How a nursing student champions environmental health in healthcare community

Written By Peter Allan

Ankur Patel spending time with the deer of Nara Park, Japan. Photo submitted by Ankur Patel

 

By Patricia Lane & Ankur Patel

Ankur Patel, a 21-year-old nursing student from Terrace, British Columbia, is helping nurses see care for the planet as care for people.

Tell us about your projects.

I am on the board of the Canadian Nursing Students' Association. In January 2025, we will ask our members to endorse a position paper and resolution I helped draft, calling on the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing ( CASN) to further incorporate awareness of the impacts of the climate crisis into the nursing school curriculum. The Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment has recently signed, and it is important to demonstrate student support.

Nurses need this education to provide the best care. A nurse is often the first point of contact for routine, emergency and preventative care. Nurses who understand the toxicity of wildfire smoke can help people better evaluate their risks of going outside on smoky days. If nurses know wildfires will increase, they will be motivated to have information about subsidies for clean air filtration systems. We need to know that ticks and other insects are migrating north to more readily identify Lyme disease and potentially fatal spider bites. Nurses understand the impact of extreme heat on our bodies. If they also know more unnaturally hot days are coming, they can advocate for cooling centres and encourage their use. A nurse who is aware of flood risk can help those requiring regular access to healthcare to prepare. If nurses are sensitive to the impacts of climate in the Global South, they may be more helpful when a patient with ties to that area presents with mental distress.

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Peter Allan
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