They really love what they do
This morning, I ventured with my Nursing and Healthcare class to the Forth Valley Regional Hospital for a class excursion. The facility itself was relatively new, only about a year old, and a Women and Children's Ward was only added on the 12th of July. Very, very impressive, I think the US could learn a thing or two. There were only seven people in the group, so we first split up into 2 groups; one visited the midwifery facility, and the other group visited the Learning Disability facility, or Lochwood (that's where I went). I really didn't know what to expect, since Learning Disability nursing is a branch of nursing that is not provided in the US.
The facility reminded me of where I did my first clinical rotation at the nursing home; very homey and the rooms were individualized for the resident's needs, except it wasn't a long-term care facility. At most, residents stay for 12 weeks, but can stay longer if the staff felt they needed to stay longer. We had brief interactions with some of the residents; one of them wanted to hug another student in my group. They were so nice and were happy to show us their rooms and...toy trucks. I must say, in my personal opinion, it would be a very difficult place to work at, but all the staff were so friendly. Every single staff member I saw had a smile on their face; again, the US could learn a thing or two. One part of the facility I found interesting was this room they had in the main facility that was called the "Multi-Sensory room." There were mats on the floor, carpet that resembled a starry sky, different colored lights, or you could just turn them off. The idea was to provide a relaxing environment for the residents; good therapy apparently. I was saying I wanted a room like that in my own house. Ha!
After the groups reconfigured after about an hour of touring, the group met up and we went back to the main hospital and toured the Occupational/Surgical floor, which is an area where the hospital I did clinicals doesn't even HAVE. Some of the rooms were single rooms, while some could hold up to four beds!!! Very very impressive. We then had a chat with a District Nurse, which in the US would resemble a Public Health nurse. We had some interesting discussions and conversations. Overall, I was impressed with this excursion; to be honest I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I was very interested. Looking forward to how these experiences here in Scotland are going to influence how I will think and act like a student nurse in the upcoming semester.
The facility reminded me of where I did my first clinical rotation at the nursing home; very homey and the rooms were individualized for the resident's needs, except it wasn't a long-term care facility. At most, residents stay for 12 weeks, but can stay longer if the staff felt they needed to stay longer. We had brief interactions with some of the residents; one of them wanted to hug another student in my group. They were so nice and were happy to show us their rooms and...toy trucks. I must say, in my personal opinion, it would be a very difficult place to work at, but all the staff were so friendly. Every single staff member I saw had a smile on their face; again, the US could learn a thing or two. One part of the facility I found interesting was this room they had in the main facility that was called the "Multi-Sensory room." There were mats on the floor, carpet that resembled a starry sky, different colored lights, or you could just turn them off. The idea was to provide a relaxing environment for the residents; good therapy apparently. I was saying I wanted a room like that in my own house. Ha!
After the groups reconfigured after about an hour of touring, the group met up and we went back to the main hospital and toured the Occupational/Surgical floor, which is an area where the hospital I did clinicals doesn't even HAVE. Some of the rooms were single rooms, while some could hold up to four beds!!! Very very impressive. We then had a chat with a District Nurse, which in the US would resemble a Public Health nurse. We had some interesting discussions and conversations. Overall, I was impressed with this excursion; to be honest I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I was very interested. Looking forward to how these experiences here in Scotland are going to influence how I will think and act like a student nurse in the upcoming semester.
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