Occupational health nurse’s job description changes constantly

When the COVID-19 epidemic started almost three years ago, my friends and family were worried about because I work in healthcare. Customers did not dare to come for health examinations or other appointments and they also assumed that we have huge congestion due to COVID-19 patients. It was difficult to convince them that we do not treat COVID-19 patients in occupational health care and that we do not even typically treat people with common cold. This indicates quite well how the occupational health nurse's job description is assumed to be to see and care for sick and symptomatic people. It is very easy to forget the diverse role of the occupational health nurse in supporting the company and its employees.

The diverse role of an occupational health nurse

So what does an occupational health nurse do? Over the decades, occupational health care and the job of an occupational health nurse have evolved and changed from medical care-oriented work to health care and, more recently, to the assessment of work ability, monitoring and preventive support.

Our primary duty is to ensure that people are able to work in a well-functioning company. Therefore, it is essential that we know as much as possible about the workplace and the employee's job description so that we can make the best possible assessment of their work ability and the factors behind it and, if necessary, support the employee.

The job description of an occupational health nurse can vary a great deal depending on the customer relationship, the size of the workplace, the task or additional training. But I think that each of us is in cooperation with very different business areas, from health examinations to work ability assessments and rehabilitation. Visiting workplaces is also an everyday task for us, because if we do not know the conditions of our customers' workplaces, we are not able to assess the health or work ability risks.

The job of an occupational health nurse requires a wide range of skills and training throughout the career. After completing the degree of a public health nurse, a nurses in occupational health care must receive special training in occupational health care within two years in order to continue working in occupational health care and then receive further training in order to maintain their professional skills. The job requires good resilience to changes, as both our work and that of our customers are constantly changing.

The diverse competence and multidisciplinary teamwork of an occupational health nurse

Occupational health nurses are usually the employee's first contact and it is our job to ensure that the employee gets the support and care they need. Occupational health nurses are already well prepared to provide support for crisis situations, stress or different life stages thanks to their basic training.

Many occupational health nurses have also received additional training as sleep or mood coaches. Especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic, sleep and anxiety disorders and depressive symptoms have increased, and not all customers necessarily need the expertise of an occupational health physician or occupational health psychologist immediately. Correspondingly, mood coaches have served occupational health customers for several years in the OmaMehiläinen Concern chat alongside traditional appointments. As we operate in a multidisciplinary team, we have the opportunity to consult other occupational health specialists and, if necessary, refer the employee to an occupational psychologist or occupational health physician.

In the spring of 2022, there were a lot of articles and opinions in the media on whether occupational health care is needed in its current form and whether we can strengthen occupational well-being in the workplace with our own actions or how we have reacted to the growing burden of mental health problems in Finland. For example, the number of occupational psychologists was used as an indicator in one of the articles. Satu Soini, Head Physician of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, and Minna Pihlajamäki, Occupational Health Care Specialist, commented on the matter in the Helsingin Sanomat opinions on 20 May 2022, saying:

- When looking at the number of occupational psychologists, it is ignored that occupational health care involves multidisciplinary cooperation in which many issues are already resolved at an appointment with a professional occupational health nurse.

I could not agree more with these specialists. I believe that at my workplace in Mehiläinen, we have developed the competence of occupational health nurses to meet this challenge and we develop our operating methods in accordance with the requirements of the ever-changing operating environment.

Occupational health nurse, sleep coach
Tuula Jokikokko-Heikkinen