A creative health placement: challenging student nurses to learn creatively

Abstract

There is a drive to promote population health as a preventative measure. The use of creative health has been advocated to relieve pressures on healthcare services, but this can only be achieved by greater awareness of and immersion in such practices. The creative health placement at the University of Chester responded to this need, offering 60 nursing students the experience of an arts-based practice learning placement and the chance to explore their personal wellbeing. Such learning presented a challenge for students, requiring them to reflect on their expectations of nursing placements and respond creatively to the healthcare issues facing our profession.