learn about female genital mutilation/ cutting (FGM). I am familiar with this topic because I have heard about it through medical tv shows. Most of the time, when it is mentioned the patient is from an African country like Nigeria or Sudan. I remember watching an episode of the Good Doctor and there was a female patient that wanted reconstructive surgery. She lied about her age and did not tell her parents about it. It really opened my eyes about why someone would think this kind of thing is okay. Her mother had it done, grandmother, and the woman before her. It is normalized in their culture that when someone raises flags about it, they get defensive. I understand that certain cultures have their traditions, but permanently disfiguring someone for the rest of their like is despicable. They are more prone to urinary tract infections and painful menstruation. Not to mention, they will never feel comfortable enough to be intimate with their future partners. These women feel so uncomfortable with their bodies that they do not join conversations about it. Watching the Youtube video of a woman that gad to be held down by several women because she didn’t want it done. Hurt me to my core. If she didn’t want it, why are you forcing them to go through it?! What could you possibly gain for you to hurt her like that?! I feel very privileged to not be born in a culture that pushes for FGM. My mother’s side of the family is from North Africa and I am so glad that it is not a tradition in Morocco. I do not think I could ever forgive my family if they tried to do something like that to me.
Our last adventure for the day was to visit Birmingham Children’s hospital. The entrance of the building was a bit hard to find because they are in the middle of renovations and expansion. This hospital is quite unique because it is inside a Victorian building, almost like a castle. A huge contrast to the Children’s hospital that we have in Pittsburgh. It was very beautiful and still in the red brick architecture. Our educators Gerdie and Adele were amazing. I quite enjoyed learning everything about this hospital from them. The most impactful part of this visit was Magnolia house and the Rainbow room. These places are an escape for families that have a child that is near their end of their life or have passed. Listening to Tasmin speak about making the sofa bed with sheets from the family’s home and adding a cot into the room for the child. I was holding back tears and fighting the urge to sob. As I write this, a few tears have escaped my eyes. The work that she and her colleagues do is extraordinary. I would need to see my therapist more than once a week if I had her job. These rooms are the last time they get to hold, sing, bathe, or kiss their child before saying goodbye. The room itself feels like a safe haven from the “hospital smell” and the machines. Once we walked back to the lecture room, it was so quiet and I really had to take it in. Being a pediatric nurse is a rewarding job and it comes with its downsides. Not every patient gets to go home, but you do the best you can to make sure they do. Despite the emotional part of this visit, I learned a lot about the difference between working as a nurse in the UK versus the US. Their wards are more like bays than individual rooms for patients. I was not expecting that. It felt very crowded and less privacy when a family is with their child. I was quite shocked to hear that in PICU their ratio is 1:1. That each patient gets their own nurse, where in the US we may have 1 nurse to 4 patients maximum. They really prioritize safe nurse to patient ratios.