Employee Occupational Health Nurse

Responsible for the assessment, planning, delivery and evaluation of professional nursing care/interventions provided to all assigned populations including Fairview workers, candidates, providers, UMP CSCand other workers. The RN is responsible for performing these responsibilities in accordance with all policy, procedure and professional practice guidelines. The RN coordinates care with members of the health care team and delegates responsibilities to others as appropriate. The autonomous practitioner is accountable for their own practice, current knowledge, and competence; the RN has authority to control decisions affecting nursing care. As workers compensation case manager the RN liaises with internal Risk Management claims team and external QRC consultants and ensures timely submittal of accurate data. The Occupational Health nurse has primary responsibility for care and services during clinic hours, with after hour responsiblities as assigned/as needed.

This position may work at UMMC East Bank EOHS as well as at MHealth/Fairview CSC, or other locations as needed. Usual workhours are M-F 7:30a-4p; occasional weekend and/or remote work may be assigned based on business need; work hours and job duties may flex to meet the needs of the organization.

Assesses worker and organization needs and identifies expected nursing/program outcomes:

• Involves worker, manager and representatives of other disciplines as appropriate in gathering data
• Use on going, systematic process to gather relevant data
• Analyzes data to identify potential risks, prioritize needs and determine priority problems.
• Identifies outcomes that are age appropriate, culturally appropriate, realistic and attainable.
• Leads case and care management for employees and other defined populations with work-related illness and/or injury
• In conjunction with worker and other appropriate parties, assesses and analyzes injured worker medical and/or vocational status to develop a viable, realistic return to work and/or disability management plan for maximum medical improvement
• Plans and implements required or recommended medical surveillance programs according to protocols with employee follow up
• Documents data and identified outcomes

Develops an individualized plan of care to achieve desired outcomes:

• Collaborates with worker and other health team members to develop a nursing plan of care
• Develops an individualized plan based on age, social and cultural considerations, condition and other relevant needs.
• Leads cross-functional disability management and return to work planning with site management team, advising on legislative and regulatory requirements in relation to medical needs.
• Determines nursing intervention and or recommendations based on relevant needs
• Identifies and utilizes appropriate internal and external resources
• May involve family in return to work and/or disability care planning
• Prioritizes interventions based on worker acuity, available resources, and worker/family preferences and needs
• Addresses immunization and infectious disease susceptibility criteria
• Facilitates appropriate medical care and follow up for injured/ill workers based on knowledge of specific regulations, industry practices, work tasks and work environments that improves the quality and cost effectiveness of both healthcare and worker return to work
• Facilitates appropriate medical care for injured/ill workers that improves the quality and cost effectiveness of both healthcare and worker return to work
• Documents and updates plan of care to assure continuity of care

Implements nursing interventions based on plan of care:

• Provides care according to the plan, and in accordance with all relevant policies, procedures and nursing practice guidelines
• Coordinates nursing care with the care of all other health team members
• Initiates age and culturally appropriate measures to meet worker needs and achieve expected outcomes
• Initiates worker/family teaching as appropriate to age, readiness to learn and available resources
• Collaborates, consults, or makes referrals if unable to perform safely and independently
• Delegates direct and indirect care activities to appropriate personnel based on needs, condition, potential for risk/harm, complexity of the skill and predictability of the outcome
• Assures all actions are based on scientific, ethical or ecological principles; proven effectiveness; past experience; practice standards; worker requests and values; or legal parameters
• Documents interventions according to practice guidelines
• Responds to emergent situations
• Coordinates and implements the administration of occupational health services for a variety of situations including new hire screenings, annual medical surveillance activities, respiratory fit testing, audiograms, laser eye exams, DOT exams
• Provides direct care of illness/injury and assists worker and manager with work related issues
• Manages work injury care progress towards desired outcomes
• Leads worker post-exposure management activities at assigned sites
• Provides appropriate care, guidance, support and counseling following various infectious disease and blood and body fluid exposures
• Coordinates and develops communication plans to support Occupational Health activities for various events including infectious disease exposures: interdepartmental collaboration, defining exposed workers, identifying, notifying, monitoring & follow up of exposed workers, end of exposure care and reporting
• Communicates and coordinates case management activity with injured worker and appropriate individuals including supervisor/manager, Human Resource Business Partners, Risk Management, QRC, treating provider, etc.

Evaluates care and response to interventions and expected outcomes:

• Systematically and continuously evaluates worker response to interventions
• Modifies intervention based on worker response and changing conditions
• Involves manager, representatives of other disciplines and external resources as appropriate in evaluating outcomes
• Uses ongoing assessment data to revise worker needs, priority problems, nursing outcomes and the plan of care
• Provides feedback on vendor effectiveness with case management if vendor required

Uses communication strategies to achieve desirable outcomes:

• Communicates verbal and written information in a clear, concise, accurate and timely manner
• Communicates effectively with all members of the health care team and those pertinent to the service(s) provided: worker, manager, recruiting, HR, infection prevention, risk management, absence management, etc.
• Uses communication strategies appropriate to worker and other relevant parties based on need for information
• Safeguards confidentiality of worker health information and health record
• Communicates information regarding work-related illness/injury for incident log management and required government reporting
• Assists in preparing data for management summaries
• Provides health education and wellness materials and information, both one-on-one and to groups
• Provides routine consultation to staff and leadership in support of potential and actual worker infection prevention threats and/or occurrences
• Educates staff on various work medical surveillance requirements and infection prevention related situations including, but not limited to skin irritation and hand hygiene, appropriate alternate hand care products, vaccination requirements, etc.

As a member of the medical team, continuously improve work processes, environment and the overall experience to serve worker populations and meet business goals:

• Identifies opportunities and solutions for improvement in work flow/processes
• Actively participates in educational programs, meetings and committees to support initiatives
• Communicate appropriately with team members

Engage in change to improve the work environment and customer experience

• Stays current in Occupational Health related regulations, rules and practices
• Contributes to clinical protocol development and revision
• Understands local prevalent illnesses and participates with appropriate internal and external resources on design of occupational health programs to enhance worker well-being and safety
• Identifies infection prevention opportunities and collaborates with infection prevention and leadership to develop a plan to address issues
• Collaborates with key stakeholders on worker infection prevention management
• Responsible for personal and professional development to ensure current knowledge in the profession and position

Demonstrates the ability to advance evidence based practice by utilizing standards, guidelines, and protocols for care delivery

• Incorporates data and information into practice to continually improve care and practice so that worker and organizational outcomes are enhanced
• Identifies unique occurrences and site trends, and investigates issues that may require remediation utilizing research and evidence based best practices

Promotes a culture of evidence based practice (EBP) by participation in any of, but not limited to, the following activities:

• Utilizing evidence based policies in clinical practice
• Attend and participate in learning opportunities about EBP
• Member of hospital or unit based nursing practice council or research council
• Complete an evidence based practice project (e.g. policy development or poster presentation)
• Present a EBP finding to your peers
• Journal club member
• Critique and circulate a journal article relating to nursing practice
• Review the literature on a practice question
• Develop a standard/pathway/guideline for Employee Occupational Health and Safety care
• Participate in a research study

Demonstrates ability to provide care or service adjusting approaches to reflect developmental level and cultural differences of population served

• AD degreetwo year college nursing degree

• Current Minnesota License as a Registered Nurse or meet reciprocity criteria
• BLS certification

• Two years experience in occupational health nursing or in area of nursing requiring independent nursing skills, i.e. college health/school nursing, ER nursing, etc.

Preferred

Education:

• BSN or BAN degree-four year college nursing degree

• COHN-S, COHN and/or Case Management certifications preferred

• More than two years experience in occupational health nursing

Additional Requirements:

• Prefer a broad understanding of hospital EOHS processes and infection control practices
• Computer skills sufficient to work with email, electronic medical records, familiarity with Windows products for reading/running reports, creating Word documents, etc.
• Access to reliable transportation to be present at various locations to conduct and meet reasonable business needs