Manager or medic: the role of the occupational health professional

Occupational health professionals originate from either the medical or the nursing professions (both traditional areas with their own established codes of practice) and work in an industrial setting alongside, for instance, managers, who also have an established, if different code of practice. Occupational health professionals are therefore confronted with the task of integrating their medical role within a managerial context. This paper aims to explore how occupational health professionals overcome the problems inherent in balancing medical with managerial values.