Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wellness Nurse

🎯 Role Definition

A Wellness Nurse (Registered Nurse) delivers preventive care, health promotion, and coordinated clinical services in corporate, community, or ambulatory settings. The role focuses on wellness program delivery, biometric and health screenings, chronic disease coaching, immunizations and vaccinations, telehealth triage, care coordination, and health education to improve population health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. Ideal candidates are RNs with strong clinical assessment skills, health coaching experience, and proficiency with EHR/EMR systems and wellness analytics.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Registered Nurse (RN) with ambulatory, primary care, or community health experience
Occupational Health Nurse or School Nurse transitioning into corporate wellness
Health Coach or Care Coordinator with clinical RN background

Advancement To:

Wellness Program Manager / Manager of Health & Wellness
Director of Employee Health & Wellness or Director of Occupational Health
Population Health Manager or Clinical Services Lead

Lateral Moves:

Case Manager / Care Coordinator
Health Educator or Health Promotion Specialist
Occupational Health Specialist / Safety Nurse

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Conduct comprehensive health risk assessments and clinical wellness evaluations for employees or community members, synthesizing medical history, current medications, lifestyle factors, and biometric data to establish individualized wellness plans.
Plan, coordinate, and execute on-site and virtual wellness clinics, including biometric screenings (blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol), vaccine clinics, TB testing, and periodic health screenings to meet program goals and compliance requirements.
Provide chronic disease management and self-management coaching for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and obesity; set measurable goals, monitor progress, and adjust care plans in collaboration with primary care providers.
Administer immunizations and seasonal vaccines according to standing orders and state regulations, maintain vaccine inventory control, and ensure accurate vaccine documentation in the EHR.
Perform clinical triage by telephone and telehealth platforms: assess symptoms, determine urgency, provide evidence-based self-care instructions, and coordinate referrals to appropriate levels of care.
Develop and deliver individualized and group health education sessions and behavior-change interventions using motivational interviewing, health coaching techniques, and culturally appropriate educational materials.
Coordinate care across multidisciplinary teams, serve as the clinical point-of-contact between employees and external healthcare providers, and manage referrals, results follow-up, and authorizations to improve continuity of care.
Document all clinical encounters, screenings, interventions, and outcomes accurately and timely in electronic medical records (EMR/EHR) and wellness program databases while maintaining HIPAA-compliant confidentiality.
Lead workplace health promotion initiatives—designing, implementing, and evaluating campaigns for smoking cessation, stress reduction, nutrition, physical activity, and mental health awareness—aligned to organizational wellness KPIs.
Conduct occupational health duties as assigned, including exposure assessments, incident follow-up, return-to-work assessments, and recordkeeping per OSHA and company policy.
Identify high-risk population segments using wellness analytics and claims data, create targeted outreach and care-management strategies, and collaborate with vendors and benefit teams to close care gaps.
Provide first aid and emergency response onsite when required, perform CPR/AED interventions, and maintain readiness by participating in drills and emergency preparedness planning.
Manage medication administration and reconciliation during wellness visits according to scope of practice and standing orders, including teaching correct medication use and adherence strategies.
Participate in quality improvement initiatives; collect, analyze, and report program metrics (participation rates, biometric outcomes, ROI indicators), and recommend iterative changes to improve clinical and engagement outcomes.
Supervise and mentor wellness staff, clinical assistants, vendors, and temporary clinic personnel; develop training materials and standard operating procedures to ensure consistent clinical practice.
Ensure regulatory compliance with state nurse practice acts, vaccine reporting, infection control standards, and corporate policies; maintain licensure and required certifications.
Support corporate initiatives that integrate behavioral health screening and referral pathways (e.g., PHQ-9, GAD-7), including triage and linkage to mental health resources.
Conduct workplace ergonomic and lifestyle risk assessments and make evidence-based recommendations to leadership and employees to reduce injury risk and promote productivity.
Actively participate in program planning meetings, vendor selection, and contract evaluation, providing clinical input on scope, outcomes, and quality standards for wellness services.
Facilitate population health management by coordinating preventive care reminders, screening campaigns, and disease registry maintenance to drive clinical outcomes and utilization improvements.
Maintain inventory of clinical supplies, ensure proper storage and documentation of biologics, and coordinate ordering and supply chain for mobile clinic operations.

Secondary Functions

Contribute clinical perspective to wellness program strategy, budget planning, and vendor performance reviews.
Produce monthly and quarterly clinical reports for leadership showing trends, outcomes, and opportunities to optimize preventive care delivery.
Assist HR and benefits teams with health-related policy development, wellness incentives, and communications that improve program engagement.
Train non-clinical staff on basic health promotion topics, confidentiality best practices, and when to escalate health concerns to clinical staff.
Represent the wellness program in community outreach events, health fairs, and corporate health coalitions to increase program visibility and participation.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Current Registered Nurse (RN) license in state(s) of practice, with knowledge of nurse practice act and scope of practice.
Proficiency with Electronic Health Record (EHR/EMR) systems and wellness-specific platforms (e.g., Epic, Cerner, Wellsource, Virgin Pulse), including accurate clinical documentation and reporting.
Clinical assessment skills: history taking, physical exam basics, vital sign interpretation, and biometric data analysis.
Immunization administration and vaccine storage/handling knowledge (CDC guidelines, state reporting).
Chronic disease management protocols and use of evidence-based guidelines for diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and COPD.
Telehealth and remote patient monitoring experience, including virtual visit workflows, patient engagement, and technology troubleshooting.
Phlebotomy and point-of-care testing competency, including capillary glucose testing and CLIA-waived testing procedures.
CPR/BLS certification and emergency response skills; familiarity with AED use and workplace first-aid.
Medication reconciliation and basic medication administration under standing orders or delegated authority.
Data literacy: ability to interpret wellness metrics, prepare dashboards, and use Excel or analytics tools to track program outcomes and ROI.
Familiarity with OSHA, HIPAA, and other regulatory compliance requirements in workplace health settings.
Experience designing and delivering health education and behavior change interventions using motivational interviewing techniques.

Soft Skills

Strong clinical judgment and triage decision-making in ambulatory and non-hospital settings.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills for interacting with employees, leadership, clinicians, and external vendors.
Empathy, cultural competence, and ability to engage diverse populations with respect and sensitivity.
Coaching mindset with motivational interviewing and behavior-change facilitation skills.
High level of organization, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple clinic sites or initiatives concurrently.
Team collaboration and stakeholder management—ability to work across HR, benefits, safety, and clinical teams.
Problem-solving orientation with continuous improvement and data-driven decision-making.
Professionalism, confidentiality, and sound ethical judgment in handling sensitive health information.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or Nursing Diploma, active RN license.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Community Health, or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Nursing
Public Health
Community Health / Population Health
Occupational Health / Environmental Health

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years of RN clinical experience in ambulatory care, occupational health, public health, primary care, or corporate wellness.

Preferred:

3+ years of experience specifically in wellness nursing, occupational health, employee health services, or population health programs, with demonstrable experience running clinics, delivering chronic disease coaching, and producing program-level outcomes.