How To Become An Occupational Nurse

How Long to Become

4-8 years

Degree Required

ADN or BSN

Certification

Certified Occupational Health Nurse (COHN); COHN-Specialist recommended

Occupational health nurses care for workers, treat work-related injuries and illnesses, and make workplaces safer. Many earn six figures, especially at the nurse practitioner or corporate director level.

What Is an Occupational Health Nurse?

Occupational health nurses treat and prevent work-related injuries and illnesses, and manage employee health and insurance claims. You might work in a hospital or health system, an occupational health provider, an employer worksite, an insurance company, or a government agency that regulates workplace conditions.

Most occupational health nurses care for patients in manual-labor jobs with higher hazard rates, but plenty work onsite at large corporations with desk jobs, where the setting looks more like a traditional medical office. Either way, you treat a range of conditions and advise on workplace health and safety.

Steps to Becoming an Occupational Health Nurse

The typical path is a BSN and an RN license.

1. Earn a BSN from an accredited program. A BSN takes four years full time. If you already hold an ADN, an RN-to-BSN program adds about one year rather than two.

2. Pass the NCLEX-RN. This national exam is required for state licensure and covers the same material as your nursing curriculum.

3. Gain experience in occupational health. The direct route is an entry-level occupational health role. If none are available nearby, acute care experience treating illnesses and injuries also prepares you.

4. Consider certification. It isn't legally required, but many employers prefer or require it for leadership roles. The American Board of Occupational Health Nurses (ABOHN) offers the main credentials.

Occupational Health Nurse Education

The ADN is faster; the BSN is more comprehensive and often required for higher-level roles. Advanced certification requires a bachelor's degree, though not necessarily a BSN.

ADN

Two years, with lower admission requirements and tuition than a BSN.

• Admission requirements: High school diploma or GED; math and science courses
• Curriculum: Practical nursing skills, communication, ethical and legal considerations
• Time to complete: Two years
• Skills learned: Administering medications and treatments; patient safety; infection and injury control

BSN

Twice as long as an ADN, with more depth and breadth. Often required or preferred for higher-level roles, and it prepares you for a master's and advanced practice.

• Admission requirements: High school diploma or GED; math and science courses; typically a 3.0 GPA
• Curriculum: Practical nursing skills; public health; informatics; research
• Time to complete: Four years
• Skills learned: Medications and treatments; medical history and symptoms; health records; injury and infection control; population health

Licensure and Certification

The two primary credentials are the Certified Occupational Health Nurse (COHN) and the Certified Occupational Health Nurse Specialist (COHN-S). Both require a current, unencumbered RN license and 3,000 hours of occupational health nursing experience in the last five years (some equivalents allowed). The COHN-S also requires a bachelor's degree, not necessarily in nursing. Certification isn't required to practice, but many employers strongly prefer it.

Working as an Occupational Health Nurse

These jobs are less common than other nursing specialties but stay in demand and pay well. The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses reported a median annual salary of $83,000, rising to a median $95,150 for COHN-S holders and $126,000 at the corporate director level.

Typical responsibilities:

• Assessing workplace illnesses and injuries
• Conducting testing
• Treating within scope of practice
• Referring employees to other resources
• Performing workplace safety assessments
• Determining fitness to return to work
• Maintaining records and flagging injury patterns while protecting confidentiality

Frequently Asked Questions

The fastest entry is a two-year ADN plus the NCLEX-RN; a four-year BSN carries more value. Beyond nursing skills, the job rewards current knowledge of workplace hazards, the ability to lead behavior and workplace change, and systems thinking to find the root causes of injury patterns.

The 2024 median annual wage for all RNs is $93,600 (BLS). ZipRecruiter reports a median $86,380 for occupational health nurses specifically. COHN-S holders earn more, a median $95,150.