Wuhan is a city in Hubei Province, with an urban population of roughly 6,100,000 (compare this to Cleveland City proper’s population of between 450,000 and 500,000). Wuhan University operates under the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. The undergraduate and graduate student population is roughly 53,000 (Case Western Reserve’s approximate student population: 10,000). It is known to be one of the most beautiful college campuses in China, so we’ve been enjoying the diversity of plant life on the way to and from our nursing activities.
In the past three weeks, we have participated in nursing courses regarding Nursing Management and Public Health, attended Nursing Management clinicals in nearby hospitals, visited Traditional Chinese Medical community health clinics, and participated in a Chinese language and culture education program.
Our priority for the duration of this Capstone experience is to observe and study the techniques and philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). We find the holistic approaches to patient care utilized in TCM to be extremely relevant to nursing work, and we hope to further integrate this approach in our personal philosophies of nursing.
So far we have observed needling, moxibustion, electro-acupuncture, massage therapy, cupping, and the use of herbal medicine. The doctors working in the clinic showed us specific massage techniques to utilize for care of patients with pain located at and around the cervical spine due to postural problems and sedentary lifestyles (e.g. sitting in front of a computer day after day may eventually generate this type of pain). The treatment plan for these patients encompasses a variety of TCM techniques, which are drastically different than the treatment modalities for similar patients in the US receiving Western Medical treatment.
We were fortunate to have the opportunity to experience acupuncture ourselves this week. We feel better able to understand the physical and mental effects of needling, and we maintain great respect for the techniques of acupuncture that these TCM-trained doctors have mastered.
A view of Wuhan across East Lake (东湖) located near Wuhan University’s Medical campus:
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