Over the last few weeks I have explored the health care system in and around Coimbra in Portugal and often visited departments that have been outside my general field of knowledge and expertise. This has not been a negative experience and in most cases has been doubly interesting because I learned so much more.…
Crossing the road in Portugal is a little bit more tricky than in the UK . There are lots of zebra crossings on the Portuguese roads but I have discovered that standing at the side of the road by the zebra crossing does not cause the traffic to stop. Standing on the first stripe of…
When talking to nurses in the UK before I came to Portugal, the general consensus was that there was little or no research being done by nurses and allied health professionals in Portugal and all the research in health and social care was lead by medical doctors and academics. This view was pretty much supported…
Here’s what I have discovered recently:- Put 6 people from 6 different countries in a room in Portugal and ask them to prepare and complete a joint project and within a matter of 2 hours you have a functioning and cohesive community of practice. Last Friday I went to Lisbon to a meeting of all…
Here I am, now on my third day in Coimbra and I have managed to find reliable wifi in the hotel lounge. The hospital here is suffering from the international cyber attack and all email and internet is still down and proving to be a real challenge to my new Portuguese colleagues. However, the sun…
So just over 24hrs before I leave for Portugal and I have not packed. This blog is in fact packing procrastination. The issue is what to pack? The HOPE guidelines for participants in Portugal said smart dress ( but not too smart). So initially I was fine with that. I have a current working wardrobe…
Welcome to my new live blog where I will be talking about my experience on the HOPE Exchange Programme in Portugal. For those of you who don’t yet know, I will be spending 4 whole weeks immersed in the Portuguese health care system at the Centro Hospitalar e Universitario de Coimbra. I leave for…