A combined family practice and occupational medicine residency program

Family physicians deliver a significant proportion of occupational medicine services in this country. A shortage of physicians specifically trained in occupational and environmental medicine (OEM) has been well documented. A 1991 report from the Institute of Medicine recommends an alternative approach to certification of OEM physicians by creating a streamlined graduate training program that would result in dual certification in a primary care specialty and OEM. For the past three years, the University of Oklahoma has offered such a combined track program, comprising four years of training in family practice and occupational medicine. This article describes the development and structure of the combined program.