Part A Course Information

Part A of the course involves 111 hours of instruction, including monthly tutorials and two one-day workshops, in the fundamentals of recognizing and managing work-related disease and injury, fitness for work, and the transition back into employment. The program is designed to be taken part-time and to be completed within 10 months.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, the physician will be able to:

1. Identify the hazards found in different industries and occupations, and to give informed advice to patients on the types of work that would be compatible with any health limitation;

2. Communicate with workers, employers, and occupational health practitioners in industry about issues relating to health and work, and to balance requirements for privacy and information;

3. Know how to access and interpret legislation, regulation, and guidance relevant to occupational health in Canada;

4. Know how to recognize and diagnose common types of work-related disease;

5. Reach a justifiable opinion on issues of causation in relation to possibly work-related disease and the likelihood that a condition is caused, or contributed to, by work;

6. Understand the purpose of a formal assessment of fitness for work, and know when and how to use this when trying to optimize the fit of a worker to the workplace;

7. Evaluate the factors that may contribute to extended sickness absence, and how to improve the likelihood of successful return to work after illness or injury;

8. Identify mental health, family, and social issues (including stress reactions and substance abuse) that may result from work or have implication for continued safe employment, and to decide how to best manage such implications; and

9. Be aware of the obligations and responsibilities for occupational health implied by the role of an employer in a community-based medical practice.

Part A Course Schedules AlbertaBritish Columbia / Saskatchewan / Manitoba Ontario Ontario / Maritimes / Newfoundland