This summer, BYU College of Nursing carried out the very first Global and Population Health Nursing Clinical Practicum in the United Kingdom. Professor Denise Cummins and Dr. Shelly Reed led 11 students as they experienced healthcare in the cities of Preston and Chester.
The group learned about British healthcare and culture against a backdrop of ancient stone walls, double-decker buses, and the River Thames.
While there were relatively few differences between the technical aspects of British and American care, students learned a substantial amount about spiritual care—going beyond standard procedures and physical remedies to treat a patient.
The process of using non-clinical activities to care for someone, known as “social prescribing,” is central in this more holistic spiritual care. While at the University of Chester, students were exposed to a variety of social-prescribing methods.
“A lot of their experience was with healthcare using things other than medicine,” said Dr. Reed. Joining with medical students and nursing students in Chester, BYU students experienced alternative medicine firsthand by creating pottery, making collages, and more.
This may seem unconventional, but the effect it can have on a patient is remarkable. Sixth-semester student Rylie Rasmussen noted that “patients with chronic illnesses...can be really isolated.”
Patients can improve their mental condition by participating in these activities in the group setting, which in turn can have very positive effects on their physical state.
In addition to learning techniques to nourish the spirit in Chester, students traveled to Preston, England. There, they spent time with people from a variety of backgrounds and got to immerse themselves in ideas and practices they hadn't seen before.
Specifically, they worked with nine students from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN). These students were selected from a group of 80 applicants who had applied to spend the week with the BYU group, and they represented a wide swath of cultures and perspectives.
Two of the UCLAN students, Yusuf and Taz, were Muslim. Others in the group were Humanists, members of other Christian denominations, or of other beliefs. “[The group] got to be friends with people that are not like themselves,” remarked Dr. Reed.
Every single one of them, when they stepped on the grounds of the temple, they felt a really amazing feeling of peace.
Together, they learned about aspects of different religions in the UK by visiting different places of worship and even meeting with a Rabbi to discuss matters of faith in medicine.
The BYU students also got to express important aspects of their Christ-centered faith, taking the group to the Preston Temple and meeting with the Head of Church Communications in the UK.
The temple visit was truly magical! Yusuf and Taz wore their traditional Muslim robes, and Rylie recalled that “Preston was the place where all of us really found the most impact.”
Going forward, she will seek to understand her patients, building a connection that goes deeper than the surface and embracing their differences.
Remembering that having different beliefs is a part of life and learning to connect with patients despite those differences will bless Rylie and her peers, and it will bless all those they treat during their nursing journeys.
The UK practicum will continue in future semesters, giving more students a chance to reflect on spiritual care and the value of caring for patients beyond the physical.
