The St. George's General Hospital
Getting to go to The St. George’s General Hospital was an amazing and eye-opening experience. I have never visited a hospital in a different country so I was very excited that this was a part of our in-country experience. The hospital environment was noticeably different than what I was used to seeing back in the United States.
One notable difference was the nurse to patient ratio. When I shadowed, the nurse to patient ratio was around 1:12 and this was quite a difference from what I was used to seeing. I was very impressed though because they were able to handle the work load for all of their patients by delegating by task instead of being responsible for certain patients. For example, one nurse was responsible for giving all the medications to the patients on that ward that day while another nurse was tasked with taking and monitoring the blood glucose of those patients.
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I was able to shadow a nurse on the Female Medical Ward. During this time, I got to see how their nursing roles were similar and different to what I was used to in the United States. I also got the chance to follow a doctor and some medical students that were rounding in the morning. I learned from this doctor how valuable spending time with patients is and that sometimes healthcare can seem rushed in the United States in comparison to his interactions.
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After a long day at the hospital, I really enjoyed getting t hear the stories that my classmates had to share. Some of them got to shadow on surgical wards, pediatrics, and even got to ride along with the ambulance.
