Standards of Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing

Abstract

AAOHN), the professional association for occupational and environmental health nurses (OHNs), establishes and promulgates standards for this nursing specialty based upon scope of practice.Standards of occupational and environmental health nursing are developed by the profession to define and establish reasonable and customary standards of care. These authoritative statements describe the accountability of the practitioner and reflect the values and priorities of the profession.AAOHN has identified eleven (11) professional practice standards that describe a competent level of performance with regard to the nursing process and professional roles of the OHN. Criteria developed for each standard are key indicators of competent practice and provide a basis for OHNs to evaluate their practice relative to the standards.Standards are dynamic and evolve over time to reflect the changing scope of practice and the development of new knowledge. This document represents the current scope and knowledge base in occupational and environmental health nursing. Within these standards, the term client is an inclusive term including individual workers, workers' families, worker populations, communities/environments, and employers.The Standards of Practice, Code of Ethics (AAOHN Code of Ethics and Interpretive Statements, 2009), and Core Curriculum (Core Curriculum for Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing, 3rd Ed., 2006), provide the basis for scope of practice, knowledge, skill, and the legal and ethical framework in occupational and environmental health nursing practice.

Yoga for Self-Care and Burnout Prevention Among Nurses

“…The role of the occupational health nurse is to promote informed decision making among workers, with a focus on occupational hazard prevention and health promotion (American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc, 2012). Occupational health nurses who practice in health care settings can apply the findings from this pilot study when engaging with nurses and other health care professionals, all of whom are at risk of stress and burnout in their practice environments.…”