Professional healthcare clown
A healthcare clown is a professional, a professional artist. Clowns must be skilled in their craft, artistically and personally, which applies doubly to healthcare clowns. They must also be able to improvise and respond to unexpected situations. Most Health Clowns have an artistic or artistic-pedagogical education, but other fields are also represented.
Professional Health Clowns must, of course, be familiar with the medical environment – you can read more about this in the International Certification section. Before visiting, clowns consult with doctors or nurses about the health status of patients or clients and tailor their visits to children and seniors to the specific individual, their needs and limitations. Health Clowns notice details, can assess the patient's current mental state, and within a few moments know what dosage and type of humour will be best.
Each Health Clown is an original character with their own name and story. You would recognise our colleagues even without their red noses – in addition to their expertise, they also share a sense of humour, enthusiasm, empathy, and closeness to children and people in general.
How to become a Health Clown?
How to become a Health Clown?
An important prerequisite is acting talent, experience with improvisation, etc. However, some of our colleagues came to us from other fields and professions, and what was decisive was their desire to learn and their enjoyment of acting with clear rules of craft. A Health Clown is a professional, not a volunteer. If you are considering becoming a Health Clown, it is important to consider the following:
- sufficient time for training – before an applicant can become a Health Clown, they must pass a three-round audition and then undergo several weeks of gradual preparation – they participate in mandatory workshops, attend hospital observations and gradually familiarise themselves with the clown profession from both an artistic and practical perspective. The training of Health Clowns continues with mandatory international certification.
- Enough time for clowning – our organisation has a clear commitment to hospitals and nursing homes and must adhere to a precise schedule of visits, so our clowns must also meet a minimum monthly number of clown performances – calculate ⅓ - ½ of a full-time job. We also have an upper limit on the number of clown performances so that our colleagues have time and space for mental hygiene.
Professional healthcare clowns are familiar with the medical environment and adhere to a code of ethics, hygiene rules and safeguarding rules.
Education
is very important to our organisation. We want to maintain a high level of professionalism within our team, which is why we regularly organise various specialised art workshops, seminars and training courses led by local and foreign lecturers. We also organise seminars led by doctors and other experts not only from the field of medicine, but also psychology, sociology and communication. The organisation's artistic management often supervises the clowns directly in the field, monitoring their work in hospitals and contributing with their support and advice.
International certification
Thanks to the partnership between Zdravotní klaun and RED NOSES International, a joint educational curriculum has been developed. Education is compulsory, and every clown must complete all the prescribed workshops and seminars within five years at the latest.
Health Clowns are trained in six different subject areas. They gain knowledge and skills from practical clown workshops, the healthcare environment, as well as psychology, sociology and communication. Upon completion, Health Clowns are awarded an internal certificate. However, compulsory training does not end there. Throughout their professional careers, Health Clowns participate in various workshops, seminars and training courses aimed at supporting these artists in their journey towards the most effective and joyful communication with those who need it most.