Occupational health nurses are registered nurses who independently observe and assess workers' health status with respect to job tasks and hazards. Using their specialized experience and education, they recognize and prevent health effects from hazardous exposures and treat workers' injuries and illnesses.
The available roles in this profession are extremely diverse, covering any and all of the wide-ranging issues related to occupational health and safety. OHNs work as clinicians, educators, case managers, corporate directors, or consultants. They also have a broad array of responsibilities, including:
- Disease management
- Environmental health
- Emergency preparedness/disaster planning
- Employee treatment, follow-up and referrals
- Emergency care for job-related injuries and illnesses
- Gatekeeper for healthcare services
- Rehabilitation, return-to-work issues
OHNs counsel workers about work-related illness and injuries and emotional and/or family problems. They refer clients to employee assistance programs and/or other community resources, and handle and coordinate follow-up care.
They also develop health education and disease management programs that encourage workers to take responsibility for their own health, such as smoking cessation, exercise/fitness, nutrition and weight control, stress management, control of chronic illnesses and effective use of medical services. Organizations have good reason to hire Occupational Health Nurses, because these highly skilled health professionals help maximize employee productivity and reduce costs by effectively lowering disability claims, reducing on-the-job injuries and absenteeism, and improving employee health and safety.
Salary: $63,472
