Young nursing student champions overlooked consideration in traditional care methods: 'We need to know'

Nursing student Ankur Patel believes that climate awareness will help equip the next generation of health care professionals to better serve their communities. 

In a co-edited piece for Canada's National Observer, the 21-year-old from Terrace, British Columbia, shared that he lived near a highway as a small child and nearly died from asthma. However, after his family moved, his condition improved. 

These experiences inspired Patel to think about how to mitigate dangerous outcomes linked to environmental mismanagement, and he revealed why he is calling on the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing to further integrate climate education into nursing curriculums. 

For one, Patel explained that nurses are generally the first point of contact for all levels of care, from routine checkups to emergency situations. And as the global temperature rises, there is also an increase in health challenges linked to the overheating. Wildfires, for example, have grown more intense and frequent, releasing toxic plumes that make breathing difficult. 

"Nurses who understand the toxicity of wildfire smoke can help people better evaluate their risks of going outside on smoky days," Patel said. "If nurses know wildfires will increase, they will be motivated to have information about subsidies for clean air filtration systems."

Wildfires aren't the only type of extreme weather connected to Earth's accelerated warming, with heat waves and floods among the events that threaten both physical and mental health. 

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, heat killed more people on average over 10 years than floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and cold weather combined. Studies have also connected high temperatures to an increase in suicides. 

Meanwhile, flooding can create ideal breeding grounds for disease-carrying pests such as mosquitoes and cause deadly water contamination. 

"If [nurses] 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," Patel said, highlighting how climate awareness could also increase compassion in medical care as well as lead to quick and accurate diagnoses. 

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"We need to know that ticks and other insects are migrating north to more readily identify Lyme disease and potentially fatal spider bites," Patel explained. 

CANE has already signed off on Patel's suggestion, and he hopes his work with the Youth Climate Corps British Columbia will inspire others to view nursing as a "green career."

"Nursing is care for humans and the planet on which we depend," Patel said.

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