Occupational Health Registered Nurse

Position Overview

At Houston Methodist, the Occupational Health Nurse provides expert, integrated, cost-effective, quality patient care through the coordination of clinical care for occupational health clients and programs. The role encompasses new employee, volunteer and allied health assessments; ongoing employee health management and education; and cause drug testing. Responsibilities include initial management, monitoring, and reporting of occupational injuries and illnesses, return‑to‑work status, case management, immunization administration, compliance, safe patient handling equipment education and training, and regular collaboration with physicians on employee health assessments.

The position also collaborates with Infection Prevention and Control in the investigation, reporting, and follow‑through of employee exposures to infectious or communicable diseases.

Exempt

• Education: Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited school of Nursing OR Associate’s degree from an accredited school of Nursing with an additional two years of nursing experience (in addition to the minimum experience requirements listed below)
• Experience: Three years of clinical nursing experience; occupational health nursing experience preferred
• Licenses and
  
  Certifications:
  
  Required: RN – Registered Nurse – Texas State Licensure – Texas Board of  Compact Licensure (must obtain permanent Texas license within 60 days if establishing Texas residency) and BLS – Basic Life Support or Instructor (AHA) – American Heart Association. Preferred: COHN – Certified Occupational Health Nurse (ABOHN) or COHN/S – Certified Occupational Health Nurse Specialist (ABOHN)
• Skills and Abilities: Demonstrates skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, proficiency in English, effective communication with patients, physicians, family members, and co‑workers, strong assessment, organizational, and problem‑solving skills, independence and judgment in interactions, critical thinking and clinical judgment to work autonomously.

• People: Uses therapeutic communication; contributes to teamwork; collaborates with staff and other groups as a clinical resource/consultant.
• Service: Performs pre‑employment health assessments; coordinates ongoing employee health management and immunization programs; provides nursing care including injections, medication dispensing, vital signs, wound care, and first‑aid treatment; refers employees to physicians as appropriate.
• Quality/Safety: Conducts initial management and review of occupational injuries/illnesses; uses data collection to identify focus areas; participates in safety committees; assists in policy development; collaborates with Infection Control and others on exposure investigation and follow‑through.
• Finance: Manages time effectively; documents care promptly; minimizes overtime; supports unit resource utilization and budgeting; adheres to fiscal responsibility when ordering supplies.
• Growth/Innovation: Coordinates training on safe patient handling; presents educational programs; develops educational material based on data analysis to promote patient safety and risk reduction.

• Work Attire: Scrubs:
  Yes;
  Uniform:
  No;
  Business professional:
  No;
  Other (department approved):
  Yes
• On‑Call: No (employees may be required to be on‑call during emergencies irrespective of this designation)
• Travel: May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area:
  Yes;
  May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area:
  No