A Mental Health Nursing Student's Reflection on Kerala Visit

This reflection comes from Mental Health Nursing student, Kayleigh Oliver, about her experiences in Kerala, India. 

Why did you decide to undertake the visit?

To get a better understanding of healthcare in other countries and to learn about other cultures. I also wanted to meet new people and build my confidence.

It was a once in a lifetime opportunity which I was so lucky to be a part of!

What did you learn about the culture in the country?

The culture in India is completely different to that of the UK and I had a huge culture shock!

There is a massive difference in respect given to men and women firstly. Women are trained to be nurses, men are trained to be doctors, it is very rare that either gender would be either role. Healthcare is a role which everybody wants to work in, most girls are brought up to become nurses.

The staff and patients that we met in India were so proud and grateful for everything they had which was so different to the UK!

The students we worked with were amazing and such hard workers, they dedicate their lives to their studies and their future careers.

What did you learn about healthcare and nurse education during the visit?

One of the things which shocked me was the amount of family involvement in peoples care, they help to make beds, do the washing, feed the patients, buy and give patients their medication, and don’t leave their sides throughout their stay in hospital. It was amazing and supportive!

I was shocked to see the stigma surrounding mental health in India. There was a vast lack of understanding and I felt this had an influence on their practice.

Nurse education is very different. There is a lot more freedom in the UK with university and attending lectures, studying for exams, as ultimately it is your education. This is not the case at all in India.

What did you learn about yourself during her visit?

I learnt that I was a much more confident person that I thought!

I also was reminded of my passion for mental health and that I will always strive to reduce stigma around it and try to build people’s knowledge of the subject.

How will you use your new knowledge when caring for people?

I will take back so much with me to my practice in the UK!

As a mental health student, I am based only with mental health services and I was lucky enough to be able to see theatres, paediatric wards, orthopaedic wards, casualty and so on, which I am not able to do in the UK! It has helped me have a much better understanding of physical health care.

The students were shocked that asking people how they were and how their day was, was standard practice in the UK, and trying to ensure people have good mental health even on a physical health ward is something we do. It has encouraged me to always ensure I think about holistic practice when I work with people.

I will definitely take back more gratitude for the services we are able to provide in the UK, and be proud of the way we treat our patients, just as they are in India. We are very quick in the UK to doubt ourselves, and pick out the negatives, but I will take back a ‘glass half full’ kind of attitude!

Why would you recommend this experience to other students?

100% YES!

The trip was the best thing I have ever done and I will definitely be travelling more in the future!