The Extensive Responsibilities Of A Occupational Health Nurse
The options for nurses seems to be unlimited. Nurses are needed in most any setting available today. When you think of nurses you probably conjure up a vision of a hospital setting. There are also nursing jobs in clinics, nursing homes, home health, schools, rehab centers, business, factories just to name a few. An occupational health nurse could be found in most any business or factory. They are independent practitioners that observe, evaluate and treat said business/ factory employees. They are also expected to recognize potentially hazardous situations in the work place. Typical responsibilities of the occupational health nurse include interpretation of lab results, diagnostic tests, industrial hygiene, personal exposure monitoring values. They also observe and assess the worker and the work environment. These nursing jobs also includes management of worker's occupational or non- occupational injuries or illness. The occupational health nurse also needs a extensive understanding of the work place's potential hazards and how they might impact the workers. They have to have good understanding of toxicology, personal protective equipment, and industrial hygiene principles. This is a very extensive position and this practitioner must be able to cover and understand a large and varied amount of information. Other than holding a Registered Nurse License, there is a wide variety of educational back grounds among the occupational health nurse, from the basic Registered Nurse to a graduate degree. Salary,of course, would then be directly related to the amount of education one holds. Certification is available for the OHN, this would also increase your salary. The American Board for Occupational Health Nurses definition is as follows: "certification reflects specialty practice and knowledge at a proficient level " as opposed licensure to which " assures the public of safe practice at a beginning level". In this way they use the certification as an achievement and professional prestige. To obtain this certification, one must have worked in the position for at least 3,000 hours or completed a occupational health nurse program. Then there is an exam that must be passed. Re-certification is due every five years. To be eligible for re-certification one must possess a current registered nurses license, must have at least 3,000 hours of occupational nurse work experience and at least fifty hour of continuing nursing education related to occupational health. This practitioner's job requires that the nurse works closely with OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). This is a division of the Department of Labor, the make sure that employers provide safe and healthy work environments for employees. They do periodic inspections of institutions, business, or factory to help maintain compliance. |
