CAREERS STUDENT LIFE
South American challenge An award-winning student’s placement in Peru revealed the importance of patient education, reports Tony Collins Sarah-Louise Flowers is hoping to put her experiences in Peru to good use after completing a four-month placement there. Ms Flowers, who is in the final year of her adult nursing degree at the University of Manchester, won the leadership award and a travel scholarship worth £2,000 in the 2013 Cavell Nurses’ Trust awards. She was based at the Adolfo Guevara General Hospital in Cusco, but spent most of her time in rural community clinics. She says: ‘I worked with research and health promotion nurses to tackle some of the region’s more problematic issues, including the effect of mining on health.’ Local people have been exposed to heavy metals in drinking water, which appear to have had long-term implications such as higher cancer rates, birth defects and miscarriages. Ms Flowers’ nursing duties were divided between interventions, gathering research data and patient education. This included a vaccination
which seemed to prevent patients confiding in staff.’ Ms Flowers found patients held strong beliefs that differ radically from UK perceptions of health. ‘By learning about these, a nurse can better tailor patient education to meet specific needs and understanding,’ she says. ‘The ultimate benefit is the patient’s inclusion in their care plan.’
Skills boost
Ms Flowers (above) says nurses in Peru must prioritise limited resources
clinic for conditions such as diphtheria, a breast-feeding clinic, health promotion including dietary advice, trauma and emergency clinics. ‘I encountered many barriers to nursing in Peru, the most obvious being the lack of resources and patient education. Nurses need to prioritise very limited supplies and try to balance need with ideal outcomes,’ she says. ‘In one clinic there was only one packet of pain relief available per month. The nurse had to decide who needed it most. Also, some health professionals were abrupt,
Patients used alternative and herbal medicines, from raw potatoes to coca leaves, to treat illnesses, with nurses often providing home remedies as many people cannot afford to pay for western drugs. Ms Flowers concludes that the experience provided her with new nursing skills, the beginning of a care model to address hidden issues in health promotion, research materials for further study, a better understanding of global health concerns, and knowledge of how to prioritise limited resources NS Tony Collins is a freelance journalist RESOURCES Cavell Nurses’ Trust awards www.cavellnursestrust.org/ scholarship-awards
What the Cavell Nurses’ Trust winners of 2014 plan to do
Outstanding student nurse Joshua Kernohan from Birmingham City University wants to visit European countries, moving people with learning disabilities out of long-stay hospitals.
Outstanding student midwife Judith Jones from the University of Salford plans to look at how midwives work in the community, particularly in areas of social deprivation.
74 april 30 :: vol 28 no 35 :: 2014
Outstanding academic achievement winner Myra Ariyaratnam from Edinburgh Napier University will study mental health nursing in Australia, and racism’s effect on mental health.
Community award winner Aisha Gaido of Anglia Ruskin University wants to study in an Indian hospital and work with Ghanaians to cut malaria-related deaths.
Leadership award winner Charlotte Johnston from the University of Lincoln is planning a trip to a palliative care clinic in one of the poorest parts of Ethiopia.
NURSING STANDARD
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South American challenge An award-winning student’s placement in Peru revealed the importance of patient education, reports Tony Collins Sarah-Louise Flowers is hoping to put her experiences in Peru to good use after completing a four-month placement there. Ms Flowers, who is in the final year of her adult nursing degree at the University of Manchester, won the leadership award and a travel scholarship worth £2,000 in the 2013 Cavell Nurses’ Trust awards. She was based at the Adolfo Guevara General Hospital in Cusco, but spent most of her time in rural community clinics. She says: ‘I worked with research and health promotion nurses to tackle some of the region’s more problematic issues, including the effect of mining on health.’ Local people have been exposed to heavy metals in drinking water, which appear to have had long-term implications such as higher cancer rates, birth defects and miscarriages. Ms Flowers’ nursing duties were divided between interventions, gathering research data and patient education. This included a vaccination
which seemed to prevent patients confiding in staff.’ Ms Flowers found patients held strong beliefs that differ radically from UK perceptions of health. ‘By learning about these, a nurse can better tailor patient education to meet specific needs and understanding,’ she says. ‘The ultimate benefit is the patient’s inclusion in their care plan.’
Skills boost
Ms Flowers (above) says nurses in Peru must prioritise limited resources
clinic for conditions such as diphtheria, a breast-feeding clinic, health promotion including dietary advice, trauma and emergency clinics. ‘I encountered many barriers to nursing in Peru, the most obvious being the lack of resources and patient education. Nurses need to prioritise very limited supplies and try to balance need with ideal outcomes,’ she says. ‘In one clinic there was only one packet of pain relief available per month. The nurse had to decide who needed it most. Also, some health professionals were abrupt,
Patients used alternative and herbal medicines, from raw potatoes to coca leaves, to treat illnesses, with nurses often providing home remedies as many people cannot afford to pay for western drugs. Ms Flowers concludes that the experience provided her with new nursing skills, the beginning of a care model to address hidden issues in health promotion, research materials for further study, a better understanding of global health concerns, and knowledge of how to prioritise limited resources NS Tony Collins is a freelance journalist RESOURCES Cavell Nurses’ Trust awards www.cavellnursestrust.org/ scholarship-awards
What the Cavell Nurses’ Trust winners of 2014 plan to do
Outstanding student nurse Joshua Kernohan from Birmingham City University wants to visit European countries, moving people with learning disabilities out of long-stay hospitals.
Outstanding student midwife Judith Jones from the University of Salford plans to look at how midwives work in the community, particularly in areas of social deprivation.
74 april 30 :: vol 28 no 35 :: 2014
Outstanding academic achievement winner Myra Ariyaratnam from Edinburgh Napier University will study mental health nursing in Australia, and racism’s effect on mental health.
Community award winner Aisha Gaido of Anglia Ruskin University wants to study in an Indian hospital and work with Ghanaians to cut malaria-related deaths.
Leadership award winner Charlotte Johnston from the University of Lincoln is planning a trip to a palliative care clinic in one of the poorest parts of Ethiopia.
NURSING STANDARD
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 20, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
