Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Taylor Visits Russia In Nursing Exchange

Training for nursing in Russia leaves much to be desired.

According to Joyce Taylor, a registered nurse who visited Russia recently as part of the nursing exchange program through Henderson State University, said their program is much like America's licensed practical nurses training.

They have little education for their nurses, she said, but they've been sending educators to the United States to see how the nursing programs in this country operate.

However, because of the time the group arrived, Taylor said, they didn't get to see a lot of the medical facilities. They arrived the day before Russia's Independence Day and spent a good deal of time sightseeing.

"We saw a lot of cathedrals," she told the Gurdon Rotary club at its regular meeting Thursday, July 2. "It makes you stop and think. These buildings were built in the third and fourth centuries, and our country is only 200 years old."

However, she said the cathedrals were beautiful and since the fall of the Communist regime many have been being restored to their original grandeur. Most of the churches in Russia, she said, are of the Greek Orthodox faith.

Taylor said the group did get to visit some nursing schools and hospitals, but didn't see any wards. At the time, students were testing and couldn't be bothered.

The group also visited with educators to see how the students are trained, but was unable to see how patients are cared for, even though they saw an operating room. An interesting note about Russia all operating rooms but one are closed for the summer. One operating room is left open for emergency surgery only. Elective surgery is done the rest of the year.

The group, Taylor said, visited Moscow (population about 10 million) and St. Petersburg (population about 5 million). They arrived during a heat wave when the temperatures were in the mid-90s.

The problem, she said, is there was no air conditioning where they stayed. In fact, with the exception of a few office buildings, there was no air conditioning to be found. They stayed in what could be termed a high-rise apartment building, which could house 1,000 to 1,200 people.

The buildings, she said, were built almost on top of one another to utilize space.

Talking about Russian transportation, Taylor said a lot of construction is being done on the nation's highway system. They are making five-lane highways out of three lane roads, she told the Rotarians, and the people drive erratically.

Because the vehicles tend to be older, they break down regularly. When this happens, Taylor said, the driver will simply pull the car over to the shoulder of the road and begin repairs on the spot. There are few mechanic shops in Russia.

Most of the cars are diesel and air cooled, as well. When they get hot, she said, they are pulled off the road and let cool down.

During the group's second week in Russia, there was a storm with severe straight-line winds. The Russians consider this to be a tornado. These winds killed nine, ripped trees out of the ground and left many other people injured.

The trip from Moscow to St. Petersburg took five hours by train, Taylor said. St. Petersburg is more tourist oriented than Moscow.

But, because of the traffic congestion, most people travel by trolleys or subways. This mode of travel was a first for Taylor, as Arkansas has few trolleys and no subway system.

Sanitary facilities were a challenge, Taylor said. Public restrooms could range from something relatively modern to nothing more than a hole in the floor.

The group, Taylor said, included five people from HSU and one from Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia. While in Moscow, they were able to tour Red Square, but not on Independence Day, and visited the Kremlin.

The food was bland for the most part, she said, with the visitors having to ask for salt and pepper regularly.

They also saw a performance of the Bolshoi Ballet and visited several museums.

But, she said, there is a strong western influence in Russia. This includes McDonald's, Pizza Huts and Kentucky Fried Chicken. The people tend to dress in western clothing (not cowboy clothes, but clothes styled in the western hemisphere).

"We were there for two weeks and barely scratched the surface," she said. "I'd like to go back."