Save the Date for OHN Week 2024

April 7 - 13, 2024

OHN (Occupational Health Nurses) Week is a national observance each April that celebrates and recognizes members of the occupational and environmental health nursing profession. While some people understand the functions of a nurse in clinical settings, this week serves as a way to bring attention and awareness to the thousands of OHNs who work in promoting and protecting the health of workers in the US and around the globe. Through case management, coaching and health counseling, health promotion and wellness activities, legal and regulatory compliance, and workplace hazard detection and mitigation, occupational and environmental health nurses improve the health of employees and contribute to a healthy bottom line for businesses.

OHN Week also commemorates the inception of the largest professional association for occupational and environmental health nurses on April 12, 1942, when 300 nurses from 16 states founded the American Association of Industrial Nurses (AAIN), the predecessor to AAOHN.

 

 

Access the Resource Kit

Record a Video

Send a Thank You Note

What better time to send a note of appreciation to your colleagues, mentors, and friends than during OHN Week? Download and print this Thank You note to express your gratitude for the important work they do.

Download the Thank You Note

Join the Celebration

Occupational Health Nurses Week is the ideal time to host an event, conduct media outreach, advocate for the profession, and promote the value of occupational health. Some of these ideas can be executed at other times of the year, so keep them in mind if you can’t carry them out during Occupational Health Nurses Week.

Advocacy

• Write to your representative (s) to educate them on the work you do to keep your employees safe.
• Request a proclamation from your mayor and/or governor declaring April 7-13, 2024, as Occupational Health Nurses Week.

Events

• Host a special event or schedule a future event to recognize one or more occupational health nurses in your community.
• Host a presentation discussing the importance of occupational health. Use this event to highlight the contribution occupational health nurses have made locally to improve worker safety.
• Partner with other organizations in your area to sponsor or host a joint Occupational Health Nurses Week virtual event or plan a future event.
• Host a dinner or a brunch to commemorate all of the work that you and your peers as OHNs have accomplished.

Outreach

• Write a letter of appreciation to your mentors and colleagues.
• Write and distribute a press release announcing Occupational Health Nurses Week.
• Submit a letter to the editor or op-ed in your local newspaper(s) about Occupational Health Nurses Week and the contributions of occupational health nurses.
• Write a blog post highlighting the accomplishments of occupational health nurses and reach out to different outlets to share the piece.
• Work with media such as newspapers, television and radio stations is an effective way to reach a large audience with messages about genetic counseling by sharing information about the role occupational health nurses have played in the pandemic.
• Take to your social media channels to promote Occupational Health Nurses Week and the role of occupational health nurses. Tip: Use the sample posts and graphics provided in this kit!