DEFINITION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH NURSING CASE MANAGEMENT
Occupational Health Nursing Case Management is the process of coordinating comprehensive healthcare services, following illness or injury, to achieve optimum quality care delivered in a cost effective manner. The process integrates assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation components. OHNs as case managers provide all or a portion of these services in addition to coordination of all care delivered. (AAOHN, 2013)
The occupational health nurse case manager coordinates the proactive efforts of the health care team to facilitate an individual client's health care services from the onset of injury or illness to safe return to work or optimal alternative. Case management includes the development of preventive systems and the mobilization of appropriate resources for care over the course of the health event. Care is delivered with the goal of returning the worker to pre-illness or pre-injury function or to the highest level of functioning achievable.
The occupational health nurse case manager may coordinate services for workers with both occupational and non-occupational conditions, as well as dependents covered by the company's benefit plan. These services can be delivered through a variety of models, i.e., on-site, telephonic, off-site, or a combination thereof. Case management facilitates safe and timely return-to-work and results in cost savings.
ABOUT THE EXAMINATION
To achieve Case Management certification, eligible candidates must be successful on a 110-question multiple choice computer based examination (100 scored and 10 Pretest items).
Candidates have two hours to complete the examination.
The examination is developed and revised by the Board of Directors in consultation with a professional examination service. Examination questions are written by a panel of certified occupational health nurse case managers, are edited by experts in testing and evaluation and are approved by the Board. The examination content is based on the results of research designed to identify the tasks and knowledge required to practice in the specialty of occupational health nursing case management.
All of ABOHN examinations are developed with our testing agency PSI and a panel of ABOHN Board Certified subject matter experts (SMEs). The Practice Analysis Advisory Committee surveys a broad range of OHNs and this document in turn runs the development of testing items. The updated exams are given to a separate panel of judges (Standard Setting Committee). These judges participate in a standard setting study (cut score) that consists of the following three major steps:
1. Definition of Minimum Competence
2. Rating of Examination Items
3. Consideration of Empirical Data
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR CASE MANAGEMENT EXAMINATIONS
Criteria |
Case Management Examination |
Current Active Status |
COHN or COHN-S |
Current RN Licensure or international equivalent |
Required |
Continuing Education in Case Management |
10 contact hours in the past 5 years |