Today marks the start of National Nurses Week; a time to shine a light on all that nurses do across a wide variety of healthcare settings. This year’s theme – The Power of Nurses – celebrates and acknowledges the transformative role nurses play in patient care, healthcare technology and policy. But most importantly, it recognizes the impact, strength, and expertise of nurses.
While we celebrate all nurses, we want to focus our spotlight on the role of occupational health nurses play in keeping America’s workers and workplaces safe. As well as the clinical aspects of nursing, occupational health nurses are also experts at workplace risk identification from excessive noise to improper lifting techniques, vaccinations and other scheduled health testing, and most importantly staying compliant with myriad local, state, federal, and industry-specific regulations that support worker health, safety, and well-being.
Occupational health nursing has a long and storied history in the United States, from its origins in the late 1800s when Nurse Betty Moulder started caring for workers and their families in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. As America industrialized and factory work soared, occupational health nurses played a frontline role in combatting the spread of infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, in the already hazardous conditions that early 20th century workers faced.
Today, as dangerous working conditions are less common and other challenges to worker safety emerge, occupational health nurses have taken on different, yet equally, vital roles. Emergent challenges in the workplace, such as mental health, chronic diseases, and the impact of climate change have become key parts of occupational health nursing alongside case management, wellness education, and compliance. Occupational health nurses are also fundamental to a growing business imperative as well. While there might be a debate over whether to use VOI or ROI as the foundation for the business case for occupational health, what is clear is that keeping workers safe and focusing on preventative care at work helps businesses manage operational costs.
As the shortage of occupational health doctors continues to grow, the role of the occupational health nurse will only become more important. With vital knowledge around not just clinical issues, but also procedural and regulatory standards, all workplaces looking to grow their business and build their workforce should prioritize their occupational health nursing staff today and every day.
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