deb1ohn

If the employer is following ADA and EEOC guidelines, then the personal issues will not even come up in the post-offer exam. It is only wise for an employer to ask about issues related to the essential functions of the position... and those are usually only musculo-skeletal questions. Questions regarding past fractures, hip or knee replacements, etc. Do not lie on those, you will get terminated! But on the other hand, don't volunteer stuff that isn't asked! An employer doesn't need to know all the little stuff, and if you share too much that isn't asked, you might not get the job! We had an applicant that shared that he had a "really bad sinus problem" and he was "waiting to get on somewhere with good insurance" before he had surgery. TMI !!!

The occupational health nurses at the facility that "Im that guy" worked at did both their employer and their employees a huge disservice. It would correlate to a hospital nurse saying "all I do is give out pills" or "all I do is empty bedpans". Each one of those employees that were seen for blood pressure checks, pulses, and "pills" were opportunities to interact, help, and teach. Workplaces feature employees, and employees have all the normal non-work-related issues that regular people have. That means that whatever medical problems the employee has outside of work - cardiac, respiratory, neurological, etc. - the employee has out in the workplace. And since employees spend about 2/3 of their waking hours at work, the chances of an emergency increases. Occupational health nurses regularly affect the health and safety of employees. It is usually not a position that can be filled with a new grad, and you need to be very sure that you feel experienced enough to handle the position. Ask yourself what emergencies can occur in that facility, and what you would do in the event of an emergency. What is someone has a heart attack? Diabetic emergency? Seizure? Stroke? How about acute injuries... often nursing schools do not teach hands-on first aid? Do you know how to deal with an amputation? Crush injury? What kind of backup will you have, i.e. are there other nurses working with you? How long does it take the EMS to get there? 5-7 minutes alone with someone who is not breathing is a VERY long time! Not wanting to scare you off of Occ Health Nursing, but the advertisement for temporary help sounds like it was written by someone who has no idea what occupational health nurses may have to do. But I bet that same person will be the first to expect you to know what to do in an emergency! Hope this helps!

Ooops, have done this several times myself. The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses website is www.aaohn.org. If you put .com, it takes you to some strange search engine There are chapters in almost every state, and you can search on the website for the chapter closest to you. You can also pull up information on the site about standards of practice, what occupational health nursing is about, and get an idea about some of the knowledge needed by looking at the continuing education offered. AAOHN also has a very good student membership rate, if you are a student. I have been an occupational health nurse for over 10 years, and I can tell you that it is a very rewarding, challenging field. I find that it has the best of all worlds.... I can be an emergency nurse, a nurse educator, a wellness coach, a psych nurse, a primary care nurse, and even an OB nurse (only once, and that was enough for a lifetime!). I can also be a business leader, a safety advocate, and a HR specialist. All in one position! The only drawback: you are on your own! Most EMS systems don't arrive for at least 5-10 minutes once the call is made. If you are independent and skilled, occupational health nursing is for you. If you think that it just is "putting on bandaids".... then you need to look further!