Over 100 girl guides, scouts, leaders and parents came to Sheffield Hallam University on Thursday to take part in a Skills Lab event, designed and run by academics and students in the University’s Faculty of Health and Wellbeing. The youngsters took part in workshops where they got the opportunity to learn how to carry tasks including; using a respiratory physio assessment tool to listen to the lungs, taking x-rays of different objects with our diagnostic radiographers, learning about how to dress and care for wounds from the nurses.

The University’s Operating Department Practitioners opened up the theatre where they were able to learn how to incubate a patient and they also got to work with Hallam’s learning disability and social work nurses where they were given specialised glasses to learn what it’s like to have different severities of visual impairment. Lastly they got to experience how dementia affects the brain with the Occupational Therapists and learn the role of the Therapeutic Radiographer using the virtual learning environment. Many lecturers took the opportunity to bring their own children into the University to see what they do at work.

Jo McNamara, Senior Lecturer in Radiotherapy and Oncology at Sheffield Hallam, said: “We’re really passionate about motivating and inspiring the next generation of healthcare professionals and this event is about reigniting people’s passion for a career in healthcare. The girl guides and scouts have core values that are similar to those we look for in applicants to our health courses, such as caring, inclusivity, passion and compassion. We want to educate future allied health professionals, nurses and social workers about the skills they need, as well as showcase the fun ways in which we train the future NHS workforce.”