By Michelle Hines, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 3-7-07
Dr. Jie Hu
GREENSBORO, NC – Seven UNCG nursing students
will get a taste of Asia this spring: They will spend 12 days visiting Beijing, Wuhan and Shanghai and, most importantly, studying the Chinese healthcare system.
The students, all seniors who raised their own funds for the trip, will travel with Dr. Jie Hu, a Beijing native and an assistant professor of nursing at UNCG. Their trip takes place March 14-25, starting the week after UNCG students return from spring break.
“I don’t know that there’s something specific I’m looking for – because I want to know about everything. I want to soak it up like a sponge,” said Emily Eddins, an honors student from Pleasant Garden.
Other students making the trip are: Brittany Bass of Raleigh, Laurie Deaton of Greensboro, Tiffany Gatewood of Fuquay-Varina, Lindsey Newsome of Roxboro, Olivia Ogburn of Charleston, S.C., and Pamela Everhart of High Point.
After a 15-hour flight to Beijing and a short stay there, the students will head to Wuhan in southern China. Wuhan University is a prestigious institution in China, Hu said. Students will team up with counterparts from Wuhan’s nursing school to conduct community wellness checks, learn about traditional Chinese medicine and assess the general health of the community.
Nursing care is handled much differently in China than in the United States. In China nurses work on a functional nursing model – one nurse performs one task for a large number of patients. In the U.S., Hu said, a nurse provides all aspects of care for a smaller number of patients using a “nursing process” that gives her a more holistic view of the patient.
Hu said her students will also find it interesting to compare health trends and disease rates in China and the U.S. For example, rates of diabetes and cancer have risen in China partly due to an increasing western influence that includes fast food and tobacco. China is growing at a phenomenal rate, she said. When she returned to Beijing a few years after leaving home for the U.S. she was shocked. “I could not recognize the streets. It’s a changing country.”
No China trip would be complete without getting in touch with Chinese culture, and the stops in Beijing and Shanghai should provide culture aplenty. The travelers plan to take in the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven.
The UNCG students have prepared presentations on cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, pulmonary diseases, physical activity and diet; they will deliver their presentations with the help of the Chinese students. Eddins will also interview the Chinese students about their educational experiences for her honors project. “I’d like to make a good friend I can talk to,” said Eddins, who picks up Central Chinese Television on her home satellite. “And who I could keep talking to once I get back.”
For more information, contact Hu at (336) 256-1025 or jie_hu@uncg.edu.
