Continuation...

Towards the end of placement, I felt that four  weeks was not long enough to fully grasp the role and responsibility of a nurse in Denmark, however, I managed to learn a lot about their way of practice.
There were a few differences between Denmark and England that I could identify. During my time on the ward, the nurses had a lot more responsibility, some of which nurses in the UK could not do. For example, nurses were allowed to change the dosages of medications depending on the status of the patient. The relationship between the nurse, doctor and patient seemed to be on an equal level, there was no sense of hierarchical statuses, nurses were free to call doctors and patients by their first names. In the UK, it is seen as respectable to call patients Mr. or Ms and to gain their consent to call them by their first name.
Students in Denmark also had a lot of opportunities to carry out a wide range of procedures, procedures which would be unacceptable for a student to do in England. These included male catherisation, cannulation and administering IV fluids (Please do keep in mind that I am still fully aware of the responsibility and boundaries of a student/nurse in the UK and I will continue to abide by them).
One interesting moment was the problem-based learning meetings. As only some of the students could speak English, I could only attend one meeting. This PBL involved students from the hospital getting together every week, creating a scenario and discussing what the problems are and what the treatment and interventions would be from a nurses perspective. I feel that this would be an interesting session have in the UK, as it enables students to get together, discuss their experiences and use their knowledge and skills and apply them to any scenario created.

First time in clinical practice at Odense Universtiy Hospital

Monday 25^th November! This is the day that I will be starting my clinical practice in Odense, Denmark. I have been placed in an Intensive Care Unit – Neurosurgery for 4 weeks. Prior to starting, I had refreshed my knowledge about the anatomy and physiology of the brain because I did not know what to expect. I felt quite pressurized, excited and anxious because the patients were critically ill and I had no previous experience of working in any ICU setting, yet, it was an opportunity for me to learn things that I would not in any other ward.

On the first day of placement, I was mostly observing the routine of the ward. Me and mentor had discussed what I wanted to achieve-objectives, skills, what was expected and my plan for the next 4 weeks.

Whilst I was observing the ward, I noticed a few things that were uncommon in the UK. For instance, there is no paperwork at all! All the nursing notes, documentation and observations are all stored on the computer. Patients in ICU are usually put on a monitor that sends measurements of vital signs directly into the system. The ward immediately felt advanced. Storing information on the computer enables all information to be kept orderly and organized and enables MDT members to access information anywhere within hospital premises.

In the UK, there are different colored bags for certain waste products, orange-biological waste, and black-general. However, here in Denmark, there is only one bag for everything. This helped me avoid confusion as to where certain things need to be placed.

In addition, after observing my mentor administer IV fluids, one common practice for us after drawing up fluids is to throw away the syringe and the needle. Although, in Denmark, the needle is removed from the syringe and thrown in the needles bin and the syringe in the general wastes. When asked why they did not throw away the whole syringe, they replied that it saved spaced and avoided the need to constantly change the bin. Please note that while I am expected to learn and follow their way of practice, I still do consider this unsafe practice and I do recognize and continue to practice in a safe manner.  

 There was a lot to take in on the first day of placement, however, the ward seemed really interesting and I look forward to working there again. 

J-dag

On the first Friday of November, each year, horses with carts leave the infamous Tuborg Brewery with special christmas beer to deliver to the pubs. At exactly 8.59pm, the christmas beer goes on sale to the public with the locals wearing a blue santa hat with fake snow falling. This christmas beer is so popular, that even though it is available on the market for 6 weeks, it holds the record for the 4th most sold beer every year.

So what makes J-dag so special?

J-dag dates back to the 1980's with a commercial of Santa Claus chasing a Tuborg van during the blue and white, snowy night. This advertisement became so popular that in the following year, Carlsberg Brewery released a special beer in honor of the coming of Santa Claus. This beer was named 'Julebryg'.

Den Fynske Landsby (The Funen village) + leisure time...

During the weekend, me and Helena, also an exchange student, explored an open air museum called the Funen village, which is located behind our accommodation. The Funen village is a reconstruction of what Denmark was like during the 1800. It consists of a number of farms and villages which were originally scattered throughout the Funen Island. It was a great experience as I was able to walk through the village and see how people lived in the olden days, the amount of people living in small spaces, how much they valued animals, what a hospital looked like and be able to differentiate the rich and the poor.

While we were exploring the village, I gained a sense of family orientation which became more evident with how families lived together. Even in the modern age, families and leisure time are what seem to matter the most to Danes. This would explain why the closing times of the shops are the way they are. Usually, on a weekday, shops would close at 5pm, with the exception of Fridays were they would sometimes close at 10pm. On Saturday, shops would close at 3pm and would be closed all day on Sunday except from grocery shops. 

The nursing history museum...

My class was also given the opportunity to visit the Danish museum of nursing history located in Korlding, Denmark. There we were able to see how care and nursing of patients had developed through the centuries. We were able to see the founding's of the Danish Organization, psychiatry, education, hygiene, living conditions as well as a reconstruction of hospital wards and living quarters for nurses in the 19th Century. It was fascinating to see how much nursing has developed and changed throughout the century. Some photos from the museum can be seen below.

Study visits...

• This part had to be my favorite part of the module. At the end of each course, we were given the opportunity to go on study visits relating to our course topic. The first trip we went on was to a place called Forskeparken to a company called Calebro where Welfare Technology for the healthcare system is created and developed.

•  It was an interesting experience as we were able to have a go at some of the technology and see how it would have an impact on patients lives.  It was also fascinating to see these technologies as I was completely unaware of how advanced technology was in Denmark. Some of the technologies seen at Calebro had never been seen in the UK so it makes me start to question the technology facilities we have in the UK. 

Methods and techniques Group work + 45 mins...

Classes here in Denmark seem to fly by so quickly. They usually tend to be 45 minutes with a 15 minute break.  When I asked why classes were set this way, they replied that it because humans tend to lose concentration after 45 minutes, so it is an effective way to ensure that we stay focused. A typical day would
One downside to this however, was that at times, I felt that 45 minutes was not long enough especially in certain topics such as health promotion.
tend to have about 3-4 classes all 45 minutes long with 15 minutes for each break and 45 for lunch.

Another difference is the method of teaching. There has not been one session where we were not asked to work in groups. The groups were already set by the lecturers before starting the course. Very often, we are asked to get into groups and create a discussion on the topic, it seems as though all lecturers encourage discussion and participation in class. This is very useful as it keeps me alert and makes the session more interesting as oppose to just sitting and listening. 

Learning with the MDT team...

One of the most enjoyable experiences whilst on this exchange was learning through an interdisciplinary style. There were physiotherapists, nurses from Norway , Germany, Philippines and Cameroon, radiographers, microbiologists, occupational therapists session. Each role had a session to describe their responsibility in the healthcare system, how an individual could work as one in Denmark and what it involved. Each day was filled with many activities and scenarios where we had to create solutions to the problems from each perspective.  For instance, my first lesson was about the radiographers. Here they had described what radiologists were, what it involved and what students learn. There was also a presentation by students from Italy describing what radiologists was like from their country. On this same day, we had the opportunity to try out different machines such as CT scans and Ultrasound.
By having these sessions, it had developed my knowledge of the other healthcare team and had enhanced my respect for them. It had also opened my mind to the different ways of treating a patient. It was a great way of sharing knowledge, experience and meeting new people.

First day at the University College of Lillebealt...

1^st day at our class was not nerve wrecking at all. I had received an e-mail prior to classes that we would be allocated host students who would ensure that I knew where the rooms were, what classes to go and that I had all the necessary equipment. Again, this made me feel welcome and reduced the fear of getting lost. They showed me around the whole university, where to find the toilets, the canteen, and the gym and where our classes would be held.  I really appreciate it! 

Bike bike bike...

As you all are aware, the Danes love to cycle whether it’s cold, sunny or raining. We were given bicycles of our own and I must say, it is very different than what I am usually use to in the UK. Firstly, the wheels are quite big, and being 5 ft 3/4 it was quite a struggle for me to get on in the beginning. Secondly, the pedals work differently by rotating the pedals backwards, the bike will come to a halt, meaning that whenever I stop, I can not always set the pedals to my preference. However, I feel very safe cycling from place to place, there isn't a constant worry about being run over by cars or trucks because of the wide lane for cyclists and in Denmark, the bicycles always have the right of way. In addition, it is a great way of getting fit and staying warm in a cold country which may get to -20 degrees!

CPR card...

Shortly after settling in, we were advised to sign up for a CPR card. This is the Danish Personal Identification number which containts information regarding an individuals current and previous addresses, names, civil status, name of your main doctor,citizenship as well as the CPR number. The CPR number is composed of 10 digits, 6 of which are the individuals date of birth and the remaining 4 are numbers unique to that person. The last digit often refers to the individuals gender: 

  even number = female and odd = male. 

The CPR number enables efficient communication between danish national registers and is required to access all services some of which are publicly funded care, opening a bank account, signing up for the gym, making payments to accounts and connecting utilities. 

Settling in..

Upon arrival, we met our landlords who kindly carried our heavy luggage’s upstairs. She showed us around the house, the rooms where we would be staying, the bathroom and the kitchen. She even cooked us a welcome 3 course meal.  She kindly told us where we would find the essential places e.g. grocery shopping, station.

I will have to admit, the first few nights were not easy. I was feeling extremely homesick and constantly asked myself, whether I made the right decision in coming here. I continuously longed for home and wanted to be in a familiar environment. However, after talking with some lecturers and friends, I was able to overcome the sentimental feelings and enjoy my stay, even up till now, I do not regret one decision made so far. 

Buddy..

After arriving in Odense, we met our buddy Jannie. A buddy is a Danish student who voluntarily helps international students from the day we arrive to the day we leave. It is a useful system to have and one that should be used for exchange students all over the world as it helps to reduce anxiety and nice to know that you’re not going to be alone in foreign country, support is always on hand. She kindly booked us a taxi which was paid by the university college Lillebaelt and took us to the house where we would be staying for the next 7-8 months.

In the afternoon, she showed us around town, shopping center and took us to a sandwich shop which reminded me of Subway back in the UK.

Expectations...

Before coming to Denmark, I did not know what to expect, all that kept running through my mind was to bring jumpers, thermals and books. I was excited yet extremely nervous at the same time but I knew that this was an opportunity that not many students in the cohort could experience. If I had chosen to ignore this opportunity then I am pretty sure that I would have regretted it. My objectives for this exchange was to meet new people, continue my studies in a different environment, experience the culture, explore while being lost and to see how people go about their everyday life and how it differs to the UK. However, since it was my first time away from being home, I knew I would be feeling extremely homesick, but there were people I knew I could turn to for support. This was going to be a a whole new experience and one worth it.

Academically, it was going to be a challenging year and time management is essential. One of my main concerns is the dissertation however, after listening to previous students experiences and lecturers, they advised us to start early and that is exactly what I plan on doing.