Today was the most nerve wracking day of the trip…It was presentation day! Ella and I woke up extra early to make sure everything was just right. I curled my hair, put on makeup, and put on the outfit I brought specifically for this day. I also made sure to eat a healthy breakfast, accompanied with tea so that I did not lose my voice halfway through the presentation.
After we got ready, we met in the lobby to walk to BCU. Before the conference began, we were able to look at and play with the Anatomage tables that the university had. We were able to specifically look at a pregnant woman giving birth and the stages of a fetus before it is born. It was so cool because we were able to look at different layers of the fetus, such as, only looking at its soft tissue or only looking at its bones. The Anatomage table is such a great way to learn anatomy and further our education, which is why we are so lucky to have one in Pittsburgh as well!
After our Anatomage session, we were given two hours to practice our presentations and eat lunch. My group and I practiced numerous times in order to ensure that we were within the time limit of ten minutes, and that all of our facts made sense. I had three slides to present, so I also made sure that I wrote my notes down on an index card so that I wouldn’t be trying to remember what I wanted to say throughout the presentation.
After our two hours it was time to sit for the conference. Our presentations were last on the agenda, so we were able to listen to other speakers before it was our turn. To begin, we met Dr. Shona Green the Head of Department for Adult Nursing at BCU. She talked to us about adult nursing at BCU in general which has about seven hundred undergraduate students (so many more than the University of Pittsburgh’s nursing program!). The students are able to specialize much earlier than us, and go into one of four fields of nursing practice: adult, mental health and learning disabilities, midwifery, and pediatrics. We also learned a little bit about nursing in the military which gives students a path forward to higher education. The military will pay for the nursing students’ education and housing, and they are trained by BCU. It is a great option for those who may be at a lower income threshold and struggle to pay for their education. Finally, we learned about sexual health and HIV nursing. This type of nursing is unique because it has adult and pediatric patients with a mental health aspect as well. HIV patients are also seen by healthcare professionals every six months with the goal to prevent transmission of the disease.
After we learned about the general overview of BCU, nursing in the military, and sexual health and HIV nursing, we moved on to our first keynote speech by Nikki Brockie. Nikki’s speech in its entirety was about empowering nurses in order to save lives which was so inspirational. The two main points that stuck with me after her speech were, “empowerment isn’t about voice, it’s about influence,” and we need to have professional curiosity always in nursing. These are lessons that will continue with me throughout my nursing career and will aid me in advocating for my patients.
After Nikki’s speech we had another keynote speech by Dr. Marks and we had a student panel. Dr. Marks’s speech was about how our implicit biases can affect the work that we do, and we need to be careful when treating our patients on autopilot to ensure that we aren’t judging them without meaning to. The student panel gave us great advice about clinicals and told us to take our clinicals one day at a time while leaving our own personal problems at the door when we go in to treat our patients.
Finally, after all of these speeches, it was our turn. I am so proud of the work that my group and I put into our presentation. While it was very nerve-wracking, we absolutely crushed it. I absolutely loved speaking about low income women and the major issues that occur for those in the United States versus the United Kingdom. Being able to teach others something is always a special experience, and I am glad I got the opportunity to do this while I was here. Now that I can finally alleviate the stress that has been on my shoulders due to this presentation, I am ready to enjoy my last few days in the UK before heading home!