Qualified or not?

Hi, someone pls give me their insight. I'm a RN in Texas (new grad, no certifications, but I do have healthcare experience as a medic in the army for 12 years).

I saw a job advertisement for occupational health nurse. Can I apply for the job or am I required to obtain certification as an Occupational Health nurse before the BON will allow me to work in that field ?

The position says "Certified Occupational Health Nurse preferred", but I'm not sure if there are anyway BON rules that would prevent me from applying

Thanks

You can apply for the job, but they are at the very least looking for someone with case management experience as there are multiple injuries that require follow up.

I was an Occ nurse for awhile and it wasn't just dealing with immediate injuries. I had to be audiometry and spirometry certified because of the annual physicals I was responsible for.

The key is that it says "COHN preferred"; working on it is the next best thing. You need 3,000 hours experience in occ health to get your COHN. An average work year is 2,080 hours. Apply and tell them that you are working on your COHN and should be able to complete it in less than two years.

Good Luck!