Occupational Health Nurse

Job Summary

The primary goal of our Occupational Health Nurse is to help prevent illness and other conditions potentially caused by animal research-related activities. The specific duties include updating and revising the health assessment tool as needed and using it to assess the health of all researchers and staff members (animal care staff, graduate students, post-docs, principal investigators, technicians, undergraduates working in animal labs or animal facilities) as it relates to their animal research activities. Ongoing medical surveillance for animal research-related health alterations in addition to facilitating the rapid and appropriate treatment for animal research-related occupational health illnesses and exposures. This position will also be actively involved in researcher and staff training in conjunction with the Occupational Health and Safety Specialist, Institutional Biosafety Officer (BSO), and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Director. This position is expected to participate in IACUC protocol review, and to review all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the safe handling and management of hazardous and/or infectious materials and animals used in animal research. The person in this position will also serve as a voting member on the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), to review all biohazard plans for containing and managing biological agents used in research.
The University of Colorado Boulder is committed to building a culturally diverse community of faculty, staff, and students dedicated to contributing to an inclusive campus environment. We are an Equal Opportunity employer, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

The Department of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) at the University of Colorado Boulder works with the campus community as well as local, state, and federal agencies to ensure that all environmental health and safety hazards are appropriately addressed. Through training and consultation with campus personnel and local officials, the department commits itself to the safety of the university campus and the surrounding Boulder community.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Initial and ongoing medical evaluation of all animal care staff, faculty, post-docs, visitors, and students. This position will develop, in conjunction with the BSO, the Occupational Health and Safety Specialist for Animal Research, and the IACUC Director the medical evaluation and surveillance tools to perform the initial medical evaluations and the ongoing surveillance for all animal facilities staff and for all researchers involved in animal research activities, both in laboratory environments and out in the field. This includes medical surveillance of personnel to evaluate the use of respiratory protection within the guidelines of the EH&S Respiratory Protection Program, baseline screening for lab animal allergies and applicable vaccine-preventable disease immunity and risk assessment for exposure to zoonotic diseases. The Occupational Health Nurse will also develop and use surveillance tools to recognize health alterations due to animal occupational exposures in a timely manner. This position will communicate individual health risks for animal-related illnesses, conditions, and exposures to all researchers and staff who work with animals. The position will communicate medical decisions to principal investigators (PIs) and supervisors regarding a staff or researcher’s appropriateness for animal research within HIPAA guidelines.

Review animal research protocols and perform risk assessments to determine the health risks involved and propose risk mitigation strategies appropriate for the individual research context. Serve on the IACUC committee as an active protocol reviewer and non-voting ad-hoc member, participating in semi-annual IACUC facility inspections and program review as well as supporting the animal care program Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) accreditation.

The Occupational Health Nurse is expected to collaborate with the BSO, the Occupational Health and Safety Specialist, the IACUCA Director, and CU Veterinarian in the ongoing development and review of SOPs for the safe handling and management of materials and animals used in animal research labs, vivaria, and in the field. This position will maintain occupational health statistics. Duties include developing and performing ongoing reviews of treatment algorithms for zoonotic exposures acting as a liaison between the University Risk Management (URM) Offices, campus Worker’s Compensation providers, as well as infectious disease resources in Boulder and with CU Anschutz Occupational Health.

In conjunction with the BSO, IACUC Director, and the Occupational Health and Safety Specialist, this role will develop and evaluate training provided to researchers and staff on how to prevent animal research-related injuries and exposures. This position will also recommend specific personal protective equipment, special medical monitoring, and engineering controls. The Occupational Health Nurse will also be involved in the assessment of ergonomic risks associated with animal research and care and make recommendations for mitigation of those risks.

This position will assist in the expansion of the current occupational health program by performing risk assessments, ergonomic assessments, and the development of training on preventing work-related injuries in non-animal related research settings including but not limited to biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering laboratories as well as non-research work settings such as the shops in facilities maintenance, theater arts, office settings, etc.

Participate in various departmental and campus initiatives as assigned – committees, wellness, training, special projects, program development, etc.

What We Can Offer
Annual salary range is $62,000-$77,500.

Benefits

The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits , including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO Pass. The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the largest employers in Boulder County and offers an inspiring higher education environment. Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder .

Be Statements
Be Effective. Be Informed. Be Boulder.

What We Require

• Registered Nurse with the State of Colorado by date of hire.
• BSN degree.
• Three years of professional experience as a registered nurse with occupational health and infectious disease control experience, familiarity with biological/animal research protocols including field-based protocols.
• Basic functional digital literacy (experience with Windows-based systems).
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.

What You Will Need

• Should have sufficient knowledge of and experience in occupational health as it relates to animal research.
• Ability to perform risk assessments of various animal research occupation scenarios and be able to provide appropriate recommendations to minimize the risk, injuries, and/or exposures.
• Ability to identify and administer preventative vaccinations when appropriate and after consultation and approval of supervising physician.

What We Would Like You To Have

• Certified, Licensed Nurse Practitioner.
• Ability to communicate and relate well with staff and students in an academic environment.
• Willingness and ability to meet demanding work schedules.
• Experience with workplace ergonomic assessments.
• Experience with Emergency Medical Response (EMR).

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:

1. A current resume.
2. Please provide a cover letter that describes how your experience and qualifications meet the job duties listed in the position description and what skills and qualities you feel may set you apart from other candidates.

You will not be asked to upload references at this time.

Please apply by February 17th for consideration.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs .

Posting Contact Information

Posting Contact Name: Boulder Campus Human Resources

Posting Contact Email: Recruiting@colorado.edu