Kim Olszewski DNP, CRNP, COHN-S/CM, FAAOHN, FAANP, FAAN and Sheila Quinn PhD, RN, join the last episode of 2025 to talk electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), commonly known as e-cigarettes. These products pose a set of risks similar to combustible cigarettes but are not often included in workplace tobacco policies. Through their conversation about ENDS, Quinn and Olszewski also share the broader implications of their findings as they pertain to total worker health implementation in the workplace and how occupational nurses in all stages of their careers can drive organizational change.

Read their article, "E-Cigarette and Vaping Perspectives: Recommendations for Occupational Health Nurses," co-authored with Debra M. Wolf PhD, RN, FAAOHN, here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/21650799241279991

Kim Olszewski is an ANCC board certified adult nurse practitioner and is a Certified Occupational Health Nurse Specialist and Case Manager from the American Board of Occupational Health Nurses. In 2007, she received her Fellowship distinction from the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN), American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP) in 2023, and Fellowship (FAAN) from the American Academy of Nursing in 2020. Olszewski is immediate past president of AAOHN and is past President of the Northeast Association of Occupational Health Nurses and the Pennsylvania Association of Occupational Health Nurses. She has presented at the local, state, regional and national levels of the association over the past 20 years on various topics, including DOT certification, Marketing OHNs, Fatigue Management, Healthy People 2020, Social Media Integration and Diagnostic Updates. Olszewski is Director of Client and Medical Provider Services at DISA Global Solutions Inc. and is Sr. Associate Dean for Commonwealth University's Breiner School of Nursing.

Dr. Quinn is the Associate Dean of Nursing and Chief Nurse Administrator at Stockton University. She has over 38 years' experience within the healthcare and educational arena. She has published numerous articles and has presented at international, national, regional, state, and local levels over the past 25 years on various topics including transitioning from acute care to home care practice; nurse managers' perspectives on workplace communication in rural settings; academic, clinical and community partnerships to meet rural needs, and generating enthusiasm for policy and political advocacy. Her recent collaborative research centers on vaping and e-cigarette use in the workplace and policy implications.

In what host Stephanie Weinsier describes as a "full circle moment," this episode features AAOHN Director at Large Cheryl Strunk, RN, COHN, FAAOHN, who serves as Vice President of Operations at Premise Health. A respected mentor, nurse leader, and longtime AAOHN member, Cheryl shares insights from her 23-year career at the intersection of clinical care and business operations.

OHNs occupy a unique role – balancing patient care with organizational strategy – and must navigate the changing landscape of healthcare while investing in their staff, business, and themselves. Tune in for an inspiring and candid conversation about the essential skills nurses need to lead, how to leverage networks and resources to champion workplace health programs, and how AAOHN Corporate membership can elevate an organization's health and safety efforts.

AAOHN Leadership Products and Resources:

2024 Leadership Institute Webinars: Full Package (also available individually through the AAOHN Online Store)

Demonstrating Value

AAOHN Professional Development Resources

Tune in to the latest episode of the AAOHN podcast for an overview of travel medicine. Hear from Anne Terry, ARNP, as she discusses global disease and the vaccines employees travelling abroad need to consider. Depending on where an individual travels, whether it is for personal or professional business, and patients' existing conditions, they may need to take additional protective measures in addition to vaccines. Terry shares her unique experience as the head of the Travel Clinic at the University of Washington, the plethora of environmental exposures travelers may encounter, and how her interactions with her patients influence her practice in real time.

Further Reading:

Travel Medicine Update

CDC Yellow Book - https://www.cdc.gov/yellow-book/index.html

International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) - https://www.istm.org/

American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene - https://www.astmh.org/

UW CME – Travel Medicine and Global Health Conference June 2025 - https://uw.cloud-cme.com/course/courseoverview?P=5&EID=11210

The Travel and Tropical Medicine Manual - https://shop.elsevier.com/books/the-travel-and-tropical-medicine-manual/sanford/978-0-323-37506-1

Germ and Worm Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/germ-worm/id1744408724

Betty Sanisidro, DNP, MSN, COHN-S. APHN-BC, FAAOHN, Executive Director of the American Board for Occupational Health Nurses (ABOHN), joins this episode to talk occupational health nursing certification. With an estimated 12,000 OHNs worldwide, and only around 2,000 holding the COHN/COHN-S certification, now is the time for OHNs to take the next step in their professional journeys. Dive into this episode to hear the history of ABOHN, the key differences between the COHN, COHN-S, and Case Management (CM) certifications, and what nurses need to know about the certification process and requirements.

To learn more about certification, visit: https://www.abohn.org/certification.

Join this episode of the AAOHN podcast – recorded at the AAOHN Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, PA – to hear from three poster presenters on their research exploring sleep health. Yuan Zhang, PhD, RN, FAAOHN, Cara Harris, BSN, RN, and Beverly M. Hittle, PhD, RN, FAAOHN, discuss their findings across three different worker populations – long haul truck drivers, Black nurses, and healthcare workers. Additionally, hear from all three on their experience at the Annual Conference and learn how occupational health nurses in all stages of their careers can get involved with AAOHN.

Sound is a frequently overlooked workplace hazard that affects nearly every industry. Exposure to excessive noise can lead to hearing loss, communication challenges, and even heart problems and cognitive decline. In this episode, Rick Neitzel, PhD, CIH, FAIHA, and Josh Lyon, RN, shed light on the hidden dangers of occupational noise exposure and the crucial insights occupational health nurses need to protect workers. Tune in to explore Lyon's research on noise exposure in landscaping, Neitzel's expertise as an industrial hygienist, and practical strategies nurses can implement to reduce sound-related workplace injuries.

University of Michigan Exposure Research Lab

Michigan Public Health Apple Hearing Study

Job Exposure Matrix (noiseJEM)

Buy Quiet: Hearing Loss is Preventable – DHHS (NIOSH) Publication

Noise Exposure and Hearing Loss Among Landscape and Groundskeepers – Josh Lyon RN

*AAOHN members have access to the Workplace Health & Safety Journal for free! To view the full article, ensure you are logged into your AAOHN account, navigate here and select "Access Workplace Health & Safety Journal Online."

Questions? Reach out to Rick Neitzel PhD, CIH, FAIHA at [email protected], and Josh Lyon RN at [email protected].

Katie Wells MPH, BSN, RN, FNE-A/P, GFN-C, SANE-A, SANE-P, joins Occupational Health Nursing Pulse: The AAOHN Podcast to share her work on adverse childhood experiences – also known as ACEs. The discussion will lean into workplace collaboration and the role awareness can play in workers' coping strategies. Tune into the podcast to get a sneak peek into Wells' poster presentation at the 2025 AAOHN National Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, while learning about workplace initiatives that center peer support, worker autonomy, and encourage nurse collaboration.

Reach out to Katie Wells at [email protected].

National Child Traumatic Stress Network

Oklahoma State University on PACEs

ASIST Training – Suicide Intervention Skills Training Program

Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) Online Resources

Kicking off 2025, the podcast welcomes Sarah Bucic, MSN, RN, PMHCNS-BC, to discuss her impactful work with the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE). As temperatures rise, "forever chemicals" (PFAS) permeate workplaces, and the ongoing issue of access to clean drinking water persists, occupational health nurses (OHNs) are on the front lines of protecting patient and community health. Despite the challenges, there is hope. Bucic shares ANHE's valuable, free resources for OHNs, highlights the changes ANHE has already driven, and dives into some of today's most pressing occupational health issues.

Nicole Livanos JD, MPP, Director of State Affairs from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) joins our host in this episode to discuss public policy impacting nursing and regulation. In a fast-paced field with changing health and safety concerns, Livanos shares how important it is for nurses to get involved and stay informed on new legislation affecting OHNs and the workforce. Livanos shares her own experience working in public policy, recent NCSBN advocacy, and concurs with Stephanie Weinsier on how listeners can use resources at AAOHN to get involved.

In this episode, we'll dive into the unique patient-provider relationship between adults with autism and the OHNs caring for them in worksites. Autistic individuals bring unique perspectives and talents to their working environments, but often benefit from accommodations or additional support from their supervisors and OHNs. Our host is joined by Jake Hansen, M.S., BCBA, as they discuss behavioral differences in neurodiverse individuals, the medical history of autism, and the struggle for inclusivity, visibility, and acceptance.

To learn more about Hansen and the work he does at Roots Autism Solutions, visit https://www.rootsautismsolutions.com/. For more information, to submit questions to our host or guests, or to suggest a topic or guest for a future AAOHN Pulse episode, please contact [email protected].