Doreen Yumang-Ross, RN, BSN was selected to participate in the 2012 Graduate Nursing Internship Program in Washington, DC. The program is sponsored by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) and lasts for eight weeks over the summer.

The Ohio native is a dual degree student in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health earning graduate degrees in adult nurse practitioner and occupational health nursing. Via this internship, she will study a specific national health or safety issue for the benefit of the agency and to satisfy her public health special project requirement.

“My objectives for this internship include gaining a different perspective of OSHA’s organizational structure/function from the administrative level down and understanding OSHA’s mission and role in the many industries and occupations it oversees—in particular my role as an occupational health nurse practitioner.”

Yumang-Ross believes, “All workers deserve a safe workplace, whether the focus is in prevention of injury, exposure, and disease or through the development of wellness programs.  My nursing degree teaches me the clinical skills to treat the worker and my public health degree expands my knowledge base to include many different workplace settings—each with their unique environment and opportunities.”

She also believes in green and gold. Yumang-Ross and her Bullish family—husband and kids—are all current USF students or alumni.

For the past 14 years, she dutifully cared for veterans at the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa. After graduation in 2013, she will continue working as a federal employee but in a capacity that will fully utilize her education and experience in occupation health nursing.

“I envision myself working in the occupational health setting identifying health and safety issues.  In this capacity I would care for the employee who sustains a workplace injury or illness to restore health.”

Ultimately, she aspires “to work for a government agency either safeguarding workers on an individual basis or in a wider capacity by representation of occupational health nursing in the development of programs and policies.”

Written by Natalie D. Preston, College of Public Health. Photo by Doreen Yumang-Ross.