As we began our fifteenth year of sponsorship of our student nurses exchange program, their was the hope that the program may soon be taking on a new aspect, as it has been recommended by our sister organization, Grampian/Houston, that a practicing nurse accompany the two student nurses when they make their visits to Aberdeen and Houston, respectively. We are not able to begin this new phase in 2009 but hope that perhaps we can do it next year and in the years to come. This year, our student nurses from HBU are Ana Paula Mendez Barrera and Darien Ruiz Capetillo and they departed for Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen in August. Normally their trip would have been in May, but because of the Swine Flu concerns, the trip had to be rescheduled for August 8 - 22, and it turned out to be a most successful trip, both from a standpoint of studying nursing in Scotland, and having a lot of fun as well. They are shown in the photo to the right.

The student nurses from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen shown on the right are Gillian McRobie and Jane McNicol, and they will visit us in September. All of the student nurses have left messages on our Facebook page and we invite all of our friends who have Facebook pages to do so as well. Our Facebook page has begun to provide a lively exchange among members and friends of Houston/Grampian and Grampian/Houston and of the student nurses themselves. Even if you are not a member of our organizations, we invite you to be friends and to join us with your Facebook page.

Another first this year is that our student nurses from Houston Baptist University attended our annual OTC Breakfast and we had the pleasure of meeting them just a week before they were originally scheduled to depart for their exchange visit to Aberdeen. Their photo is avove to the left and includes, l-r Darien Ruiz, Ana Pau Mendez, Mary Metz, Marti McWhirter, Lady Provost Sandra Stephen and Quin McWhirter. There was a definite air of excitement as they prepared to visit their counterparts in Aberdeen and to experience all of the wonders and pleasures they will find there.

With some difficulty in getting through the airport in London, our student nurses arrived in Aberdeen and began a fun and challenging time at RGU. Here they are on the right with two kilted gents, Ian McLeod and Geoff Hadley. Also in the photo are the student nurses from Aberdeen, Gillian McRobie and Jane McNicol. Provost Howatson, RGU President this year, presented the girls with inscribed quaichs as a memento of their visit to Scotland. He was particularly interested to meet the girls as his own daughter is about to begin a nursing course at Edinburgh University.

The week went by all too fast and as is our custom, the student nurses were kept very busy at Robert Gordon University, learning all about the nursing training and practice techniques in Scotland. During their visit, they also were treated to wonderful tours of Scottish sites, such as this castle in ruin shown on the left, and a great photo of these happy-go-lucky students under the Scottish flag.

With the adjustment in schedules following the H1N1 influenza virus outbreak, the student nurses from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Gillian McRobie and Jane McNicol, arrived in Houston on September 20th and began an intensive two-week itinerary of training, clinical visits in the Texas Medical Center, plus recreational activities and an opportunity for visiting with HBU students and families, and with members of HGA who hosted them for dinners, shopping and outings. They are shown to the left with Assistant Professor of Nursing, Patricia Dominguez of HBU. On their first day in Houston, they were whisked away to St. Luke's Hospital for an executive tour which included time observing surgery in the observation theater there, and a visit to the critical care facility with an opportunity to dialogue with the critical care nurses, and to compare notes with them on how various situations are handled in the United States compared with Scotland.

On the weekend which marked the halfway point of their visit, they were afforded the opportunity to visit San Antonio, along with our HBU student nurses, and that visit included a tour of the Alamo and a generous amount of time testing roller coasters (shown in photo above) and other rides at the Fiesta Texas theme park. Aside from a scary moment or two on the roller coasters, it was pure fun for them and they enjoyed it immensely.

Just before their final two days at HBU, we had our annual reception and dinner for the four student nurses, and an all-time record attendance of almost 50 people were on hand to visit and to see the extremely well-done computer slide presentation which was prepared by all four of them working as a team, and then to discuss with us the similarities and differences they had observed during their time in Aberdeen and in Houston. They were most outspoken about their observations, and their presentation resulted in quite a few questions from our very interested group of attendees. We were fortunate to have with us Dr. Robert Sloan, Jr., President of HBU, The Honorable Paul Lynch, British Consul General, former HBU Dean of Nursing, Nancy Yuill and current Associate Dean of Nursing and Allied Health, Dr. Margaret Ugalde and Patricia Dominguez, Assistant Professor of Nursing, who is the administrator for our student exchange program.

Shown in the photos to the right above are all of our speakers for the evening in the order in which they were at the podium. From left to right, are Dr. Sloan, Aurise Bain-HGA president, John Lee-saying Grace, our chairman Mary Metz and the Honorable Paul Lynch. Below are the tables of members and guests on hand to enjoy this event and to celebrate the success of the nursing students in their exchange visits. Then, below the dinner table bunch, is a photo of the visiting student nurses doing clinicals at the Texas Medical Center, and a photo of them with Mary Metz at the dinner.

Very soon after their return to Aberdeen, an article appeared in the "Press & Journal" with their comments about their visit to Houston. Click to see this nice write-up. Also, we have begun adding photos taken by the RGU student nurses during their visit to Houston and San Antonio. Here is a link to our Facebook page where there are many more photos of them to see, both in Aberdeen and in the United States. Already, we have photos of them at HBU, at Fiesta Texas, the Health Museum, the Medical Center doing clinicals, NASA and the Wild West. More photos will continue to be added. For their collection of photos taken in Aberdeen and in Texas, click our Facebook site.

This was our fourteenth year to sponsor the student nurses exchange, and the two students from Houston, Danielle Cowing and Shannon Sinclair departed for Aberdeen May 17, 2008 and returned to Houston May 31. In preparation for our nursing students departing for Aberdeen, a meeting was held at HBU with the Lady Provost of Aberdeen, Sandra Stephen, representatives from HBU and HGA and, of course, our student nurses. Mary Metz shared with the group, plans and the itinerary for their visit to Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. Mary has built and led this effort on behalf of the Houston Grampian Association for many years, including the arrangement of financing air fares, spending money, and making all the right contacts with our sister organization, Grampian Houston. Mary is shown here "holding court" as she detailed the plans for the entire trip from start to finish, and provided airline vouchers for the student nurses. Below, just prior to the end of this session, Mary and the Lady Provost are shown with Danielle and Shannon, and we've titled this photo, "Nurses with Royalty", which appropriately describes Mary and the Lady Provost shown in the center of the photo.

Danielle Cowing and Shannon Sinclair have been most active during their time at HBU and have received very high honors for their hard work and involvement in student nursing programs. Danielle was Treasurer of the Nursing Student Association (07 - 08), and was awarded the "Outstanding Student Nurse" for the Texas Nursing Student Association this year. She has maintained a balanced student life here on campus throughout her time in the nursing program. She is an active member of the Phi Mu social sorority. She also is a caregiver for a young woman with debilitating autism and compulsive disorder. Shannon is the Chair of Publications for the Nursing Student Association (07-08), and was awarded the "Most Improved Organization Publication" by the National Nursing Student Associatioin this year. Shannon has been instrumental in encouraging pre-nursing students on campus to join in this professional organization this academic year with her excellent communication through the NSA Workspace she developed. She is the editor of Nursing Notes, the department of Nursing student magazine, and Danielle is Chair of the Finance Committee.

They are shown below with a group of very interested people, just prior to leaving for their visit to Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen and had the opportunity to meet with Lady Provost of Aberdeen, Sandra Stephens during this session. From left to right are Deb Berry, Interim Dean - College of Nursing, Danielle Cowing, Mary Metz, Lady Provost Sandra Stephen Shannon Sinclair, Dr. Nancy Yuill - Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs, Marti McWhirter and Quin McWhirter.

An article in Mitchell’s Diary by Peter Mitchell in Aberdeen, said, "One of the enduring spin-offs from links between Grampian and the Texan megalopolis of Houston is a student nurse exchange scheme. Flying home tomorrow after a two-week study visit to Aberdeen are Texas Student Nurse of the Year, Danielle Cowing, 23, and Shannon Sinclair, 22, from Houston Baptist University. IN October, two student nurses from Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University, Lisa Kendall, 32, of Aberdeen, and Louise Conaghan, 26, of Thurso, arrived in Texas. All of them had to write a report comparing healthcare provision and nurse education. The annual exchange is promoted by Grampian-Houston Association with support from NHS Grampian, Albyn Hospital, Aberdeen, the Wood Group and Absoft Computer Services, Bridge of Don. Shannon and Danielle visited hospitals in Aberdeen, the Skene Medical Practice at Westhill, research facilities and the RGU School of Nursing and Midwifery. The Texans also enjoyed dolphin-watching in the Moray Firth, tours of Glenfiddich Distillery and Deans of Huntly shortbread factory and a weekend in Edinburgh." During their great visit in Aberdeen, our student nurses were hosted by the Lord and Lady Provost at the Townhouse and are shown with their hosts below.

After a few days of learning how we do it in Houston, a reception was held during the NSA meeting at HBU at which time Lisa and Louise were honored by the HBU student nurses and the Houston Grampian Association. They are shown in the picture below with HGA Chairman Mary Metz, and Marti and Quin McWhirter.

On the evening of October 29, our annual dinner honoring all four student nurses was held at HBU and they made an excellent Power Point presentation documenting their experiences in Aberdeen and Houston and discussed the similarities and differences they found in the way nursing is practiced. They answered questions from the audience, and all of the HBU and HGA members were duly proud of the girls and their accomplishments. HGA President, Aurise Bain called the meeting to order and then Stewart Bain, MBE, gave a beautiful blessing for the dinner. They are shown in the photos below, and we were treated to a surprise visit by HBU President, Robert Sloan, who offered greetings from HBU and then the HBU Provost, Dr. Paul Bonicelli addressed the gathering.

      

Mary Metz introduced Dr. Nancy Yuill, Dean of the HBU College of Nursing and they are shown in the photo below to the left. The next picture is of the student nurses during their presentation and Q&A session. The last picture shows Aurise Bain and Nancy Yuill visiting during dinner.

      

There was agreement that this was the best dinner event in our history of the program and it is most gratifying to know that it is getting better and better. The young ladies who represented Aberdeen and Houston and their respective universities, did so proudly and with great accomplishmet.

Jennifer and Melody are shown below on their exchange visit to Aberdeen with the student nurses from Aberdeen who will be visiting Houston in October. From left to right, they are Julie, Jennifer, Deborah and Melody. In the second photo, they are shown at a reception given for them with Margaret Hadley, co-orginator of the program for Grampian Houston.

  

During their time in Scotland, Jennifer and Melody got to see a lot of the country and enjoyed the tour of Edinburgh on the double decker bus that they rode on the tour. They are shown seening Edinburgh from their bus in the photo on the left, and at a reception by the Lord and Lady Provost of Aberdeen are shown with the group on the right.

Following their arrival in Houston in October, visiting nursing students from Aberdeen were welcomed at a reception at Houston Baptist University as they began their scheduled activities with us. They are shown below with HBU and HGA hosts and are pictured from left to right: Dr. Nancy Yuill of HBU College of Nursing, HBU students Jennifer Hall and Melody McClanahan, Mary Metz from HGA, and visiting nursing students from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Debora Moir and Julie Stewart.

Their time with us seemed to vaporize as they combined an intense regimen of training and hospital visits with fun things like shopping and even a whirlwind weekend trip to Dallas. These young ladies made the most of their time and gave us a very good report on what they had experienced when we got together at HBU for a dinner honoring them and to have dialogue with them about their experience. Royal Bank of Scotland very generously sponsored the event and Kevin Howard was present to celebrate with us. Remarks were made by these distinguished folks shown below, from left to right, HGA President Bob Gilbert, HBU President Robert Sloan, HBU Director of Nursing Nancy Yuill and British Consul General Paul Lynch, and a very happy Kevin Howard, Managing Dirctor of The Royal Bank of Scotland, our generous sponsors.

The highlight of the evening was hearing presentations from the four student nurses to share their experiences in the visits to Aberdeen and to Houston, and then to engage in a spirited question and answer session with us to better understand the differences between nursing in the UK and in the United States and to hear how each one had benefited from their participation. The photo below shows the group together with our Chairman, Mary Metz, who coordinated the event for HGA and at the microphone in this photo is Julie Stewart who had said she was nervous about speaking in front of this audience. She "held court" quite nicely and moderated much of the dialogue during this final portion of the program.

And finally, a great photo of our hosts for the wondeful evening, Melody McClanahan, Dr. Yuill, Dr. Sloan and Jennifer Hall. It was a treat for us to welcome Dr. Sloan to our gathering and to enjoy his participation and encouragement for our activities in this, our signature event.

2006 Student Nurses Exchange

The students from Houston Baptist University who participated in the program for 2006 were Alison Norman and Bill Miller. They are shown below with Mary Metz. In October, we received the visiting nurses from Aberdeen, Alison French and Kate Reeves.

During their visit to Aberdeen, our student nurses were hosted by the Lady Provost, Helen Reynolds at the Aberdeen Town House and are pictured below with her. They are from Left to Right: Margaret Hadley- Grampian Society, Marie Cameron- RGU Lecturer, Kate Reeve - RGU Student, William Miller- HBU Student, Helen Reynolds- Lady Provost, Alison Norman - HBU Student, Marlene McCloud - Grampian Society, Alison French - RGU Student.

The students toured Aberdeen and at the winter gardens they visited the Silver Jubilee plaque from the GHA/HGA celebration. The tie Bill is wearing in the photo below was given to him by Geoff Hadley. It's the Grampian tartan, which is hard to find these days. The second group shot with the students is at the dinner with the Grampian-Houston Assocation. Bill decided to get in the spirit of things and rented a kilt for the event. Finding a kilt in the Grampian tartan was difficult since the region doesn't exist any more (changed to Aberdeenshire). So, the one he's wearing is the McLeod tartan.

  

On October 1, the student nurses from Aberdeen arrived in Houston and were welcomed at a reception in their honor at the Nursing School of Houston Baptist University. They are shown below with HGA and HBU folks. From left to right are Mary Metz, Marti McWhirter, Alison French, Kate Reeve and Quin McWhirter.

All four student nurses are shown here and they are from left to right, Kate Reeve, Bill Miller, Alison French and Alison Norman.

Their intensive schedule began immediately and they were thrust into the medical arena in Houston at full speed. Mid way through their visit, we paused and held our 13th annual dinner to honor our student nurses, and it was hosted by Houston Baptist University in the Hinton Center. The group gathered prior to entering the meeting room and below is a photo of Tom Gossett with the four student nurses.

The dinner began with welcoming remarks by Tom Gossett, standing in for our President, James Prappas, who was out of town with his family. Jack Hume offered a blessing and the folks gathered from Houston Grampian and Houston Baptist University were treated to a great meal of Texas Bar-B-Q and all the trimmings. Mary Metz and Dr. Nancy Yuill made remarks and then the students were introduced to discuss their experiences in Aberdeen and Houston and to compare notes on their observations of differences in the approach taken to nursing in the two cities. Here you see Tom Gossett, Mary Metz, Dr. Yuill and Deputy Consul Michael Morley making remarks to the gathering.

The discussion by the student nurses regarding their comparisons of nursing in Houston and Aberdeen were most interesting, and their were numerous questions from the attendees to understand how they perceived careers and approaches to nursing differed. Below is a photo of the four nurses as they made their presentations and answered questions.

At the end of the evening, the four student nurses gathered with Dr. Yuill and Mary Metz for a final photo before beginning their second week in Houston. They are shown below.

For previous years' visits between the sister cities, click HERE