Philip Harber1, Sri Mummaneni, Lori Crawford. 1. Division of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90024-7027, USA. pharber@mednet.ucla.edu
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: A relatively high proportion of occupational medicine (OM) specialists have not had formal residency training in OM. Members of the Western Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association, a professional organization of OM specialists, completed a postal questionnaire (160 of 561 members). METHODS: Educational background, practice setting, practice activities, and skills considered relevant were compared between those with and without formal training. RESULTS: Both groups had considerable focus in clinical care, musculoskeletal medicine, and workers' compensation. However, those with formal training practice in a broader variety of settings were less likely to have practiced another specialty, and used additional skills (toxicology, industrial hygiene, and epidemiology) in their practices. Formal education appears to create a greater diversity of skills and opportunities, but it does not appear to create a group of physicians disinterested in "front-line" occupational medicine practice. CONCLUSIONS: The data support the need for formal residency programs but also highlight the importance of access to formal training for midcareer physicians.
OBJECTIVES: A relatively high proportion of occupational medicine (OM) specialists have not had formal residency training in OM. Members of the Western Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association, a professional organization of OM specialists, completed a postal questionnaire (160 of 561 members). METHODS: Educational background, practice setting, practice activities, and skills considered relevant were compared between those with and without formal training. RESULTS: Both groups had considerable focus in clinical care, musculoskeletal medicine, and workers' compensation. However, those with formal training practice in a broader variety of settings were less likely to have practiced another specialty, and used additional skills (toxicology, industrial hygiene, and epidemiology) in their practices. Formal education appears to create a greater diversity of skills and opportunities, but it does not appear to create a group of physicians disinterested in "front-line" occupational medicine practice. CONCLUSIONS: The data support the need for formal residency programs but also highlight the importance of access to formal training for midcareer physicians.