Today we went to BCU and headed to one of the skills lab rooms that has Anatomage tables. The tables are a great tool for nursing and other healthcare fields as it allows you to view anatomy in a 3D form. We talked about pregnancy and birth and then viewed newborns and a baby being born on the Anatomage tables. You can view various parts of the anatomy such as the skeletal system, muscular system, and more. We then had the opportunity to work on our presentations. Me and my group ran through our presentation on our own and then also presented it in front of Dr. Marks. You could feel the anxiety coming from everyone. Everyone was nervous, but ended up doing a wonderful job. After that we ate lunch and not long after we went to the exhibition. The exhibition included some tables set up with posters, free goodies, and people in the field to talk with. There was also tea, coffee, and pastries. I drank some green tea and a custard pastry. Then I also had black tea and a raspberry pastry that were all delicious. Soon after the conference began.

Our first keynote speaker was Nikki Brockie who became an intensive care nurse in 1995. She is now the executive chief nurse at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital. She said before we move forwards we have to reflect backwards. This advice applies to not just nursing and education, but all areas of life and learning. There are significant historical figures who have changed and shaped the nursing profession and what it means to care. Florence Nightingale helped popularize strict hygiene standards and also provided care for soldiers in the Crimean War. Nurses such as Mary Seacole, Edith Cavell, Hazel Johnson Brown, and others made huge contributions to the field. She also talked about empowerment and said “empowering nurses saves lives.” Education tools, being listened to, and being a part of decision making is all a part of empowerment. Our next keynote speaker was Dr. Marks. She spoke on issues of inequality. There’s three main issues she focused on, weather vs. poverty, visible ethnicity, and gender. A healthcare issue regarding visible ethnicity is that infant mortality rate is much higher in minority groups even when discounting wealth, education, and other factors. A healthcare issue regarding gender is that 84% of women said they were not listened to or were ignored at the doctors in the UK. Also, birth control has made barely any changes since coming out, but viagra has had numerous improvements. Another aspect to be aware of as healthcare workers and educators is implicit bias. Implicit bias is unconscious beliefs that impact our actions. They are based on experience, media, familial views, and training. As an educator I will check what biases I have by reflecting on my actions, thoughts, and materials I chose and are given to me. I should also be aware of the biases my students may have, ask questions and be ready to challenge my beliefs, metacognition which is thinking about my own thinking, learn about as many cultures as I can, and ensure everyone feels as though they have a place and a voice. 

My presentation was on mental health support in the US vs the UK. Both the US and the UK have a shortage of mental health providers and facilities. They both need to better support individuals with mental health issues. The US uses the DSM-5 while the UK uses the ICD-11 for mental health diagnoses.  In education the US has competencies such as Trauma Informed competencies that teachers follow, the UK does not have educational competencies. There has been a push to promote mental health in education in recent years which has led to the creation of programs and supports. Other groups presented on special needs, single parenthood, women reproductive health, and low-income adults. Everyone did a very nice job and it was interesting to see what information they found through their research. After everyone was done we stopped at the hotel before going to dinner. The dinner was really good, I got hot honey chicken wings, fish and chips, and split desserts with my friend. She got a s’mores brownie with ice cream and I got sticky toffee pudding, which is a popular English dessert. It was my first time having it and I really enjoyed it.