Royal Infirmary

Tuesday started off as usual, the group taking a wrong turn, or maybe more correctly, not taking the right turn on our way to the infirmary in Manchester. It was alright, though. We had the chance to check out a few more blocks of the hospital and some of the college scene as the infirmary is located just across the street from Manchester University.

              In the end, we made it to our final destination at the infirmary pharmacy. Once there, we were split into groups of three to four and sent to visit different areas of the infirmary with our pharmacist tour guide. Among some of the wings visited were the cardiac surgery/cardiology wing, the oncology wing, and the general medical ward. Some of the students had the chance to tour the infirmary pharmacy.

              Touring the wards with the pharmacist gave us each a chance to pick their brains and see some of the differences and similarities between the role of a pharmacist in the United Kingdom and on in the States. A couple of things that I found interesting were that within 24 hours of admission to the infirmary, a technician or a pharmacist will do a patient medication history, whereas in the States, this job is done primarily by a pharmacist or nurse. Also, at discharge, patients are rarely counseled on their medications. The pharmacist mentioned that the lack of counseling was mostly a result of a lack of pharmacy staff. In the cardiology wing, two pharmacists are responsible for looking after 50 or more patients daily, more than you would normally see at home. The last thing that I thought was interesting was that some pharmacists are taking additional training so that they are able to prescribe. However, they are still unsure how this new privilege will affect their practice.

              After our mini-tour, we sat down for our last lecture as pharmacy students. The lecture was about the healthcare system of the United Kingdom. I will not go into detail, but will mention that the healthcare is free to citizens of the UK with expenses being paid through government taxes.  Ninety billion pounds (or 180 billion dollars) was spent on healthcare last year. Less than 10% of people in the UK have private insurance.

              Once done at the infirmary, everyone grabbed a quick lunch, and except for a few of the fellas who went to visit Manchester United Football Stadium, most of the group went to BodyWorlds. This is an exhibit of over 200 specimens including actual human cadavers and organs that have been preserved through the process of “plastination.”  This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. It was as close as you can get to dissecting a human body without touching a scalpel. It showed very detailed anatomy of the human body. One exhibit, the relay runner, showed a man’s complete skeletal structure handing himself, or his entire muscular system a baton.  Another exhibit had a human body from head to toe cut into 40 slices. Among other things, BodyWorlds had a 200 kilogram gorilla on display and a woman literally walking out of her skin. 

              To wind down the day, most of the group collected in one of our apartments for some R & R. We chatted about this and that while the American classic, Airplane, was being played on TV. We had a few drinks and Adam treated the group to some delicious crepes (each of our rooms is more like an apartment, with a separate bathroom, bedroom, and kitchenette/living area). We all had a good time and got ready for our big travel day to Dublin, Ireland.

Andy J