NURS 491 - Environmental Health Nursing

Units: 2
This course explores how the environment impacts our health and how we impact the environment. Emphasis is put on medical waste/sustainability, climate change and environmental justice, and the role of the nurse in mitigating and responding to environmental health issues.

Prerequisites: B.S. Nursing major.
Possible Instructional Methods: Hybrid.
Grading: A-F grading only.
Course Typically Offered: Variable Intermittently

Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:
1. Identify the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability in the healthcare setting.
2. Describe the nurses’ role in mitigating and adapting to environmental health threats.
3. Explain how individual and societal choices affect prospects for sustainability at the local, regional, and/or global level.
4. Describe the role of the nurse in preventing and responding to natural disasters attributed to climate change.
5. Consider the perspectives of various stakeholders affected by selected environmental policies and evaluate the social, economic and environmental impacts of alternative choices.
6. Describe key health implications of climate change and toxic chemical exposure.
7. Discuss the nurse’s role in advancing environmental justice.