Special highlights from the Creative Health training with nursing students at The University of Chester
We have previously shared that since the start of this year, Songbirds Specialist Musicians and Co-Founders Ros and Mark, have been extremely busy delivering Creative Health training with cohorts of 1st year nursing students at the University of Chester. This training is part of an ongoing partnership with Philip Barker Centre for Creative Learning and The University. Practical training sessions have taken place at Space in Chester SPACE (spacecheshire.org) , a centre providing fully accessible support and play facilities for families with children with additional needs.
Ros and Mark summarise some of the highlights of this special partnership: ‘Working with the student nurses in Chester has been an inspiring, productive and energising experience.
We've particularly enjoyed seeing the nurses build their confidence in using music, developing their own skills, strategies and techniques for use in future practice. Our sessions have focused on how music can be a vehicle for non verbal communication and expression, and whilst our own work focuses on children and young people, the techniques the nurses are exploring relate to many other settings, including dementia, mental health and rehabilitation. Most importantly, the activities we have explored together have provided a valuable space for the students to reflect on the skills they use in nursing practice from a creative perspective, and examine how creative skills can be applied to patient care, improving experiences of health and hospitalisation.’