This year, nine BU final year BSc (Hons) Operating Department Practice students successfully completed the new Carbon Literacy for Healthcare training as part of their degree programme.
This short course gives students the opportunity to explore the critical link between climate change and healthcare, and how they can contribute to shaping a low carbon NHS that delivers exceptional care while safeguarding the health of future generations.
The students received the training from their programme leader, Dr Debora Almeida, Senior Lecturer in Operating Department Practice, with support from the BU Sustainability Team. The course content has been developed by the Carbon Literacy Project in collaboration with Health Education England, e-learning for healthcare, and Manchester Metropolitan University.
Dr Debora Almeida said, “The Carbon Literacy for Healthcare training was delivered as part of our curriculum through a well-organised and straightforward process. With some pre-planning, integration of content into one of the units, and protected time allocated for students to complete their e-learning, the initiative ran smoothly and achieved strong uptake from the majority of the cohort. I would highly recommend that other programmes follow the approach taken by the ODP team and offer their students the opportunity to become Carbon Literate. This can be a very important step toward embedding sustainability in healthcare education.”
We've been delivering the Carbon Literacy training to staff and students for many years. The roll out of this new Carbon Literacy for Healthcare toolkit, designed specifically for staff and students entering the healthcare sector, marks an exciting next step. BU's plan moving forward is to work with academic staff to embed the Carbon Literacy for Healthcare course into more healthcare-focused programmes. This will help to ensure BU students enter the healthcare sector with the knowledge and skills they need to contribute to a net zero NHS.
BU is an accredited Bronze Carbon Literate Educator, demonstrating our commitment to embedding climate education and action into our institution, and to facilitating a cultural shift towards a zero-carbon society.
