Influence of residency training on occupational medicine practice patterns

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).

Educational background, practice setting, practice activities, and skills considered relevant were compared between those with and without formal training.

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.

The data support the need for formal residency programs but also highlight the importance of access to formal training for midcareer physicians.