Certifying board adds new OH nurse credential
Certifying board adds new OH nurse credential
COHN-S designation requires BS or higher
Hospital employee health practitioners who wish to become certified occupational health nurses now have a choice of two professional credentials that reflect the expanding needs of the occupational health nursing community.
The American Board for Occupational Health Nurses (ABOHN) in Hinsdale, IL, first awarded the COHN (certified occupational health nurse) credential in 1973. The independent certifying board has just added a second credential, the COHN-S (certified occupational health nurse-specialist). The first COHN-S examination was offered this spring.
Sharon D. Kemerer, RN, MSN, COHN-S, executive director of the ABOHN, says a main difference between the two credentials is that the COHN-S requires a bachelor's degree or higher. After the year 2000, the credential will require a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree.
The COHN-S also reflects the nurse's role in direct care, management, education, and consulting, "while the focus of the COHN credential is on the nurse's role as a clinician," Kemerer says. The COHN is offered to registered nurses with associate, diploma, or higher degrees, or their international equivalents.
Both credentials require the following for eligibility:
* Active licensure as a registered nurse or its international equivalent.
* Five thousand hours of experience in occupational health nursing within the five-year period prior to the application deadline (equivalent to 2.5 years of full-time employment).
* Current employment in occupational health nursing for a minimum of eight hours per week or equivalent.
* Seventy-five contact hours of documented continuing education related to occupational health earned within the five-year period prior to the application deadline. Professional presentations, nursing leadership, and publications can be used to meet part of this requirement.
* A completed application with fee postmarked by Sept. 1 of the year prior to the examination date. All criteria must be met by the application date.
* A passing score on the credentialing examination.
The addition of the COHN-S credential allows ABOHN to retain peer recognition for the credential through the American Board for Nursing Specialties, which requires baccalaureate preparation for specialty credentialing in nursing. At the same time, the COHN credential allows nurses without a baccalaureate degree to continue to achieve recognized standards in professional occupational health nursing practice.
More than 8,000 nurses have earned the COHN credential, and about 5,200 of them presently are active in the field.
[Editor's note: The next COHN and COHN-S exams are offered May 10, 1997. Applications must be postmarked by Sept. 1, 1996. The application filing fee is $50, and the examination fee is $250. For a complete fee schedule and more information, contact: ABOHN, 201 E. Ogden Ave., Suite 114, Hinsdale, IL 60521-3652. Telephone: (708) 789-5799. Fax: (708) 789-8901.] *
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