Joanna Rawlings

I travelled overseas for my placement to learn more about healthcare in a different context to grow. I also wanted to see conditions that are less common in the UK. I also wanted to make the most of my time abroad by exploring another country and learning about its culture.

When I first saw my placement hospital, it was very busy, and I didn’t know where to look. There were more people and family members with patients than you'd ever see in the UK. The equipment was very different from what I’d seen before.

Once I started on placement, I settled in. I learned a lot about how CKD in children is managed here and about many infections that we don’t often see in the UK.

On my ED placement, I had the opportunity to practice several clinical skills, including venepuncture, catheterisation, suturing, and ABGs.

One of the most memorable cases was a young man in his 30s who came into the ED with shortness of breath and a bad acute central cell carcinoma. A chest X-ray confirmed he had a pleural effusion — a build-up of fluid in the lungs. Because his oxygen saturations were so poor, the ED doctors decided to do a therapeutic thoracentesis. They inserted a chest drain within minutes. It was fascinating to observe this in real time. I was shadowing them and taking notes the whole time.

There were many differences between the local healthcare system and the UK’s. The patients’ families were much more present there, often taking over the personal care aspect of a nurse’s role. It wasn’t uncommon to have 3 - 4 family members per patient. This means the nurse's role here was much more clinically focused, which was excellent for gaining experience.

Prescriptions were much more informal. Brand names and abbreviations were frequently used, and medications like antibiotics could be obtained without a prescription.

The Nepali people were much less concerned about privacy and confidentiality, too. I often saw multiple consultations in one room without curtains or dividers. 

We spent our time seeing as much of Kathmandu as possible, including visiting the many beautiful temples in the city, the Garden of Dreams, Durbar Square, and Bhaktapur Durbar Square. We also had a great time going to restaurants and bars, particularly enjoying our trip to the Barahsinghe brewery. We also visited Nagarkot for the weekend and enjoyed the amazing views of the Kathmandu valley.

I enjoyed learning about the Nepalese healthcare system and its struggles compared to home. It was very insightful, and I believe I will see things from a new perspective when I’m back in the UK. I also benefited hugely from the fantastic friends I made there and the opportunities to see Nepal.

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