Occupational Health Nurse

Role and Responsibilities

Occupational health nurses (OHNs) provide case management, counseling and crisis intervention, health promotion and risk reduction, legal and regulatory compliance, and worker and workplace hazard detection, according to the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN). Registered nurses and nurse practitioners within an OHN role earn certifications from the American Board for Occupational Health Nursing (ABOHN).

OHNs may embody a number of roles:

Occupational health nurses are competent in a range of areas reflected in ABOHN's current certification exam content, including its 2023 Practice Analysis:

• Clinical Practice
• Work Force, Workplace, and the Environment
• Health and Safety Education and Training
• Case Management
• Management, Business and Leadership
• Research
• Regulator/Legislative
• Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
• Professionalism

Occupational Health Nurse Scope of Practice

According to AAOHN's current standards of practice, registered nurses in occupational health may work to observe and assess a worker's health status with respect to their job role. From this, occupational health nurses can recognize and prevent health effects from hazardous exposure. OHN nurse practitioners may treat physical and mental conditions and provide diagnoses and recommendations for chronic diseases within their scope of practice, but NP scope of practice is set entirely by state law and varies significantly by state. In Arizona, for example, a nurse practitioner may diagnose, treat and prescribe independently — without a required physician supervision or collaboration agreement — once licensed by the Arizona State Board of Nursing. In Georgia, by contrast, current state rule requires an APRN to practice under a nurse protocol agreement with a delegating physician before diagnosing, treating or prescribing. OHNs should confirm their own state board's current scope-of-practice and physician-collaboration or protocol requirements before practicing at this level.

OHNs may engage in evaluation of interactions between employees and their workplace, provide treatment for work-related injuries, maintain Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)-required logs, manage worker’s compensation cases, and conduct health surveillance of employees for specific hazards.

Occupational Health Nurse Certification

American Board for Occupational Health Nurses (ABOHN)

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

COHN Eligibility: Current and active RN license with 3,000 hours in occupational health nursing earned within the last five years. Under ABOHN's alternative-to-work-hours provisions, a qualifying graduate program related to occupational and environmental health science may substitute for the full 3,000 hours, and a qualifying bachelor's degree or one-year occupational and environmental health science certificate program may substitute for up to 2,000 of the required hours, subject to ABOHN's eligibility criteria and transcript review.

Exam Fee: $400

COHN-S Eligibility: Current and active RN license, a bachelor's degree or higher [does not have to be in nursing], and 3,000 hours in occupational health nursing earned within the last five years. The same alternative-to-work-hours provisions apply to the hours requirement.

Exam Fee: $400

Renewal: Both COHN and COHN-S must be recertified every five years. Recertification requires an active RN license, 3,000 hours of occupational health nursing practice within the preceding five years, and 50 continuing nursing education (CNE) contact hours related to occupational health practice.

Information about the ABOHN certifications was last verified in October 2026 directly against ABOHN's own certification site. For the most up-to-date information, visit the ABOHN's website.

State Nursing Certification Information