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

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.