2019 NYSAOHN Medique Leadership Award Recipient - Diane Olejar MSN, ANP-BC, DOT-CME

Medique Pharmaceuticals is an avid sponsor of occupational health and this award highlights their commitment to the recognition of occupational health leaders.  Each year since 1991, the Medique  Leadership Award has recognized occupational health nurses, who, as determined by their peers, have exhibited the highest qualities of leadership and participation in their State Association of Occupational Health Nurses and in other professional activities.

• To recognize leadership of occupational health nurses at the State level.
• To encourage development of leadership skills by members of the Association
• To increase awareness of the role of the occupational health nurse to both employers and the community
• To assist the education efforts of the State association through a Medique Award

The New York State Association of Occupational Health Nurses (NYSAOHN) is pleased to honor Diane Olejar, MSN, ANP-BC, DOT-CME with the 2019 New York State Medique Leadership Award. 

Diane received her Adult Nurse Practitioner from the University at Buffalo, her MSN in Burns and Trauma from the University of Cincinnati and her BSN from the University of Rochester.  She also completed a BS in Liberal Studies from St. John Fisher College and an AAS in Massage Therapy from Monroe Community College.

Diane has over thirty-seven (37) years of experience in employee and occupational health in a variety of clinical settings.  At her employer of the last 6 years, FIFCO USA in Rochester, NY, Diane has instituted cost saving measures that improved the delivery of occupational health services by:

• diagnosing and treating employees in the company health office for minor non-occupational illnesses allowing employees to stay on the job and avoid lost time for visits to their provider
• managing most worker’s compensation injuries in house saving FIFCO USA $800,000 in her second year and over $1 million in the 3rd.  This was accomplished by:
• instituting a transitional duty return to work policy allowing injured workers to return to work in a very timely manner
• managing injuries in house in conjunction with the Medical Director
• along with the safety manager, improving safety responsiveness to dangerous situations with rapid resolution of hazards
• training the company's security officers to do BAT and drug screens saving lab costs, urgent care costs and lost time from work resulting in improved response time to possible impairment situations
• bringing the Respiratory Fit Testing for both half face and full face SCBA in house
• implementing use of a “push in” ear plug as part of the hearing conservation program resulting in better compliance with the ear plug policy as the new style plugs were readily accepted by employees after a trial period and this also resulted in decreased ear infections compared to the previously used roll down plugs

Diane is also an accomplished nurse educator whether it is teaching her employees how to manage their health condition or other nurses about a clinical topic. She has presented a concurrent session at the 2017 AAOHN National Conference on Occupational Concussion and at the 2019 AAOHN National Conference on Orthopedic Upper Extremity Conditions. She has also presented at the Nurse Practitioner Association NY state conference, POMCO Insurance,  the NYS Occupational Health Clinics Network,  the NYSAOHN 2019 conference, the Genesee Valley and Finger Lakes Region EH&S Professional Development conference, and at Greater Rochester NY AOHN meetings.  Previously she has been a clinical instructor in vascular nursing and an adjunct faculty in massage therapy at Monroe Community College, Rochester NY.

The FIFCO USA Medical Director, Dr. Jack Kerns, highly recommended Diane for this award.  He stated that she has never failed to bring her considerable skills to the forefront in any capacity in which he has worked with her over the past 6 years.  In her patient care activities, for example exceptional wound and burn care and orthopedic diagnostics and therapeutics, and in administrative functions, such as medical/disability case management and workers' compensation claim management, she demonstrates relentless patient-first focus while substantially reducing the impact and cost of injury and illness to both worker and employer.

Diane has served NYSAOHN as President-Elect for the past two (2) years and will be President of NYSAOHN in January 2020.

Congratulations, Diane!