Occupational health nurse

Career path and progression

With experience you could:

• move into management and lead a team of occupational health staff or run an occupational health centre
• become self-employed and work as an occupational health consultant
• work for a private company
• take extra qualifications and go into nurse education or research

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

• knowledge of medicine and nursing
• sensitivity and understanding
• a desire to help people
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• the ability to work well with others
• thinking and reasoning skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Related subjects

Most relevant

• Biology - Occupational health nurses need a thorough understanding of human anatomy, physiology, and how diseases develop. This knowledge is essential when assessing employees' fitness for work, diagnosing work-related illnesses, and understanding how workplace exposures affect the body.
• Psychology - Occupational health nurses provide counselling and support to employees dealing with stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues related to work. Understanding how people think, cope, and respond to pressure helps them offer effective guidance and spot early signs of problems.

Also relevant

• Chemistry - Occupational health nurses need to understand how chemical substances in the workplace – such as solvents, dust, or fumes – can affect human health. This helps them carry out risk assessments and advise employers on safe exposure levels.
• Sociology - Occupational health nurses consider how workplace culture, organisational structures, and social factors influence employee wellbeing. Understanding group dynamics and inequality helps them address issues like bullying, discrimination, and the wider social determinants of health at work.
• Mathematics - Occupational health nurses use statistics when analysing sickness absence data, tracking health trends across a workforce, and interpreting risk assessment results. They also need to be confident with dosage calculations and health screening measurements.
• English Language - Occupational health nurses write detailed health reports, risk assessments, and employee health records that need to be clear and accurate. They also communicate complex health advice to both employers and employees in a way that is easy to understand and act on.
• Physical Education - Occupational health nurses advise employees on physical fitness, ergonomics, and injury prevention in the workplace. Understanding how the body moves, how injuries occur during physical activity, and how to promote recovery is directly useful in this role.
• Law - Occupational health nurses work within a framework of health and safety legislation and employment law. They need to understand employers' legal duties, employees' rights, and how regulations around workplace health and sickness absence apply in practice.