Occupational medicine provides diverse opportunities
With only 23 occupational medicine residency programs in the United States, many medical school graduates are unfamiliar with the field and, therefore, have little interest in pursuing a corresponding residency position. However, the program in the West Virginia University School of Public Health could change their minds.
“I originally started off in an anesthesiology residency,” says Ryan Budwany, MD, of his journey to occupational medicine. “The further I progressed, I realized that the long-term goals of my professional life didn’t really align with what I would be achieving in that specialty. When I decided to make a transition, I chose occupational medicine because of the diverse opportunities and its tie-in to long-term, sustainable solutions.”
One of the most wide-ranging of all medical specialties, occupational medicine includes clinical, administrative, research and academic components that provide professionals with variety in their career.
“Occupational medicine is the interface between the working world and the medical world,” explains Program Director Christopher Martin, MD. “One of the beauties of occupational medicine is you can decide exactly what spectrum from a very wide variety of work you want to pursue. Most of our graduates assume full clinical positions. However, our alumni are working in virtually every setting.
“We’ve had graduates go on to work at NIOSH [National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health], we’ve had graduates work in academic settings, we have corporate medical directors at companies including Sanofi-Aventis and Exxon Mobile, and virtually everything in between.”
WVU’s program is the only occupational medicine residency program in the Appalachian region, an area known for significant health challenges and work-related health and safety concerns.
The program’s history started more than 30 years ago when it was founded through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Today, WVU’s program is one of only three academic programs in the U.S. funded through both the NIOSH training project grant and a U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) preventive medicine physician training award. The program also has one of the largest academic-based occupational medicine clinics in the country, operated as part of WVU Medicine, attracting physicians from across the country and around the world for training.
Resident Rasika Thondukolam, MD, says the program’s rich history is one of the reasons she chose to leave California for the Mountain State.
“One example of something unique to this area is getting to work with people with black lung disease. When I was in California we would talk about the disease because it’s a board exam question, but here I got to spend time in the pulmonary clinic and work with patients,” she says of one of her rotations.
Unique Experiences
“I think the program at WVU is unique,” says Budwany. “It’s really resident-driven and resident-focused. If you have an interest or specific idea or career goal, then the faculty work closely with you to help design your experience so you can achieve your goals.”
All students in the occupational medicine residency program complete two phases – the academic phase and the practicum phase.
The academic phase provides the core knowledge and skills which form the basis of the practice of both public health, in general, and occupational and environmental medicine. The practicum phase is designed to provide residents with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills gained through academics in a broad range of settings. This phase of the program provides flexibility for each resident to tailor their experience to their specific interests and career goals.
Throughout both phases, all residents benefit from WVU’s long-time partnership with NIOSH through the completion of a national-level field investigation.
“Residents benefit from our close relationship with NIOSH in a number of ways,” says Martin. “NIOSH personnel are involved in the administration of the program and we rely heavily on personnel who are international-level experts in a variety of fields to contribute to our training program. In addition, residents can choose from rotations that take place over a six-month period, which provides time to plan for a national-level field investigation.”
Rotations are available for residents at the Division of Safety Research and Respiratory Health Division, providing a different investigation experience depending on their selection. Each experience includes national-level field investigations as well as research along with NIOSH personnel leading to one or more publications.
Through these rotations and various other hands-on experiences, residents are able to experience occupational medicine first hand.
Family Atmosphere
“The field provides a great lifestyle. Most physicians in occupational medicine are not on call and not working weekends,” says Martin. “They get to have a lot of control over their work, which leads to higher career satisfaction.”
While work-life balance is important, and studies show occupational medicine has one of the lowest burnout rates of any medical profession, when the work atmosphere is also welcoming, that’s an added bonus.
“The people here are the friendliest people I’ve met in my entire life,” says Budwany, who has traveled around the world. “Nobody has been as kind and friendly as the people I call my fellow Mountaineers. It’s a blessing to work with people who want to see you succeed and people who are happy that you’re working with them to improve their quality of life.”
Thondukolam agrees that being part of WVU’s occupational medicine program is a blessing, and even likened it to a holiday event with family.
“WVU was my first choice out of all the places I interviewed,” she recalls. “There were two reasons, and the first one always sticks in my mind. When I came to interview, we had lunch and all of the faculty sat and ate with us. We had a conversation about the history of the area and why everyone is passionate about occupational medicine. It felt like being at the family table for Thanksgiving. That was a feeling that was so unique. When you know you’re going to be spending so much time with people, you want to be with people you know are genuine and you feel comfortable and you know are passionate about teaching and their work.
“That was the primary reason I chose WVU. I felt like even though I would be traveling across the country, I would still be in my home.”
Photo at Top: Occupational medicine resident Ryan Budwany, MD, works with a Morgantown Fire Department firefighter in the WVU clinic.
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CONTACT: Nikky Luna, Director of Marketing and Communications
WVU School of Public Health
304.293.1699