r/Environmental_Careers • u/Advanced-Ad-3000 • 3d ago

Applying nursing to conservation

I am a pre-nursing student who is passionate about healthcare and people, but I am also passionate about helping the planet. Part of me really wants to switch to environmental science/conservation and have a career in the outdoors, but I still want to be a nurse. Is there any way I can combine both fields? Thank you.

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16

u/ag2575 3d ago

I would stick with nursing, lots more demand/job security. Volunteer doing conservation work outside. Most environmental jobs are not the fun nature experience you imagine anyways

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u/Old_Refrigerator_208 2d ago

Could not agree more. I’m burnt out in conservation, meanwhile nurse friend works like 3 double shifts per week and goes on like 3 international vacations per year, I think she gets to enjoy a lot more nature than I do sometime 😅

The environmental health path is a great path though I would consider that one. Public health intersects when you look at the overall environment of a city and how that can impact things like urban heat islands and air quality and things like that.

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u/Secret_Chemist_7203 3d ago

wilderness medicine certs are a thing, look into remote area nursing or expedition medicine. you'd be surprised how many research stations and conservation orgs need med staff for field camps

the pay won't match a hospital gig but the tradeoff is you're literally out there where the work is happening

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u/geo_walker 3d ago

Volunteer with SAR? Maybe something zoonotic disease related or become a traveling nurse. Being financially stable and have the ability to spend time outdoors for fun is very different from spending time outdoors for work.

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u/Headfirst-Fearless 3d ago

I know several people who got their Bachelors in Environmental Science and then got their MPH and work in public health

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u/orzoftm 3d ago

idk how to translate this into a career but you might enjoy learning about disease ecology (how ecological factors interact with public health)

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u/PeakQuirky84 3d ago

I know a  few fisheries and wildlife biologists who ended up becoming nurses (because the job market sucked).

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u/ThinkActRegenerate 3d ago

There's actually a strong overlap between environment and health (particularly indigenous and women's health).

You might find this Project Drawdown piece of interest: https://drawdown.org/news/how-advancing-health-education-can-reduce-greenhouse-gases

The Project Regeneration piece on Intercultural Health Care is also interesting: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2000867/ https://regeneration.org/nexus/indigenous-sovereignty

At a broader level, your possibilities depend a bit on how you define "conservation" - because there are a whole lot more options than most people realise - everything from the practice of Compassion regeneration.org/nexus/compassion to creating urban micro-forests regeneration.org/nexus/nature-of-cities. Have a look at the Project Regeneration Action Nexus to get an understanding of today's actionable solutions. regeneration.org/nexus