About Us

The American Board for Occupational Health Nurses (ABOHN) is an independent nursing specialty certification board and was founded in 1972 as an independent not-for-profit organization to set professional standards and conduct occupational health nursing specialty certification. ABOHN is the sole certifying body for occupational health nurses in the United States and awards three credentials:

  • Certified Occupational Health Nurse (COHN)
  • Certified Occupational Health Nurse - Specialist (COHN-S)
  • Case Management (CM)

ABOHN has certified over 16,000 and currently has 3,500 estimated active certificants. We use predetermined standards of nursing practice to validate an individual registered nurse's qualifications, knowledge and practice in specific areas of occupational health nursing.

Vision: ABOHN Certification is recognized and valued as the standard to maximize the health and safety of workers worldwide.

Mission ABOHN's mission is to promote a standard of excellence in occupational health nursing through credentialing.

Principles and Values:

To accomplish its mission and vision, ABOHN commits its resources to achieving the following principles and values:

  • Establish and promote credentialing standards for professional occupational health nurses.
  • Publicly recognize individuals who demonstrate that they meet these standards.
  • Elevate the quality of occupational health nursing practice.
  • Stimulate the development of improved educational standards and programs in the field of occupational health nursing.
  • Encourage occupational health nurses to continue their professional education.
  • Perform the above unrestricted by consideration of national origin, race, creed, disability, color, age and gender.
  • Create value for employers, their employees and the occupational health professional.
  • Seek inclusion by partnering with organizations that share the ABOHN mission and values.