Volunteering at uni improves skills

The University of Brighton’s Active Hearts Cardiac Rehabilitation Programme is an exercise programme that supports individuals with heart disease to improve their health and wellbeing through physical activity.

The project supports teaching and learning and provides placement opportunities for students. Students work under the supervision of specialist exercise instructors to enable the programme to run safely and effectively, assisting with exercise classes, development of educational resources and fundraising activities.

The Active Hearts programme is lead by Principal Lecturer Louisa Beale who is also the course leader for our Exercise, Health and Rehabilitation Science BSc(Hons) degree.

Three of undergraduate sport science students chat about the Active Hearts programme and how volunteering for it has helped improve their skills.

Owen Smith

“My time at Active Hearts has allowed me to gain experience in a health-related setting and develop the skills necessary to work in this sector. I have learnt about the nuances involved in running a class for people with heart disease and to create my own programs to use in the future.

“This placement has given me the opportunity to apply skills from my course in the real-world environment, helped me refine those skills and practices, build relationships with people and shape my career path going forward.  It has also been great fun working at Active Hearts due to the hospitality of the staff team and clients.”

Andreea Matei 

“I started my placement with Active Hearts in September 2022 as an assistant exercise instructor helping with the classes.  I was also given the opportunity to complete my Level 4 BACPR Exercise instructor qualification which has benefited my knowledge and confidence around this population.

“My role is to supervise and support the clients during exercise, assisting in both warm up and cool downs, using the gym equipment and helping clients to perform specific exercises. I have improved my clinical skills through getting hands-on experience with physiological assessment such as blood pressure and heart rate monitoring. I’ve also had the opportunity to lead the warmups myself under the supervision of the lead instructor which has greatly benefited my confidence and communication skills.

“Although it was daunting at first, I felt like this experience really helped me get out my comfort zone. I’ve absolutely loved the experience right from the start and now know that I would like to work in Cardiac Rehabilitation or as a Nutritionist, supporting people to make lifestyle choices to optimise health.

Gabriel Briceno

“I have been helping the lead instructor to run the classes and supervise the health and safety of participants, making sure everyone is working out at the right intensity and performing the exercises with the correct technique.

“It is a very positive learning experience for me to work with a clinical population in an exercise setting, performing exercise tests and working as part of a multidisciplinary team. One of the most positive experiences is the interaction with the participants as it is very fulfilling to work at making a positive impact in their lives. I do recommend other students to get involved in this community project as it is an experience where they will learn skills that are imperative for the rest of their careers.”

Sabrina Joshua, Lead Cardiac Rehabilitation Exercise Instructor for Active Hearts, who completed a placement with the programme whilst a student said: “Active Hearts has been successfully facilitating student placements for over 15 years, offering a window into a range of health-related careers. Many students, myself included, have gone on to become an integral part of the chain in cardiac rehabilitation, either in a hospital setting (e.g cardiac/exercise physiologist, cardiac scientist) or in a community setting (eg specialist exercise instructor, gym/fitness manager, health promotion specialist).

“A placement at Active Hearts helps students learn about health and fitness in the real world and the importance of social factors. The clients love the social interaction with students.  They are often open to discussing the medical events which brought them to Active Hearts, and what the programme means to them, whilst talking with students about their studies, their motivations for choosing a placement at Active Hearts and their career aspirations. Students develop an understanding of how to work with people with a history of cardiac events and other health conditions, and how this may be different to the fitness/exercise settings they are more familiar with.

“It is wonderful for me to be able to support students towards a future health-related carer (as I was supported during my own placement at Active Hearts in 2017-18) and to see their enthusiasm and their growing confidence.”

Learn more about the Active Hearts programme on the University of Brighton website.