Beyond the Slogans: Understanding the Ecological Consciousness of Nurses to Advance Ecological Knowledge and Practice

Abstract

Despite unprecedented global environmental changes with widespread health effects, and rapid advances in nursing knowledge and education, the concept of environment within the discipline remains restricted. Environmental health continues to be marginalized in nursing education and practice, with nurses struggling to get beyond the slogans to arrive at practical applications. Framed by ecohealth and radical ecopsychology theory (concerned with nature connection, individual wellness, and social/earth justice), this study employed an online survey (n = 40) with thematic content analysis. The study explored factors that influenced eco-consciousness, how it affected nursing work, and how it was integrated into practice The 40 participants from 3 Canadian provinces included 32 nurses employed in education and clinical practice and 8 student nurses. Three main themes emerged: awakening consciousness, challenges in the discipline and profession, and finding opportunities. In particular, the students expressed a need for early integration of environmental health teaching into curriculum. Results illustrate an ongoing knowledge–practice gap and highlight the frustration and dismay of nurses whose efforts remain marginalized. Motivations and opportunities for nurses to undertake an expanded role in adopting environmental health as central to the discipline and practice of nursing can and must be more intently harnessed. As curricular approaches are expanded, further inquiry is proposed into the role of both early experiences and nursing education to transform the response to the ecological crises of our times.

The Environment as a Patient: A Content Analysis of Canadian Nursing Organizations and Regulatory Bodies Policies on Environmental Health

“…The lack of Canadian based research on nursing activism for environmental health may be related to a lack of environmental health focus in current Canadian nursing practice. Hanley and Jakubec’s (2019) study confirmed the lack of environmental health focus for Canadian nurses, and their study participants stated environmental health concepts should be incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum to address the knowledge-practice gap.…”

Nursing students' and educators' perspectives on sustainability and climate change: An integrative review

“…The positive attitudes seen in these quantitative studies were reflected in qualitative research, wherein students suggested that nurses' work can contribute to a sustainable healthcare system through research, leadership and education (Anåker et al., 2021; Ergin et al., 2021). Congruently, Hanley and Jakubec (2019) found that Canadian students and educators advocated for planetary health promotion. Conversely, some studies found that students felt that sustainability and climate change were not a nurse's responsibility (Felicilda‐Reynaldo et al., 2018; Nigatu et al., 2014; Ryan et al., 2020).…”

“…Students and educators expressed a need for more frequent and in‐depth sustainability education, embedded throughout the nursing curriculum so that the relevance to nursing would be explicit (Anåker et al., 2021; Chen & Price, 2020; Hanley & Jakubec, 2019). Peres et al.…”

“…Students and educators expressed a need for more frequent and in-depth sustainability education, embedded throughout the nursing curriculum so that the relevance to nursing would be explicit (Anåker et al, 2021;Chen & Price, 2020;Hanley & Jakubec, 2019). Peres et al (2015) found that Brazilian nursing educators viewed environmental education as an opportunity to rethink nursing education, but felt that there was not enough time or opportunity to reflect and discuss this approach with other educators.…”

Developing Nursing Geography with an Ecological Lens

“…Community health nursing and nursing education and practice overall in Canada have largely neglected the environmental (or ecological) context of health and its equity dimensions. While there are notable exceptions (e.g., Morin et al, 2022), environmental health and equity remain at the margins (Hanley & Jakubec, 2019). Yet, the health inequities CHNs are called on to help ameliorate are inextricably linked to geography, space, place, and land (Waldron, 2018).…”