Competencies

Patient Care

Residents must be able to provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health.

Medical Knowledge

Residents must demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological and social behavioral sciences, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient care.

Practice-based Learning and Improvement

Residents must demonstrate the ability to investigate and evaluate their care of patients, to appraise and assimilate scientific evidence, and to continuously improve patient care based on constant self-evaluation and life-long learning.

Interpersonal and Communication Skills

Residents must demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in the effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients, their families, and health professionals.

Professionalism

Residents must demonstrate a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities and an adherence to ethical principles.

Systems-based Practice

Residents must demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care, as well as the ability to call effectively on other resources in the system to provide optimal health care.

Osteopathic Philosophy and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine

Residents must demonstrate the application of knowledge of accepted standards in Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) appropriate to specialty. The practitioner will remain dedicated to life-long learning and to practice habits in osteopathic philosophy and manipulative medicine.

ACOEM Ten Core Competencies

Clinical Occupational and Environmental Medicine

The physician has the knowledge and skills to provide evidence based clinical evaluation and treatment for injuries and illnesses that are occupationally or environmentally related.

OEM Related Law and Regulations

The physician has the knowledge and skills necessary to comply with regulations important to occupational and environmental health. This most often includes those regulations essential to workers' compensation, accommodation of disabilities, public health, worker safety, and environmental health and safety.

Environmental Health

The physician has the knowledge and skills necessary to recognize potential environmental causes of concern to the individual as well as to the community health. Environmental issues most often include air, water, or ground contamination by natural or artificial pollutants. The physician has knowledge of the health effects of the broad physical and social environment, which includes housing urban development, land use and transportation, industry and agriculture.

Work Fitness and Disability Integration

The physician has the knowledge and skills to determine if a worker can safely be at work and complete required job tasks. The physician has the knowledge and skills necessary to provide guidance to the employee and employer when there is a need for integration of an employee with a disability into the workplace.

Toxicology

The physician has the knowledge and skills to recognize, evaluate, and treat exposures to toxins at work or in the general environment. This most often includes interpretation of laboratory or environmental monitoring test results as well as applying toxicokinetic data.

Hazard Recognition, Evaluation, and Control

The physician has the knowledge and skills necessary to assess if there is a risk of an adverse event from exposure to physical, chemical, or biological hazards in the workplace or environment. If there is a risk with exposure, then that risk can be characterized with recommendations for control measures.

Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management

The physician has the knowledge and skills to plan for mitigation of, response to, and recovery from disasters at specific worksite as well as for the community at large. Emergency management most often includes resource mobilization, risk communication, and collaboration with local, state, or federal agencies.

Health and Productivity

A physical will be able to identify and address individual and organizational factors in the workplace in order to optimize the health of the worker and enhance productivity. These issues most often include absenteeism, presenteeism, health enhancement, and population health management.

Public Health, Surveillance, and Disease Prevention

The physician has the knowledge and skill to develop, evaluate, and manage medical surveillance programs for the work place as well as the general public. The physician has the knowledge and skills to apply primary, secondary, and tertiary preventive methods.

OEM Related Management and Administration

The physician has the administrative and management knowledge and skills to plan, design, implement, manage, and evaluate comprehensive occupational and environmental health programs and projects.