Nurses work in business settings

Nurses who want to practice in a nontraditional medical setting can find opportunities in occupational health nursing.

It offers variety and long-term relationships with patients, who are company employees.

“There’s something new every day,” said Maggi Choplin, RN, Hallmark Cards, 2450 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Mo. “I was just interested in the variety of areas involved in it.”

Choplin has worked as an occupational health nurse at Hallmark for 29 years. She said she has gotten to know the employees and enjoys hearing stories about their families.

“You continue to stay involved,” she said. “You can build on information that you can share.”

Choplin never looked back after starting her career as an occupational health nurse. She said she likes the preventative health care aspect, and likes to keep employees fit and provide temporary relief that allows them to stay at work.

Choplin said employees who visit her medical department can recover from a migraine or back pain in the clinic’s nap room and lactating mothers can use any one of four private rooms for pumping.

“Our services are geared towards saving our employees time,” she said.

Choplin said Hallmark’s medical department staffs three RNs in addition to a physician, physical therapists by contract and several massage therapists.

As an occupational health nurse Choplin targets the clinical side of care as well as the case management side.

“It takes a lot for nurses in these positions,” she said.

Nurses in occupational health care work in a variety of organizations from department stores to manufacturing plants to government agencies.

Responsibilities vary from disease management, environmental health, emergency care for job-related injuries and return-to-work issues. Their primary role is to assess workers’ health status with respect to job tasks and hazards.

“I was one of the early first to have masters in occupational health nursing,” said Eileen Lukes, PhD, RN, COHN-S, CCM, FAAOHN, director of American Association of Occupational Health Nurses. “Honestly, it’s been so interesting. Everything’s so different.”

As an occupational health nurse, Lukes has worked in a hospital, department store, a utility company, state government and manufacturing company. She currently serves as a regional manager for health services at Boeing Company in Mesa, Ariz. Lukes said occupational health nursing, established in the early 1900s, flourished since Congress passed the 1970 Occupational Safety Health Act, commonly referred to as OSHA.

“We work hard to mitigate hazards in the workplace,” she said. “We work with other health and safety members.”

Natalie Jones, RN, field manager of the Medical Environmental Health department at Burlington Northern Sante Fe, Inc. in Kansas City, Kan., said the railroaders like to call her the “company nurse.” She said does not mind.

“Honestly I feel like I was born to do this job,” she said. “I feel I’m effective.”

Lukes said occupational health nursing is really community health care nursing.

“Consider that your little community,” she said.

Jones has worked for the railroad for 14 years. She used to work as an occupation health nurse for the federal government in Kansas City, Mo.

Jones said second generation railroaders and employees who hear about the company nurse pick up the phone to call her for health information and resources. She said she gains employees’ trust and confidentiality.

“I’ll get to know the entire family who works for the railroad. The relationship is the bonus,” she said. “We help filter through the complexities of health care.”

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