Perspectives of Nursing Science in Planetary Health, autumn 2026
- Date:
- 26.10.2026 - 12.3.2027
- Credits:
- 5 ECTS credits
- Location:
- Kuopio
- Continuous learning category:
- Social welfare and health care
- Teaching format:
- Distance teaching, Online teaching, Independent learning
- Price:
- 100 € (VAT 0%)
Contents:
- Planetary health framework in nursing science
- Environmental changes and their impacts on health
- Challenges of sustainable development in healthcare
- Sustainable development goals (sdgs) and planetary health
- Global strategies for environmental and planetary health promotion
Learning outcomes:
Having completed the course, the student will:
- Be able to analyze the impacts of environmental changes (e.g., climate change, biodiversity loss) on health at the individual, community, and global levels through a nursing science lens
- Be able to evaluate the connections between planetary health challenges and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Be able to develop solutions that promote planetary health within the context of nursing practice, education, and leadership
- Be able to design local and global strategies to adapt to health risks caused by environmental changes.
Generic skills that will be gained during the course:
SDG 3,13&15, critical thinking, interaction and communication, and development of expertise.
Prerequisites: Introduction to Global Health MOOC 3 ECTS
Target group: The studies in nursing science are suitable for both degree-seeking students and for continuing education for social and health care professionals and experts.
Study time: 26.10.2026 - 12.03.2027
Log into Moodle environment as soon as the course starts. The course has scheduled assignments and must be completed within the given schedule.
Online lecture:
30.10.2026 klo 12.00 - 14.00
Registration time: 03.08.2026-19.10.2026
Modes of study: lectures 10 h, exercises 35 h, and independent study 90 h;
- Lectures (online and recoded)
- Case studies and real-world examples
- Groupwork
- Academic literature, global guidelines, policies and frameworks, strategies for reading material
- Online discussion forum
Study materials:
Materials will be distributed at the beginning of the course.
The following literature and materials can be applied:
Ebooks (only the relevant parts)
Myers, S. S., & Frumkin, H. (2020). Planetary health: protecting nature to protect ourselves. Island Press. (ebook available from Primo)
The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; National Academy of Medicine; Committee on the Future of Nursing 2020–2030; Flaubert JL, Le Menestrel S, Williams DR, et al., editors. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US). 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573914/
Luber, G. (2020). Global climate change and human health : from science to practice. Jossey-Bass. (ebook available in Primo)
Planetary Health:
Kalogirou, M. R., Olson, J., & Davidson, S. (2020). Nursing’s metaparadigm, climate change and planetary health. Nursing Inquiry, 27(3), e12356-n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12356
Santos, O., Virgolino, A., Vaz Carneiro, A., de Matos, M. G., de Matos, M. G., Salmela-Aro, K., & Wainwright, T. W. (2021). Health Behavior and Planetary Health: A Multi-Level Environmental Health Approach. European Psychologist, 26(3), 212–218. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000437
MacNeill, A. J., McGain, F., & Sherman, J. D. (2021). Planetary health care: a framework for sustainable health systems. The Lancet. Planetary Health, 5(2), e66–e68. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00005-X
Climate change:
Portela Dos Santos, O., Melly, P., Joost, S., & Verloo, H. (2023). Climate Change, Environmental Health, and Challenges for Nursing Discipline. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(9), 5682-. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20095682
Williams, P. C., Marais, B., Isaacs, D., & Preisz, A. (2021). Ethical considerations regarding the effects of climate change and planetary health on children. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 57(11), 1775–1780. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.15704
World Health Organization. (2023). Safe, climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable health care facilities_ An overview. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/379483/B09119-eng.pdf?sequence=1
World Health Organization. Climate change and health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
United Nations. Sustainable Development Goals. https://sdgs.un.org/goals (SDG 3,13&15)
Rosa, W. E., Dossey, B. M., Watson, J., Beck, D.-M., & Upvall, M. J. (2019). The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: The Ethic and Ethos of Holistic Nursing. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 37(4), 381–393. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898010119841723
Evaluation criteria: PASS/FAIL; exercises are compulsory
Literature acquisition costs and borrowing fees are not included in the tuition fee.
The study fee is 20 euros per ECTS credit for individual study units, and 15 euros per credit for study modules. The study fee is paid at registration. Prices are valid for the academic year 2026-2027.
For more information on study fees and payment and cancellation terms, please see: Registration, study fees and right to study | University of Eastern Finland (uef.fi).
If you can’t identify yourself using the Suomi.fi service, please contact our training secretary; please check contact information below.
By paying the study fee, the student receives a temporary right to study that entitles them to attend a particular course. The right to study is course-specific, and is required to complete the course as specified in the syllabus for the term, covering both teaching and course exams.
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