Day 5: Downe Hospital and the Lambeg Drum

Today was my second day at my placement at the Downe Hospital. I would say that it was quite similar to yesterday in terms of what I did, but I did learn a few more things about the hospital and quite a few things about how the Irish do other things. All of my day was spent in reception with Emma and another girl named Fiona. Fiona is 24 and she thought that Emma is 26, so it was a lot of fun because we all get along quite well. It’s quite different to work with people in a healthcare setting that are my own age. I do work with a few people at OAW who are my age, but that’s only until recently, and the majority are all older than me.

Emma told me that today was supposed to be a busy day at the hospital. Honestly, I didn’t think it was that busy, but maybe that was because yesterday felt crazy since I was new and we had an extra person today. My duties while there today included scheduling appointments, sorting charts, recording who attended appointments, teaching people how to use the self check-in stations, directing patients to the waiting room closest to their room, and a number of other little tasks. I’ve really enjoyed getting to see how a department runs that I’m not familiar with in the US. It’s also nice to work with a computer system that is not the same as the one I use at OAW. I’m also very glad that I got to see the self check-in stations. Patients seem reluctant to use them, and they don’t always work, but they seem like a great idea. It got me thinking and I wonder if we could have a self check-in system in clinics in the US. It would probably function similarly to an ATM. My vision would be to have the patient enter their date of birth (as they do at the Downe Hospital), then they would be prompted to insert an insurance card (similar to inserting an ATM card), and it would be scanned. Then the patient would be prompted to pay a co-pay. Ideally, patients would pay with a credit or debit card and swipe right at the machine, but other options could be worked out too. The insurance and payment details would be the tricky parts since the station I saw only required the check-in process since they do not need insurance cards or co-pays in the UK.

Other things that I learned while at the hospital are regarding things like waiting periods. As I mentioned previously, patients must be referred by their GP (general physician) and then they can be seen at the hospital. Depending on the urgency, patients are put on a waiting list. Right now, the outpatient waiting list is 9 weeks long. Once a patient has had their initial visit for the issue they were referred for, the patient may come back for review appointments. Review appointments that need to be scheduled in 6 weeks or less are scheduled right away while appointments that are in more than 6 weeks are added to the waiting list and a letter is mailed to the patient with the appointment time closer to the week that the appointment is to be held. What I found most interesting is that the patient isn’t really involved as much in scheduling the appointment. There is no going back and forth to find a time that works best for the patient. Instead, the appointment is just scheduled for them and they can call if it doesn’t work out for some reason or another.

In addition to learning about the hospital, I also got the chance to talk to Fiona and Emma about other things in Northern Ireland like school, driving, and other words they use that aren’t used in the US. School is very interesting here. All students wear uniforms to school, which is quite unique when comparing to the US. First, students go to play school, then primary school, then grammar or secondary school, and then college. Play school begins as early as the age of 2 years and 8 months. The first year is optional, but the second year of play school is required. Then primary school begins and they go from P1-P7. After primary school, students can sit a test and apply for grammar school or they can just apply to secondary school. Grammar school is viewed as the option that prepares students more. Levels for grammar and secondary school are the same and go from 1-5 and then lower and upper 6. After secondary school, students usually go on to a technical college. After grammar school, students usually go on to a university. In terms of driving, people must wait until they are 17 to get their license. Driving is similar to the US because there is a multiple-choice test, driving lessons, and behind-the-wheel test that is all required before getting a license. In addition, another thing I learned is that they use miles per hour in Northern Ireland and kilometers per hour in the Republic of Ireland. Lastly, I had quite a discussion about words in Northern Ireland vs. words in the US. Here, potpie is just pie. At the canteen today, I gave the woman quite a laugh when I asked if a dish was like potpie because she had no idea what I was talking about. Therefore, pie here is referred to as a tart. A custodian is a domestic. The bathroom is the loo or the toilet. The hallways in hospitals are corridors. The mail is the post. Everything is wee. For example, a wee text, a wee call, a wee seat, a wee girl, etc. It’s even “Mary Had a Wee Lamb!” Also, everything is lovely and when hanging up the phone, people say “Bye….bye..bye.” There are many more, but these are just some of the things I noticed today.

(Group with the Lambeg Drum)

After being at the hospital, I headed back home and we learned about the Lambeg Drums. This is a traditional instrument in Northern Ireland. It’s made out of oak, goat’s skin, and hemp. Each drum has artwork on the front. We also learned that the Lambeg Drum is the largest double-sided rope drum in the world. It’s also the loudest folk instrument in the world. We got the chance to play the drums and trust me; they are the loudest drums I’ve ever heard. These drums are particularly loud because of the design of the mallets that are used to beat the drum. It was nice to learn a little more about the local culture and get the chance to play the loudest folk drum in the world! Other than that, it’s about time for bed. Another day at the placements and Megan arrives tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to the rest of the La Crosse chapter reuniting at last!

(Artwork on the Lambeg Drum)

Goodnight! Or should I say Bye… bye..bye!