Planetary Health Nursing Internship Program

In our current climate crisis, we know the health of our planet impacts human health and has implications on cancer incidence and outcomes. As the healthcare industry is a major contributor to the greenhouse gases that disrupt the Earth's natural systems, BC Cancer is taking action to implement innovative and sustainable solutions to tackle this problem.

Nurses at BC Cancer are embedded in clinical practice and represent the largest professional group within the organization. For these reasons, oncology nurses are well positioned to identify opportunities to address environmental sustainability challenges within the clinical setting and act as drivers of actionable solutions to improve and promote planetary health within cancer care.

The Planetary Health Nursing Internship program is a 12-week program created to:

1

Educate nurses about planetary health, a transdisciplinary movement grounded in Indigenous Knowledges.

• Acknowledge the Indigenous roots of planetary health, foster a deeper understanding of Indigenous Peoples' ongoing planetary health stewardship, and build recognition of opportunities to integrate related concepts into the efforts of decolonizing our health systems.

2

Guide the development of transformational projects led by planetary health principles and rooted in quality improvement fundamentals, supported by 1:1 mentorship and extensive resource support.