Perceived competence and comfort in respiratory protection: results of a nationwide survey of occupational health nurses.

In response to the Institute of Medicine (2011) report Occupational Health Nurses and Respiratory Protection: Improving Education and Training, a nationwide survey was conducted in May 2012 to assess occupational health nurses' educational preparation, roles, responsibilities, and training needs in respiratory protection. More than 2,000 occupational health nurses responded; 83% perceived themselves as competent, proficient, or expert in respiratory protection, reporting moderate comfort with 12 respiratory program elements. If occupational health nurses had primary responsibility for the respiratory protection program, they were more likely to perceive higher competence and more comfort in respiratory protection, after controlling for occupational health nursing experience, highest education, occupational health nursing certification, industry sector, Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare membership, taking a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health spirometry course in the prior 5 years, and perceiving a positive safety culture at work. These survey results document high perceived competence and comfort in respiratory protection. These findings support the development of targeted educational programs and interprofessional competencies for respiratory protection.

The effect of oil spills on workers involved in containment and abatement: the role of the occupational health nurse.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is the most recent manmade disaster to challenge occupational health nurses caring for a unique worker population. The effects of oil spills on wildlife, marine life, and the ecosystem are well studied and documented, but the effects on workers who contain and abate such disasters are not. These workers can suffer from a multitude of illnesses and injuries, such as ataxia, migraines, and various lung diseases, which can be a challenge for occupational health nurses.

Contingent workers.

Contingent workers compose a large portion of the U.S. work force. Contingent workers include temporary employees, contracted employees, day laborers, and freelancers. The skill level and educational requirements for their jobs vary from basic to highly advanced. Construction, housekeeping, engineering, and nursing have such positions. U.S. contingent workers are more likely to engage in occupations associated with increased risk of injury, and a variety of factors increase their risk of work injuries, particularly those leading to death. This article focuses on select occupational health and safety issues affecting contingent workers and their implications for occupational health nurses.

The aging nurse.

With the aging of the current nursing work force, nursing leaders must develop strategies to maintain current employment levels and improve availability of nurses to care for patients. One way to maintain current levels is to retain older nurses at the bedside by adapting the current working environment to meet the needs and the limitations associated with aging. This article includes a review of literature on the effects of aging on the human body, cognitively, physically, and psychosocially; current trends in the aging population; the advantages and disadvantages of employing aging nurses; retention strategies to keep aging nurses at the bedside; methods to adapt the work environment to aging nurses' needs; policies that address the needs of aging nurses; and implications for occupational health nursing practice. This article is limited to aging as it relates to nurses employed in hospitals.