Occupational Health Programs Manager

University of Washington Medical Center•Seattle, WA

1d•$138,000 - $149,988•Onsite

About The Position

The Environmental Health and Safety Department (EH&S) works in partnership with the University’s organizational units to meet occupational and environmental safety standards to provide a healthy and safe place of employment, and to protect our environment. This position will directly contribute to and be accountable for creating and sustaining a culture of service, accountability, and excellence within the Department. Additionally, this position will help to adopt strategic planning initiatives and support data gathering for metrics and performance monitoring to ensure organizational efficiencies and desired outcomes are met. This position will adopt and align work processes and practices to support the values of the EH&S department including: engagement, collaboration, customer service, accountability, innovation, effectiveness and efficiency. This position is required to demonstrate professionalism, ethical conduct, and a commitment to the Universities missions. EH&S has an outstanding opportunity for a full-time Occupational Health Programs Manager to work in our Employee Health Center (EHC). This position provides leadership for compliant and effective Occupational Health Programs and services, and includes management of the Employee Health Center clinic. This includes overseeing the work of their Occupational Health Nurses (OHN), Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP), Patient Services Lead, and ancillary/temporary staff. This manager will also develop and implement preventive occupational health services for personnel who work in a wide array of university employment settings. The manager must collaborate with colleagues within EH&S and from other UW departments to develop medical management plans, establish clinical guidelines for UW personnel, and ensure compliance with local, state, and federal regulations and mandates. They will also be required to perform clinical nursing duties of an OHN in order to fulfill day-to-day client needs in the EHC. The manager's work will be supervised and directed by the Assistant Director for Public & Occupational Safety & Health, and will be given clinical oversight by the EH&S Medical Director & Infectious Disease Specialist. This position must exercise sound clinical judgment and utilize discretion in the interpretation and application of federal, state, local, and University policies, protocols, and regulations and guidelines around occupational health, both at an individual patient and at a population level. This position requires knowledge and application of occupational health requirements and best practices, including but not limited to those posed by the CDC, the NIH, AAALAC, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, and federal OSHA. This position will also be responsible for the administrative and management duties specific to the University’s occupational health programs. This manager must therefore interface effectively with other EH&S sections, and unit leaders and colleagues and personnel including those in Husky Health, UW Research units (e.g., School of Medicine, Department of Comparative Medicine, Washington National Primate Research Center), the UW Medicine Employee Health Centers, UW Facilities , UW Police, faculty and academic personnel, staff, students, and other EH&S partners including Human Resources and UW Medicine. This position is essential to ensure UW units and programs achieve compliance with applicable occupational health requirements. It also oversees key EH&S clinical services necessary for both preventing workplace illnesses and injuries, as well as responding to and mitigating health impacts post incident/exposure. The position interacts regularly with University’s organizational units (academic, operational, administrative, clinical and research), as well as occasionally with external regulatory entities at the local, state and federal level. Functioning independently and as the leader of a dedicated occupational health management team, this position must exercise discretion, good judgment, and tact when handling confidential materials and addressing sensitive matters with specific attention required for private patient information. All EH&S staff are expected to demonstrate professionalism, ethical conduct, diversity, equity and inclusion, collaboration, accountability, and client service in the execution of their duties.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Nursing
Current license to practice as a registered nurse in the State of Washington
5 years' experience in health services.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
Demonstrated knowledge of occupational nursing, case management, and immunization practices
Demonstrated organizational skills in a fast-paced setting
Ability to work accurately and attend to details while multi-tasking
Demonstrated ability to function effectively in team activities
Demonstrated effective communication orally and in writing
Demonstrated customer service and interpersonal skills
Experience with electronic medical records
Basic computer skills, including the Microsoft Office Suite
Willingness to provide a support role for animal research through facilitating occupational health services for animal husbandry and researchers

Nice To Haves

Eight years or more of experience as a professional nurse
Master’s degree in nursing
Specialized training and/or experience in occupational health
Certified by NIOSH in pulmonary function testing, spirometry
Certified by Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC) in audiometry
Certified as an Occupational Health Nurse Specialist (COHN-S)
Experience in leading or supervising health programs or staff
Experience in public speaking and training for group programs

Responsibilities

Ensure delivery of safe, effective, and efficient occupational healthcare for UW personnel.
Ensure that that high standards of confidentiality are maintained as appropriate for a non-HIPAA covered healthcare entity, and in accordance with Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 70.02.
Ensure appropriate medical record and tracking systems are maintained to support the employee health programs, and to ensure compliance with federal and state privacy regulations.
Write, implement, and routinely update occupational health policies, guidelines, procedures and plans in coordination with EH&S and UW unit partners, including institutional safety committees (e.g., Institutional Biosafety Committee, Diving Control Board, and the Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases).
Facilitate compliance with University occupational health requirements through tracking, reporting, and communication of compliance status directly with unit leadership, supervisors, and individual employees. Collaborate with units to identify process efficiencies and improve compliance measures and mechanisms.
Manage the day-to-day operations of the EHC.
Oversee EHC staffing, including coordination of on-site clinics at client work sites.
Supervise and oversee clinical and administrative work of EHC staff members, including leading routine huddles and monthly staff meetings.
Evaluate staffing needs, including hiring and orienting new EHC staff.
Promote, develop, and participate in quality improvement activities specific to clinic operations.
Lead the strategic planning efforts on behalf of occupational health programs and the EHC: set annual program goals and track progress, as well as develop and track program metrics and process improvement opportunities.
Facilitate fiscal accounting/billing processes for the clinic, including contributing toward monthly transaction review and monthly billing processes in partnership with EH&S finance personnel.
Track and seek out opportunities to ensure strong patient and customer satisfaction.
Coordinate with the other UW Employee Health Centers to provide standards for and alignment of care services.
Coordinate with the EH&S staff and leadership in EH&S sections to develop and implement guidelines, processes, and procedures to ensure UW compliance with regulations of the Washington State Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), the Federal Occupational and Safety Administration (OSHA), the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC), and the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS).
Investigate occupational accidents and injuries in research and other occupations settings, and develop preventive measures to prevent future accidents and injuries.
Document EHC operations through maintaining policies, protocols/procedures and developing outreach materials.
Act as a liaison between the EH&S Employee Health Center and health sciences research teams.
Develop medical management plans for identified biological agents, including those used in BSL3 research laboratories.
Participate in planning meetings with campus partners from the School of Medicine, Human Resources, Risk Management, EH&S, and other UW departments, as needed.
Collaborate with EH&S subject matter experts, including but not limited to biological safety , industrial hygiene and physical safety, and radiation safety staff to identify and develop new clinical protocols to comply with regulatory requirements for work with hazardous materials.
Coordinate with EH&S colleagues and other partners to prevent and control communicable disease outbreaks and respond to notifiable conditions, including external resources such as Local Health Jurisdictions
Conduct medical screenings for employees who work with animals or in animal-use areas
Review and process audiograms, and communicate with EH&S colleagues when follow up is needed for the hearing protection program
Act as liaison for occupational safety and health matters to health sciences research teams; develop relationships with academic and research program contacts
Communicate employee immunization compliance status to supervisors and principal investigators
Coordinate occupational health surveillance, medical screening programs, and exposure/injury management for employees working in high-risk positions
Participate on multidisciplinary UW teams, such as the Campus Health Services (CHS) clinic manager group, the CHS Leadership Committee, and the Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases Participate in and/or lead other UW and EH&S committees, as needed and appropriate
Deliver preventive occupational health care to those working in a wide array of university employment settings
Conduct occupational health assessments, screenings, and other clinical services, including vaccinations, serum banking, medical screening, and surveillance
Provide immediate and ongoing case management for hazardous exposures, such as bloodborne pathogen (BBP) exposures from needle sticks and animal bites, including BBP exposures among health sciences students (e.g., the School of Dentistry, School of Medicine)
Monitor the health status of University personnel and their response to preventive measures and select therapeutic interventions
Communicate employee immunization and surveillance compliance status to supervisors and principal investigators
Review daily symptom monitoring logs (online and paper) for employees enrolled in the select agent/Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) enhanced medical management program, and facilitate EHC medical team per the response algorithm
Work with specific University client groups to determine opportunities for preventive care or risk mitigation activities
As needed, provide after-hours nurse consultation to researchers and other personnel exposed to biological agents that require immediate medical attention
Document occupational healthcare delivery in the electronic employee health record system
Maintain privacy and confidentiality according to state and federal standards and policies
Maintain a high level of knowledge regarding vaccinations and vaccine-preventable diseases
Participate in the administration and monitoring of research-related vaccine programs