Registered Nurse ll PRN, Occupational Health

At Houston Methodist, the Occupational Health Nurse PRN position provides expert, integrated, cost-effective, quality patient care through the coordination of clinical care for occupational health clients and programs which includes organization, planning, developing and implementing occupational health programs. This position encompasses new employee, volunteer and allied health assessments, on-going employee health management and education as well as for cause drug testing. Responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to, initial management, monitoring and reporting of occupational injuries and illnesses, return-to-work status, case management, immunization administration and compliance, safe patient handling equipment, education and training and regularly works with physicians on employee health assessments. The Occupational Health Nurse PRN position collaborates with Infection Prevention and Control in the investigation, reporting and follow-through related to employee exposures to infectious or communicable diseases.

This position will support staffing at our network hospital locations as needed.

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)

Three years of clinical nursing experience

Occupational health nursing experience preferred

RN - Registered Nurse - Texas State Licensure - Texas Board of Nursing_PSV Compact Licensure - Must obtain permanent Texas license within 60 days (if establishing Texas residency) and

COHN - Certified Occupational Health Nurse (ABOHN) or

COHN/S - Certified Occupational Health Nurse Specialist (ABOHN)

Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations

Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security

Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles

Ability to function independently and exercise judgment in interactions with physicians, interprofessional care team and patients and their families

Uses critical thinking skills and clinical judgment to work autonomously as defined by the Nurse Practice Act

Contributes to teamwork by awareness of overall department workload, consistently offering assistance, and responding positively to requests for assistance. Collaborates to foster healthy relationships in the work environment. Performs pre-employment health assessments on all new post-offer candidates, allied health professionals (not managed by medical staff credentialing), and other contract, agency, volunteers and students per policy.

Coordinates and performs activities related to on-going employee health management to include the annual Tuberculosis (TB) and Influenza program for employees, allied health staff, volunteers and contract personnel. Administers, tracks, coordinates and reports immunization programs.

Provides nursing care to include administration of injections, dispensing non-prescription medications, vital signs, wound care and work status reports. Provides first aid treatment as needed and appropriate. Refers employees to physicians as appropriate.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Conducts initial management, review and monitoring of all occupational injuries and illnesses.

Utilizes results from data collection activities to include occupational injury and illness volumes and trends, results from infection control surveillance, trends of employee illnesses to identify and prioritize areas of focus for improvement. Assists in development and revision of policies and procedures to meet current practice standards. May present at Medical Staff, Environment of Care (EOC) and Safety Committees.

Collaborates with Infection Control, physicians and others in the investigation, reporting and follow-through of employees potentially exposed to infectious or communicable diseases.

Displays self-motivation to independently manage time effectively, timely document care, minimize incidental overtime, and prioritize daily tasks. Provides input into the unit resource utilization including unit capital and operational budget needs.

Adheres to fiscal responsibility when ordering and maintaining medical and office supply inventory.

Coordinates, collaborates, and participates in training along with other key stakeholders such as education and department leadership regarding safe patient handling and mobility (SPHM) principles.

Designs, gathers, reviews, and utilizes qualitative and quantitative data analyses to develop educational material to promote patient safety and risk reduction.

Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**

May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area Yes

May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

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