In 2005, the American Board for Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. introduced a new credential in safety management for certified occupational health nurses. To date, 11 nurses have attained this credential and several of those have advanced to the Certified Safety Professional designation. This article discusses the certification process and its benefits. It also discusses problems in the application process observed by the administrators, and offers suggestions to prepare for the examination. Nurses who have attained the Safety Manager credential were surveyed for advice to those considering certification.
References
1.
AdamsP.BrauerR.KarasB.BresnahanT., & MurphyH. (2004, December). Professional certification. Professional Safety, 49(12), 26–31.
2.
American Board for Occupational Health Nurses, Inc., & Board of Certified Safety Professionals. (2005). Occupational health nursing safety management examination handbook. Hinsdale, IL: ABOHN.
3.
American Board for Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. (2007a, Fall). The ABOHN report: Volume 28. Retrieved May 18, 2008, from www.abohn.org
4.
American Board for Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. (2007b, Spring). The ABOHN report: Volume 29. Retrieved May 18, 2008, from www.abohn.org
5.
Board of Certified Safety Professionals. (2004). The safety profession. Retrieved June 23, 2008, from www.bcsp.org
6.
Board of Certified Safety Professionals. (2007). BCSP 2007 annual report. Retrieved June 23, 2008, from www.bcsp.org
7.
BrauerR. (2008, June). Lessons learned from a new CSP salary and demographic study. Presented at the Professional Development Conference of the American Society of Safety Engineers, Las Vegas, NV.
8.
DownsP., & WhitehurstS. (2006). Compensation and benefits study. Retrieved June 10, 2008, from www.aaohn.org.
9.
HillD. (2006). Time to transform? Assessing the future of the SH&E profession. Professional Safety, 62–71.
10.
LeFrancoisG. (2006). Theories of human learning. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
11.
RoyD. (2006). A new safety credential is born. Retrieved June 2, 2008, from www.ohsonline.com
