Sightseeing during a walking tour of London, England

Author: Kaylee O’Brien | Major: Nursing | Semester: Spring 2025
I chose to spend the 2025 January intersession studying the Global and Historical
Perspective of Health in the United Kingdom. This program stood out to me because it aligned
very closely with my major and because the experience will benefit my future career as a nurse.
It also offered a unique learning opportunity because we got to study a foreign healthcare system.
During my studies I learned about the history of medicine, and the United Kingdom’s National
Health Service.
While abroad, my peers and I visited the city of Glasgow, Scotland. In Glasgow we
explored the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and we had the opportunity to learn from a
doctor from the public health department of the NHS. While there, we were taught about how the
NHS operates. We learned about the various aspects of the UK’s public health roles such as
health promotion, disease surveillance, and environmental health. We also did case studies from
past public health crises. This experience stood out because it truly emphasized the impact that a
good public health system can make on a community and it gave us a unique insight on what a
career in public health is like. On another day, we enjoyed a tour through the Scottish Highlands.
This was a pleasurable excursion because we got to enjoy the beautiful scenery that Scotland has
to offer. Visiting the Surgeon’s Hall Museum was a fascinating and unique experience my
classmates and I had, as well. The museum is filled with various different human specimens.
Most of the specimens depicted various pathologies such as scoliosis or various cancers. While
in England, we visited the Bethlem Royal Hospital which is the oldest mental hospital in Europe
and perhaps the world. At the hospital there is a museum which displays artwork from patients
who have been treated at Bethlem. Viewing these art pieces offered a unique insight to what it is
like to be a patient there. We visited another museum which housed an operating theater from the
1800s. It was fascinating to think about how much medicine has changed since then. Throughout
the trip, we learned about the extensive impact that Florence Nightingale, the mother of nursing,
had on medicine. As a nursing student, it was quite inspirational to learn about Nightingale’s
achievements which extend far beyond simply bedside nursing. She was the forefront to
evidence based care which is key to nursing practice today because it ensures that only effective
healthcare interventions are used.
One important lesson I took away from my time overseas is that we should embrace
change and new ideas. Seeing how far medicine has come was eye opening. Throughout the trip
we learned some jaw dropping facts about past medical practices. There was a time in medicine
where there were no aseptic measures taken to prevent the transfer of disease- not even hand
washing- causing many to die from infection. Florence Nightingale was actually one of the very
first to make the connection between poor hygiene practices and death. Today, there are still
improvements to be made in healthcare, so we should embrace positive change for better patient
outcomes.