Day six was the best day of the trip so far for a multitude of reasons! To begin the day, I woke up at 7:30AM for a quick breakfast of cereal and coffee at the hotel, before we met as a group in the lobby to walk over to Birmingham City University. We met with…
Category: Plus3 United Kingdom
More Than One Calling
I have told the story of how I started a career in nursing and then decided to switch to education, which I love; however, today truly reminded me why I selected nursing in the first place. Touring Birmingham Children’s Hospital reminded me how truly amazing it is that people allow you to take care of…
Day 5: Sterilization, Sushi, and Spooks
Today we were back at Birmingham City University again for another full day of simulation labs, and it ended up being one of the most exciting and interesting days of the trip so far. The morning started with our first simulation lab focused on catheterization with Blessing. I was especially excited because this was my…
Sterile Fields & Spooky Feels
Today was a very interactive and hands-on day. As a freshman nursing student from the United States who has not even started clinicals yet, I felt incredibly grateful for the opportunity to spend the day at Birmingham City University participating in simulation labs and learning directly from nurses and educators in the UK. Today truly…
Day 5: Skills Saga
Happy Thursday! Today was a very memorable experience. For the first time, us students got to have the experience of a skills lab. After a year of hard work in nursing school, it felt like a reward to finally do some hands-on work. We started our skills lab at 9am at BCU. Their skills lab…
Birmingham Day 5:
We started the morning in a simulation ambulance (a simbulance), and that was one of my favorite parts of the day. It gave me a chance to see what emergency care could feel like and what skills I would need to go into that field. We were able to explore what the inside of an…
Day 5: Skills Lab
Day five was a day that I had been looking forward to all week because of the skills lab we were able to participate in today! To begin, we woke up around 7:30 for an early meet up time of 8:30 AM. I was able to eat a filling breakfast of cereal and eggs, and…
Day 5 – New Experiences In Addition to Learning!!
Today has been my most favorite day of the trip so far! To begin the day, our group met up together and we all headed over to Birmingham City University (BCU). I knew that we were going to be doing a simulation skills lab today. However, as I was talking to other people in my…
Day 5: Skills, Sushi, and Spooks
Day 6 in Birmingham was one of the most exciting and hands-on days we’ve had so far. We spent the entire day back at Birmingham City University, working in the simulation labs and finally getting the chance to practice real nursing skills. After spending all year at Pitt learning the core sciences, it was really…
Day 5: My Legs are Sore!
Today felt like one of those days where everything I’m learning abroad suddenly clicks into place! The hands‑on skills, the cultural differences in healthcare, and even the history of the city we’re temporarily calling home. We started our morning at BCU’s South Campus once again, where we stepped into the Simulance. This is a full…
Nurse for a Day
Today was a day dedicated primarily to hands-on skill labs, which made it a very different experience compared to the lecture-based days we’ve had so far. Instead of sitting and listening, we were actively involved in practising real healthcare techniques, which made the day feel much more engaging and immersive. We began the day by…
Day 5 – Sim Lab!
Today we had the opportunity to practice some skills in BCU’s simulation labs. First, we got a tour of their simulation ambulance that they use for their paremedic students. Both the inside and outside look just like the ambulances they have in the UK as they tried their best to make it as realistic as…
Birmingham Day 5: Catheters and Care
Today we spent a lot of the day in the skills lab. This is something all the nursing students have not yet done, but will be doing next semester. Skill labs are a hands on simulation of likely scenarios that practices necessary skills for a specific field. We did two skill labs, one was catheterisation…
Day 5
Today was another great day. The lessons were all hands on and considered a skills lab. As a first year nursing student, we don’t get clinical experience until sophomore year so being able to practice tasks we will actually be doing in the hospital truly was exciting and acted as a reminder of why I…
From Textbooks to Skills Lab
Today was my first ever time getting actual hands-on experience in a skills lab! I’ve always read about what goes on in them in textbooks and TV shows, and now I actually get to practice some of the skills myself. It made everything feel so much more real and exciting, especially because I start clinicals…
Day 4: Skills Lab
Today we were able to sleep in because we thankfully did not have to meet in the lobby until 8:30 this morning. This gave me a little extra time to shower and eat breakfast. The buffet style breakfast at the hotel is very nice, I like being able to choose what I want to eat…
Day 5: Nursing Skills Lab
This cold weather has turned this honorary Brummy into a popsicle. The cold weather is actually quite pleasant, but the wind at 15mph has made me shiver for the past two days. Our brisk walks have turned from a lovely stroll to walking through the freezer isle of a grocery store. It makes me laugh…
Getting in there!!
Today was my favorite day of the trip so far because we finally got to learn and practice skills that we will definitely use as nurses in the future. Throughout my freshman year, most of our classes focused on learning the sciences and understanding the human body before moving into more hands-on clinical experiences. We…
Day 5: Learning Beyond the Lecture
Today we had the pleasure of participating in a simulation lab, and it was one of the most hands-on and interactive experiences we have had so far. The day allowed us to apply practical healthcare knowledge while also learning about the differences between medical practices in the United Kingdom and the United States. It was…
Day 5: Hands-On Learning in Birmingham
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…