Monday March 25th: Our second day in Scotland was very informative, we spent the first part at the University of the West of Scotland getting oriented to some important hospital policies and procedures. The biggest apparent difference we learned about nursing in the U.S. versus nursing in Scotland is the focus and support of mental health nursing. In Scotland, a nurse can graduate as a mental health nurse; there are five different areas of mental health nursing of which a nurse can specialize. Our orientation director, Chris, was also generous enough to teach us some common Scottish slang terms!

So…Y’awrite, big man? Naw?

Ok…We’ll try again later.

We also reviewed some basic skills such as handwashing, CPR, mobility and transferring of patients following UK protocol. The university staff was fantastic and it was humbling to gain perspective on the different practices of another country.

For the cultural portion of the day, we visited The University of Glasgow (UG), about a 20-minute drive from our residence. Founded in 1451, UG is the fourth oldest university in the English-speaking world. The buildings are designed in Gothic style and can been seen from all around the city. We explored the campus, snapped some photos, and enjoyed the fresh air!

Bridget Benner and Addelyn Villalobos

Sunday March 24th: We began our time here in Scotland at 0930 when we landed at Glasgow International Airport! After going through customs, we met Dr. Stephen McGhee, who picked us up and transported us to our accommodation at the University of the West of Scotland.

Once we finished settling in to our rooms and having our welcome meeting, we took a trip to Tesco. Tesco is the Scotland equivalent of the Publix grocery store that we Floridians know and love, minus the “Pub Subs” of course!

Shortly after our return from Tesco, we walked to the train station and rode into Glasgow Central Station! Here we were able to walk around the square and admire the various shops, as well as the beautiful architecture.

We visited the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), and learned a little more about the artists and culture of historic Scotland.

After spending time in the museum, we split into two groups and went to dinner. Dr. McGhee took half of us to Wagamama’s for Japanese food, while the other half of the group indulged in traditional Greek food at Elia’s Greek Restaurant with Dr. Gwartney. Afterwards, we returned to the dorms to prepare for our lessons in the skills lab that were to come in the morning!

Marissa Lofty and Carmen Teti

Friday February 8th: On our last full day in Scotland, we were determined to see and experience all that we could. After a hearty breakfast at the hotel and stocking up on cold medicines for those of us that were feeling under the weather, we headed off towards the William Wallace Monument which was only a short walk from the Stirling University campus. It was rainy when we began our walk, but shortly after we began walking, the rain stopped, and a beautiful double rainbow appeared!

After pausing to enjoy its beauty, we continued on to the monument. We purchased tickets and began the short but steep hike up to the actual monument. Again, the weather stayed clear and we shed our coats and enjoyed the beautiful trail and amazing views. Once at the monument, we began another climb up the 246 steps to the top of the monument, stopping in the historical halls along the way to learn about the history of Scotland’s national hero. At the top of the monument the wind was extremely strong, but the view was breathtaking!

After hiking back down to the base, we caught a taxi to the center of Stirling, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Nando’s, a popular UK fast food chain. At the beginning of the trip, I mentioned that I wanted to try it and the lovely people in my group coordinated that we would go there for lunch to surprise me! I became even more grateful to be traveling with such great people!

After a yummy lunch, we walked through the streets of Stirling to Stirling castle. As we got close, we took a path that led through a cemetery. Even though the weather was rainy and cold, it was a beautiful walk.

Exploring the Stirling Castle, and the history behind it, was fascinating, and we took the opportunity to thoroughly raid the gift ship for last minute souvenirs for our loved-ones. Another taxi took us back to the hotel where we reunited with the other group and Dr. McGhee for a final dinner together. After dinner, we began preparing for our flight back home early the next day. Most of us were full of mixed emotions; excited to see our families and sleep in our own beds, but already missing Scotland and the amazing experiences we had both culturally and educationally.

We will miss you Scotland!

Kaitlyn Ricci

Tuesday February 5th: It was a nippy Tuesday morning as the USF nursing students left their warm and cozy dorms to walk to the hospital canteen for breakfast. With our professor and tour guide, Dr. McGhee, we navigated through the ever-slowly melting snow and salted walkways with laughs and smiles.  After breakfast, the group members were assigned to different wards or areas of nursing. Today, I was assigned to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) located on 6B and this ward housed six patients.

Charlie, the charge nurse of the unit paired me up with another student nurse from the University of Stirling. After a small introduction, I learned that this nursing student was in her final year of nursing school and is set to graduate in September. She quickly gave me a tour of the ward, made small introductions to all the patients, and showed me where the patient files were stored. I was surprised to learn from both Charlie and the nursing student that there is a computer on the ward that is only utilized for receiving electrocardiogram (ECG) e-transmissions from Scottish Ambulance Service and general practitioners. Charlie explained the average number of e-transmissions received yearly is around 4,000. The culture of nursing care in Scotland is patient-centered care; I have not only observed this in the CCU but also in my other clinical placements in Scotland.

After some time, Charlie sent me to the catheterization laboratory with one of the ward’s residents and to learn more about the hospital’s policies and processes for delivering care. In the patient area leading to the catheterization laboratory there was a poster about the NHS’s updated warning tool called, National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2).

It has been an interesting experience in Scotland learning how the culture, delivery of care, charting, and even nursing responsible differs compared to the U.S. Can’t wait to see and experience more!

Padmini Kumar

Wednesday February 6th: It was a wee bit chilly this morning as we left the dorms to start our second clinical day in Inverness.  I was greeted by the upbeat and friendly Inverness West Community Nursing Team when I arrived at my clinical site.  The community nurses go out into the community to take care of those who can’t make it to the treatment centers.  Of all the clinical days, working with the community nurses was my favorite part. 

For dinner we went to George’s Thai & South Indian Restaurant. A little spice and jasmine tea helped clear up those that were feeling under the weather.  It was a nice relaxing dinner after a clinical day.

Christa Farkas

Thursday February 7th: Today was our last clinical day in Scotland.  What an amazing eye opening experience this trip has been.  It has been exciting to share this experience with each other and learn things we can bring back to our practice as student nurses.  I had the privilege of attending a Personality Disorder seminar at the Self-Supporting Management department.  

This 6 and a half hour seminar given to Professionals identified what is a personality disorder, how can you identify patients who could have a personality disorder and what services are available for those patients within the Highlands.  It was a very interactive experience with round table discussions, group projects and creative teach back methods. 

The biggest takeaway from this trip is the holistic approach to nursing Scotland has.  One person went to a massage baby group and she learned how to sooth the baby with massage techniques.   We all hope to take this holistic approach to our nursing practice in the future.  

Lora Sigman

Thursday February 7th: Today began with a clinical experience at the Falkirk Community Hospital in the neurology rehab ward. There were many different types of patients, including those with a previous stroke or multiple sclerosis. I have never had an experience in a rehab unit, however, one of the things I immediately noticed was the colorful signs on the walls saying “End PJ Paralysis.” The patients are encouraged to get out of bed and change out of their pajamas as well as perform other ADLs to the best of their ability. Back home, I have only ever seen patients in hospital gowns, so I thought that was a really great idea.

After our clinical experiences today, our taxi driver, Willy, took our group to the Falkirk Wheel. This massive structure is a boat lift that connects the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal, and is a way to connect Glasgow to Edinburgh when traveling by boat. During the transition between canals, the boats are lifted 75 feet up into the air! After climbing to the top of the hill to view the Falkirk Wheel, we were surprised with seeing mini Kelpies. We decided to have an impromptu dance party with the water spirits before heading back down to Willy.

To end the night, we traveled to Linlithgow to see the palace where Mary, Queen of Scotts, was born in December of 1592. While we did not enter, it was still beautiful to walk the grounds at twilight.

When we were finished exploring, we headed to The Four Marys for a dinner with some of the nursing students from Stirling. They surprised us with goodbye gifts of Irn Bru, tea cakes, and Scottish tablet, and we all made plans for when they will be visiting us at USF in April. Overall, today was a day packed with great experiences!

Natalina Argento

Friday February 8th: As we began wrapping up our journey to Scotland, we had one final class this morning.  Dr. Leah Macaden, a senior nursing lecturer at the University of the Highlands and Islands, met with us to introduce us to their program on dementia DEEPE (Dementia Enhanced Practice to Promote Excellence).  Dr. Macaden says that when she arrived in Scotland that she was impressed that the Scottish government was on the cutting edge of programs for dementia in that they had made it a major public health initiative.  She was tasked with developing the educational program and for integrating it into the university curriculum especially in nursing.  It consists of four levels that people can achieve. 

The goal for Scotland is for everyone to achieve level 2, skilled.  The nursing program has their students go through the program all three years that they are in school so that they can achieve level 3, enhanced.  What impressed me the most was how they had several activities in addition to the lecture portion to help the students ingrain their learning and skills for nursing people with dementia. 

We watched a portion of a video that they use throughout the program covering life experiences of a woman with dementia.  It included not only her reactions to the things going on around her but also used sound and visual effects to help the viewers to have a better understanding of what she was experiencing.  It was a very emotional experience for both me and the others in my group.  I definitely want to see this type of program added to the nursing curriculum at USF.

After our session, we met for a wrap up lunch session with Neil Angus, senior lecturer at the University of the Highlands and Islands.  He was also the person who greeted us on our first day and was our main liaison with the university and the National Health Services (NHS).  It was really nice to have a low-key format to review our week in the Highlands and to talk about what we learned and what we wanted to take back with us.  I think all of us had a great experience and will take much back with us.  And we all did state that the presentation we had this morning on DEEPE would be on the top of the list of things we want to share with our cohort and the college of nursing at USF.  

I know that we are all a bit tired from the two weeks and are looking forward to coming home to see our family and friends.  But, it is bittersweet leaving as we made many new friends and had such wonderful experiences in Scotland.  For myself, I plan on coming back on a visit to Scotland and hope to reconnect with the people we met.  I am also very much looking forward to the Stirling students coming to Tampa in April.  I want to extend to them the same kind of warm welcome that we received and to help them have a great experience at USF.

Stephan Zvonar

Monday February 4th: After spending a lovely evening in Glasgow the night before, group A woke up Monday morning ready  to explore our new accommodations. The Staff at the University of Stirling are more than welcoming, and we are thankful to be a little better rested today. Dr. Dawn Cameron gave us an overview of nursing at the University of Stirling, along with a tour of the stunning campus. A few students gave testimonials about our experience abroad, and some willing students got a camera interview!

We then made our way to tour the Dementia Services Development Centre. This was an audio guided tour that explained the optimal way public buildings could be designed to decrease confusion in patients with dementia.

After a short break and a grab and go lunch, we dressed in our clinical gear to head off to Forth Valley Royal Hospital to discuss evidence-based practice in the UK. We also got to meet some of the students who will be coming to Florida in April. They were kind enough to show us around the hospital, which is very large- according to their website: Forth Valley Royal Hospital has 25 wards, 16 operating theatres and 4000 rooms with 860 beds/day care spaces across an area the size of 9 football pitches! We had well over 15,000 steps that day!

In the evening, we visited the book store to nab some goodies for our friends and families back home, and maybe some memorabilia for ourselves as well.

We ended the night with a wonderful dinner in the Stirling Court Hotel. Surprisingly, most of us ate haggis stuffed chicken even though there were plenty of other options to select! We are very grateful to be staying in these beautiful accommodations and are looking forward to what the rest of the week holds!

Nikole Phipps