Filling the void of well-trained occupational medicine physicians: a challenge for the 1990s

Occupational Medicine is a vibrant, rapidly expanding medical specialty. Many reports and studies have emphasized the increasing demand for occupational medicine physicians. Unfortunately, a lack of knowledge regarding the field among the general public and within the medical community as well functions as a major stumbling block to the growth of our profession. Occupational medicine needs to attract young physicians into accredited training programs. Assuring that these programs exist, are properly funded, and provide quality training are, of course, important first steps. The efforts of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, which provides residency accreditation, and the American College of Occupational Medicine (ACOM), which administers the Occupational Physicians Scholarship Fund, are significant and essential. It is equally vital, however, that there be a pool of qualified applicants for these training positions. We address the issue of attracting physicians to accredited occupational medicine training programs and offer several practical recommendations to help achieve this goal.