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Professional practice in the care of young people should include effective communication, a policy of inclusion and active assessment of competence.

Including Twitter as an assessed element for first-year nursing students was feasible, students think it worthwhile and other nursing schools should consider introducing it in the broader context of Digital Professionalism.

Using a scenario-based learning approach with nursing and midwifery students can change attitudes and knowledge towards sustainability and climate change. Embedding this approach in the context of clinical skills provides a novel and engaging approach that is both educationally sound and clinically relevant.

Aim To evaluate attitudes towards embedding sustainability and climate change in nursing curricula among nursing students, some of whom had participated in a sustainability and health skills session, and determine whether the session could improve knowledge of sustainability. Methods Three months after the sustainability session, students who had participated along with a sample of students who had not, completed a Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey questionnaire. This investigated attitudes towards climate change and sustainability in nursing curricula and the costs of clinical and domestic waste disposal. Results Nursing students were positive about sustainability and climate change and its inclusion in the curriculum, irrespective of their participation in the sustainability scenario session. Participants in the sustainability session were more likely to identify correctly the cost of clinical waste disposal in the NHS. Conclusion The sustainability and health skills session has the potential to improve nursing students' knowledge of the cost of clinical waste disposal.

The paediatric population is the most vulnerable to exposure to environmental risk factors. Institutions of higher education have to equip nursing students with the attitudes, knowledge, and skills to respond to this using blended learning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of e-NurSus Children intervention on student nurses’ attitudes, knowledge, and skills. A quasi-experimental study of time series was designed using pre and post educational intervention evaluation in 2018. The participants were nursing students (N = 267) from Spain (n = 110) and the United Kingdom (n = 157). Three instruments were used: the Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey, the Children’s Environmental Health Knowledge Questionnaire, and the Children’s Environmental Health Skills Questionnaire. The attitudes (15.81%), knowledge (39.02%), and skills (29.98%) of nursing students improved following the e-NurSus Children intervention. It is necessary to include topics on children’s environmental health in nurse education as students are aware of this issue but do not have the knowledge or skills required to manage problems or illness caused by the environment. The e-NurSus Children intervention is an effective tool to address this educational gap.

A major driver for interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and learning is the sustainability agenda. Our paper describes a novel interdisciplinary approach to education for sustainability in healthcare intended to raise awareness about issues and provide opportunities for nursing and design students to collectively develop solutions. A scenario was constructed based on our research on sustainable healthcare and waste management and formed one of four skills stations during a nursing clinical skills day. Learning outcomes were specified and students engaged in discussion, fact finding and practical work. Design students observed the skills stations and participated in the sustainability scenario session; they then produced a range of design solutions which were tested by the nursing students. The process was evaluated using a brief survey to determine if the session had made students more aware of sustainability issues and to gain feedback about the teaching methods. Forty one students took part and completed evaluations forms; all thought the scenarios were realistic and saw the relevance to practice. Following the scenario sessions the product design students were encouraged to respond holistically to the sustainability issues they were introduced to; they generated a range of ideas to innovate product and packaging concepts at local level and industry wide that were tested with nursing students. From our intervention, it was found that there are significant benefits in bringing together different professional groups to consider the very real challenges healthcare faces due to climate change and resource depletion. This initiative suggests a scenario-based interprofessional approach to sustainability can be effective in the undergraduate curricula.

Climate change and resource scarcity pose significant threats to healthcare delivery. Nurses should develop the skills to cope with these challenges in the future. Skills sessions using sustainability scenarios can help nursing students to understand the effect climate change and resource scarcity will have on health care. Involving design students in clinical skills sessions can encourage multidisciplinary working and help to find solutions to promote healthcare sustainability.