Planetary Health Education Guides & Frameworks

The foundational Planetary Health Education Framework is already driving real-world curriculum transformation. As one example, at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, faculty have systematically mapped the Framework’s domains to nursing competencies and developed specific learning outcomes, demonstrating its practical implementation in professional education. Their implementation demonstrates how the Framework can be adapted to specific disciplines and within existing academic standards while maintaining its core principles. By weaving in Planetary Health, UMN shows how institutions can prepare healthcare professionals to address the Earth crisis. We hope this evidence-based example inspires you to implement the Framework within your own educational context, joining a growing global movement to transform education for Planetary Health.

The University of Minnesota has integrated Planetary Health concepts throughout the curricula of its School of Nursing. 

“The integration of concepts within the competencies and sub-competencies is essential for the application throughout the educational experience… These concepts truly are interrelated and interwoven within the domains and competencies, serving as a foundation to students’ learning.”

(AACN, 2021, p. 12).

 

Planetary Health Education includes five key threads: 

1. Interconnection within Nature
2. The Anthropocene and Health (human-caused disruption of Earth’s natural systems)
3. Systems Thinking / Complexity-based Approaches in Planetary Health
4. Equity and Social Justice
5. Movement Building and Systems Change

Professional nurses consider the impact that healthcare delivery has on future generations and work to ensure that all nursing research, education, advocacy/policy, and practice support a sustainable planet. Watch the video to learn more!