The new face of Employee Health at USA Health
Melanie Amberger has worked as a nurse practitioner for more than two decades, with the past few years in employee health.
As the new manager of Employee Health at USA Health, Melanie Amberger, MSN, CRNP, returns to the academic institution where she earned two nursing degrees.
“I’m glad to be back at South and in an academic health system that is engaged in moving forward and working to streamline operations,” said Amberger, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from the University of South Alabama.
The Mobile resident has worked as a nurse practitioner for more than two decades -- the past few years in employee health.
Amberger can be found at the Employee Health clinic located at 1720 Center St., Suite 102, in the parking lot of Children’s & Women’s Hospital, directly in front of the café. The clinic opened recently as part of the merger of separate Employee Health sites at the hospitals into a single department that will serve the health needs of all USA Health staff members.
Amberger said the clinic’s immediate focus is to facilitate new employee orientation and onboarding by performing pre-employment drug screenings, health assessments and vaccinations. Clinic staff also assist with new employee paperwork, badge creation and orientation scheduling.
“We think we can really streamline the time to hire,” Amberger said.
In addition, Employee Health will continue to offer vaccinations for flu and other standard required vaccinations. To protect employees on the job, Employee Health will provide fit testing for respirator masks and treat clinical employees for any on-the-job exposures.
Born in Birmingham, Amberger grew up in New Orleans, a result of her father’s transfer as an Army physician to Tulane Medical Center and his start in academic medicine. She attended Birmingham-Southern College, where she earned a degree in elementary education. At the time, the nursing field was heating up, prompting Amberger to pursue nursing at South, ultimately graduating from the Family Practice Nurse Practitioner Program in 1997.
Amberger said she always has enjoyed the intersection of nursing and teaching. “When new hires come in, you have the opportunity to talk to them and see what they are interested in,” she said. “If they have questions about wellness and nutrition, it presents a great opportunity for education.”
In her office on Center Street, Amberger has a small display of race medals, evidence of her passion for running and triathlon competitions. “It is my stress reliever,” she said.
Most recently, she participated in the Super Spartan Race, a 10K with obstacles. Her husband, Nick, an engineer with the City of Mobile, attends every race. “I can hear him cheering me on every time,” she said.
Amberger’s two sons watch her race when they are not busy with school. The eldest, Cole, is majoring in forestry at Auburn University, and the youngest, Connor, will be a freshman at the University of Alabama this year, majoring in engineering.
