Occupational Health Nurse, Occupational Health Nursing Schools, Training, Jobs, and Careers

What is an Occupational Health Nurse?
Many colleges and universities offer programs in occupational health nursing. However, to become a nurse in occupational health you will have to pursue either a graduate certificate or a master's degree.

These programs teach the occupational nurse to develop safety, health and wellness programs for workers in industry and business. These specialty nurses provide emergency care, and they also develop programming and implement safety measures aimed at minimizing safety and health risks or they are involved in promoting general wellness.

Programs for Occupational Health Nursing Certificate:
Certificate programs for nurses in occupational health are designed for any practicing RN who has an interest in this specialty field. To complete this program means that you will have to have between 10 and 15 credit hours of coursework. Topics include how occupational health programs and factors have influenced the safety and health of the workplace. You will find that most of these programs will include one to two years in an occupational setting gaining practical experience.

Program Coursework:
The curriculum for many of the programs follows the guidelines set by the "American Board for Occupational Health Nurses", or ABOHN. It prepares the student to sit for this certification exam. Some of the courses include:

• Epidemiology
• Industrial Hygiene
• Toxicology
• Occupational Safety
• Ergonomics

Certification and Continuing Education:
Any student who has completed the certification programs for occupational health nursing may also be interested in getting a graduate degree in public health. Find out if some of the credits from the certificate programs will transfer to a degree program. You can receive certification through ABOHN. After completion of the certification programs, you can become either a Certified Occupational Health Nurse or a Certified Occupational Health Nurse-Specialist.

How to Get a Master's Degree Program in Occupational Health Nursing:
If you decide to get a Master's degree program in occupational health nursing, you can expect these programs to contain a lot of the same material as the certificate programs yet they will go into greater depth as they explore different research practices. Graduate programs will usually require two years of studying full-time to complete. This should qualify the graduate for certification through the ABOHN, or the student may make the decision to go on to a doctoral degree program.

Educational Prerequisites:
In order to enter the master's degree program, you must have a bachelor's degree in nursing or BSN. You will find that some schools will offer an extended three-year track to students who already have a bachelor's degree in an area outside of nursing.

Programs cover research skills, occupational health topics and advanced practice nursing topics. You may be required to write a thesis in some master's programs. Some of the topics you may have to study include the following:

• Advanced health and nursing practices
• Risk assessment and reduction
• Current occupational health issues
• Health Promotion
• Research Methods

Popular Career Options:
You will find that a nurse in occupational health works for industries and businesses across a wide variety of fields. Some of the job titles include:

• Case Manager
• Employee Health Specialist
• Clinical Nurse Specialist
• Environmental Health Specialist
• Occupational Health Nurse
• Employee Health Nurse

Occupational Health Nurse Salary:
These nurses make excellent money. The national average salary is $75,000 per year. We have seen some of them that make as much as $109,000 per year.

Occupational Health Nursing School:
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