Associate Director - Occupational Health

The University Health Services (OHS) department provides the strategic vision to build and sustain a university-wide infection prevention and injury management program and supports the harmonization of health and safety policies across all schools by working with relevant stakeholders. In addition, the department directs and completes assessments of levels of health and safety risk within the university environment.

Provides leadership, accountability, and clinical oversight of nurse practitioners and nurses working for Tufts Occupational Health Services. Works in partnership with the Executive Medical Director to promote a safe, healthy work environment for faculty, staff, and employees of Tufts University. Works in partnership with the Executive Medical Director to oversee all Workers' Compensation cases to manage high-risk cases and mitigate risk. Ensures that all services are provided in a consistent and professional manner through developing standard operating procedures. Works with the Executive Medical Director and Department Administrator to define Department priorities and develop business cases, as needed, for services and initiatives.

Essential Functions

• Oversees all clinical aspects of day-to-day workflow in OHS. Determines OHS nurse practitioner and nursing schedules and the allocation of clinical resources, and ensures adherence to quality assurance policies and procedures elaborated in collaboration with the Executive Medical Director.
• Provides direction on occupational health matters including interpretation of regulations and standards, medical documentation, implementing and participating in medical surveillance programs.
• Provides clinical care for employees, including work-related injuries/illnesses, same-day service visits, fitness for duty evaluations, ergonomic assessments, and injury and exposure prevention, among others.
• Develops, and recommends internal standards, policies, clinical protocols, and quality control metrics to improve efficiency and clinical care. Initiates/contributes to quality improvement initiatives and staff engagement.
• Provides clinical supervision to nursing staff. Recognizes potential problems in the department involving technical and/or personnel issues and addresses concerns in a timely manner.
• Manages nursing staff. Responsible for recruitment, hiring, training, and retention of staff. Establishes goals, coaches, assesses performance and provides developmental opportunities. Conducts regular staff meetings to review clinical protocols and procedural issues. With support from the Department Administrator, oversees and coordinates staffing schedules, manages on-call schedules, and participates in rotation of coverage.
• Reviews all workers' compensation cases and is responsible for daily management and direction of care for all work-related injuries and illnesses. Works with the Executive Medical Director to best manage high-risk cases.
• Ensures compliance with all regulatory requirements, and leads onsite inspections involving accrediting bodies such as the Boston Public Health Commission, AAALAC, and US-CDC.
• Provide oversight and participation in the rollout and future development of university-wide Enterprise Health functionality.
• With the Executive Medical Director, participates in interdisciplinary committees, policy review, workers' compensation case management, maintaining and presenting various reports, and other related tasks as assigned.
• Maintains records of patient volume and types of services requested. Assesses and justifies the need for change in staffing patterns as appropriate.

Basic Requirements:

• Knowledge and skills as typically acquired through completion of a master's degree in nursing and at least 5 - 8 years of experience in occupational health.
• Current Massachusetts licensure/registration as a Nurse Practitioner or licensure in another state that can be transferred to Massachusetts.
• Strong analytical skills to resolve highly complex problems requiring the application of clinical, scientific, or technical principles, theories, and concepts and in-depth, cross-functional experienced-based knowledge
• Clinical competencies for managing work-related injuries, exposures, and illnesses.
• Knowledge of OSHA, CDC, and Massachusetts Department of Public Health standards in academic research institutions.
• Possess very strong interpersonal skills to effectively communicate with cross-functional teams including faculty and staff at all levels of the organization of varying backgrounds.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to effectively present information, deal with conflicting views or issues, and mediate fair solutions.
• Demonstrated leadership skills and a strong track record as a leader
• Demonstrated managerial experience and ability to hold team members accountable.
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft360 and paper and electronic medical record systems.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certified Occupational Health Nurse (COHN), strongly preferred
• Knowledge of and experience working with Massachusetts Public Health standards (or other state standards) in academic institutions of higher education, especially in the research context.