Newsletter April 2013

Dear colleagues, clients and friends,

It’s time again – our next newsletter is due. The beginning of the year was very eventful for us and it doesn’t stop, which is good.

As with the previous one, we would like to give you a short summary of what has happened during the last 3 months in the English for Nurses world.

Please take 2-3minutes for us and enjoy our adventure. Many thanks!

January 2013:

The Red Cross Hospital in Bremen/Germany has asked us if we would like to attend the Congress of Social Work’ (15/11/2013). We are invited to speak about social care in public health in the UK. With great pleasure we accepted the offer.

For the congress of the German Nurses Association in Berlin, which is on 15.03.2013  we sent our presentation to Berlin/Potsdam. With the great help of Katharina Schulz (DBfK) it worked … we are not so high-tech.

The Mobility Agency Hamburg contacted us and asked about a possible collaboration. The nursing student exchange through the Leonardo program should be actively supported, and we should help in this matter, which is great. Our task will be  to find the exchange places here in the UK. The first calls are made by us – the network is boosted for this new project.

The appointments for the hospital independent workshops in Berlin are discussed with the Dominikus Hospital. Again, the director of nursing supports our work immensely, which makes us very happy.

A language school in Colombia contacted us and asked if we can help with medical terminology. Lively exchange takes place here. Our website has obviously crossed beyond the borders of Europe.

February 2013:

The highlight of this month is among other things the student exchange – The four nursing students from Wilhelmshaven/Germany fly to Manchester Royal Hospital, there to begin the 4-week internship. The 4 students will never forget this experience, which they will make during their stay in Manchester. We are very, very happy for them!

The Ketteler hospital in Offenbach/Germany, where we are invited to teach at the end of the month, ask whether we could write some information about the oncological care. We write an appendix of six pages, which can be used by colleagues on the ward.

Preparations for the Congress in March in Berlin/Germany are now complete. After photo shoot, Power Point Presentation, and stimulating discussion – we send our presentation to Berlin. Everything is exciting because the DBfK (German Nursing Council) expected up to 800 nurses. And we are right in J, what a great feeling!

The considerations for German for Nurses are discussed in our network. The Spanish colleagues come to Germany and have to work on the ward without knowing the language. We want to help where the German language causes limitations in healthcare and where Overseas Nurses in Germany will be helped and supported by us. Our concept of English for Nurses’ for the UK is to be implemented for Germany.

We take part in a, Women Network ‘in Bristol for the first time. We exchange our thoughts and ideas with other business women in England who are active in the business world. Further dates are planned with this network.

March 2013:

We’re going to teach at the Bergmannstrost hospital in Halle/Germany. There is a discussion with the Director of Nursing about writing a course for the nursing mangement. Further discussions and exchanges are planned for May, when we are back in Halle/Germany.

We survived the June DBfk Nursing Congress –  with trembling knees and palpitations!  It is an exhilarating feeling to stand on stage and talk in front of about 500 nurses about our work. Just perfect! Many nurses talk to us after the talk, and the network work is busy.

The federal office of DBfK also ask for a course for nursing management. Appointments are made.

We are asked by a nurse in Berlin/Germany if we can write an article about nursing in the UK. We gratefully accept the offer.

We teach at the Raphaelsklinik in Münster/Germany. All the staff are happy with our course, and already asking for an advanced course. After Münster we visit the Chief Director of Nursing of the Kölner Kliniken/Germany. We have the chance to visit the new pulmonary intensive care unit, which is incredibly impressive. As always, the director of nursing is supportive in our work, and a workshop will be sought for this year in Cologne/Köln/Germany.

ENDA asks for our concept for the Congress in October / November 2013 in Zurich.

In Bristol we support our Spanish colleagues, workshops, Overseas Nurses meetings and prepare them for the work on the wards.

The preparations for our EfN tour in Germany and Austria in April are in full swing. Everything is exciting and it’s a lot of fun. Gallons of herbal tea and chocolate are consumed – these two ingredients are essential for our work – what we call  ‘comfort food’ ☺

….. and this is our first quarter in 2013 – of course in a summary! As always running alongside these projects there were workshops, phone calls, emails – lively discussions – we know that nurses are not tired – Nurses are active! A proof for us is the infinite commitment of the DBfK’s (German Nursing Council) – Our hearts are full of gratitude. We would like to say to: Susanne Adjei, Anja Kistler and Katharina Schulz a big ‚THANK YOU! Without your help and support  500 newly qualified nurses would not know about, English for Nurses’ THANK YOU, THANK YOU, MERCI ☺ – You’re just fabulous!

Thank you for your time and your desire to pursue our work.

Please also visit us on our website: https://englishfornurses.org/ … we are also now actively on Facebook

Warm regards from Bristol / UK,
Sabine Torgler

Stefanie Otto

Sarah Davies

Silke Westphal

Jana Möller

Magda Coll Calvera

Cari Hernandez

… and Chewbacca – the dog

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