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BACKGROUND: Occupational and environmental health (OEH) encompasses occupational and environmental medicine and OEH nursing. Nurse practitioners specializing in OEH (OEHNPs) assess and mitigate occupational hazards, thereby promoting health and safety among workers, drawing on advanced knowledge and skills. This review had a two-fold aim: (1) to determine whether core competencies for OEHNPs practicing in the United States exist; and (2) to identify relevant occupational and environmental medicine and OEH nursing core competencies for the future development of OEHNP core competencies. METHODS: An integrative review was conducted in accordance with Whittemore and Knafl's five-step process and the PRISMA guidelines. Peer-reviewed literature published in the United States within the last 50 years was searched across five databases. RESULTS: Of the 31 articles included, 22 were OEH nursing-focused, seven were occupational and environmental medicine-focused, and two were nurse practitioner-focused. The OEH nursing articles addressed topics essential to OEH nursing practice, as well as standards of practice and core competencies. The occupational and environmental medicine literature addressed practice guidance, with core competencies periodically updated to reflect evolving practice. Lastly, the nurse practitioner articles focused on entry-level, general nurse practitioner core competencies. No articles explicitly identified core competencies for OEHNPs. CONCLUSION: Evidence establishes the need to develop specific core competencies that reflect the advanced scope of practice, clinical decision-making, and autonomy of OEHNPs. IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE: Employing a consensus-driven approach to agree upon a preliminary set of core competencies for OEHNPs would support role delineation, inform OEHNP education and certification, and ensure quality OEH care.
Lanzi et al. (Wed,) studied this question.