Overview:

The Occupational Medicine Residency Program focuses both on the use of critical thinking and research approaches in investigations.  Residents are trained to recognize, manage and prevent occupational disease and injury.  Research focuses on:

1. Prevention of occupational asthma,
2. Newly emerging occupational infectious diseases from blood borne pathogens,
3. Repetitive motion injuries of the upper extremity and back (emphasizing ergonomic control and prevention),
4. Indoor air quality control, and
5. The changing economy and workplace, and its influence on worker safety and health.

The practicum includes at least four months of supervised real world of work training and includes rotations in utility and power industry, aeronautic and space industry, occupational medicine clinics and regulatory agencies.  Rotation site locations are described below. Research time is required.  We are proud of our faculty's educational and research accomplishments and we encourage faculty members and residents to work closely together in a supportive environment to refine professional skills in conducting research studies.  It is our goal to provide you with an outstanding education that will lead to the greatest development of your skills in preparation of a lifetime of personal and professional gratification and to successful certification by the American Board of Preventive Medicine/Occupational Medicine.  The residency is accredited by the

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Educational Faculty:

This OMR program has four faculty members on staff:

Occupational Medicine Mission:

The mission of the residency program is to prepare physicians for careers in Occupational Medicine in the 21st century. The residency furnishes a broad base of knowledge which includes all aspects of occupational safety and health with an emphasis on protective and preventive policies, procedures, practices and programs. Graduates are trained to administer, manage and direct clinical occupational health programs. The residency clinical rotations emphasize health of workers and their ability to perform work; the arrangement of work; and the physical, chemical and social environment in the workplace. There enough flexibility in the program to allow each resident to pursue and achieve individual interests and career goals.

Residency Program Options:

Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply to the two-year concurrent academic and practicum phase residency program. The academic work is completed at the College of Public Health during the evenings, while the practicum activities take place in the community during the day.  A one year practicum is available for suitable candidates who already have an MPH degree.

Financial Support:

Stipend support and tuition waivers may be provided for residents accepted into the residency. 

Admission Requirements

Acceptance into the residency requires graduation from an approved medical school and completion of at least two years of clinical training in an accredited primary care residency in the United States Consideration will be given for resident applicants having considerable occupational medicine practice experience and a minimum of one year of clinical specialty training.  In addition, candidates must have passed all three steps of the USMLE or have possession of a valid state medical license.  The Residency Program generally accepts between two to four residents per year.

Applications and Forms to Apply to the Residency:

Rotation site locations:

Bay Pines Veterans Administration Hospital

The Bay Pines Veterans Medical Center in St. Petersburg , is a 966 bed hospital with a very active outpatient load.  The occupational/environmental health clinic patients include hospital employees (3000) and volunteers (1000). There are also veterans who reportedly were exposed to the environmental hazards during service (e.g. Agent Orange, ionizing radiation, Persian Gulf War, mustard gas, etc.) There are approximately 20 patients seen each day with a variety of problems, including acute musculoskeletal injuries.  

Various examinations are performed at the clinics including: pre-employment and periodic examinations, surveillance monitoring (ethylene oxide, asbestos, solvents, nurse oncologists, laser operators, respiratory protection, pesticide workers, and noise). Residents provide primary occupational health care to employees and become involved in preventive programs. For example, the Bay Pines VA operates an extended care facility where employees suffering from musculoskeletal and back injuries can go. Residents assist in developing preventive programs. The residents also evaluate and treat special veterans exposed during the Gulf War or to Agent Orange. Special employee programs include evaluations for noise, ionizing radiation, asbestos, chemicals and tuberculosis.

The Bay Pines VA rotations consist of a two month sequence of core rotations which considers the Bay Pines Medical Center as a physical plant facility and a real-world-of-work experience.  The emphasis is on the work environment, the health and safety of employees and the activities devoted to preventive medicine. The experience helps to prepare the resident for a career in the comprehensive practice of occupational medicine. For the Bay Pines rotation, the resident undertakes activities representing a supervised practice of occupational medicine within an organized comprehensive program of industrial employee health services. The experience affords the resident the opportunity to deal with clinical, scientific, social, legal and administrative issues form the perspective of workers and their representatives, employers, and regulatory or legal authorities. The rotation also provides the resident the opportunity for interacting with occupational health personnel, employees, human resources and industrial relations personnel, line supervisors, employee representatives and the medical professionals. An element of particular importance is the emphasis of collaborative work with industrial hygienists, nurses, and safety personnel, as well as with counselors or other professionals concerned with psychosocial issues.

The rotations through various programs at the Bay Pines VA will afford the resident sufficient continuity of service to foster the assumption of authentic clinical and administrative responsibilities and the development of mature judgment and resourcefulness. The experiences at the Bay Pines VA are designed to strengthen the resident's clinical abilities and knowledge in general preventive medicine. The preventive medicine experiences fuse together medical and life-style practices that improve an individual's health through: promoting health-enhancing environments and behaviors; preventing disease and injury; making possible early diagnosis and treatment; and fostering habilitation and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities. The practicum rotations at the  Bay Pines VA strengthens the resident's clinical and administrative abilities required for direct employee care; employee job assignment; medical screening and surveillance of employees and populations; health conservation and promotion; environmental assessment for hazards; employee assistance for help from drugs and alcohol abuse, emotional stress and adverse life styles; and application of relevant regulatory compliance.

Tampa Electric Company

Tampa Electric Company(TECO) is an electrical industry which employs about 2400 workers and provides electrical power for the greater Tampa area. Tampa Electric Company (TECO) is part of >TECO Energy, Inc., an electric utility holding company with important diversified activities. Its businesses engage in water transportation, coal mining, natural gas production from coal seams, independent power generation, conventional gas and oil exploration and production, energy services, and marketing of an advanced energy management and communications system.

The resident spends at least one month at TECO which is one of the real-world-of-work rotations. The emphasis of TECO rotations are

1. Occupational health administration,
2. Employee assistance program,
3. Wellness and health promotion,
4. Pre-employment and pre-job assignment screening and surveillance,
5. Environmental health, industrial hygiene and safety management,
6. Disability/illness/absenteeism, and
7. Issues indigenous to electrical utility industry.

TECO maintains a training facility where there are simulations of various job tasks that the workers conduct during their daily activities. The resident has the opportunity of spending time in the training facility. There is an active safety management program directed by Mr. Lou Rinaldi, a member of the Residency Advisory Committee. TECO has a very well organized human resource program that deals with administrative issues such as workers' compensation claims and benefits. The acute injuries are seen either at Tampa General Hospital or Comprehensive Occupational Medicine for Business and Industry. Residents have the opportunity of following TECO employees while rotating through these rotations. The TECO rotation emphasizes important issues including heat stress, ergonomic problems, administrative issues and safety management. There is also an industrial hygienist and nurses on staff.

The TECO rotation allows the resident to gain experience in a comprehensive program, which employs industrial employee health services and industrial hygiene practices. The resident gains experience and expands his/her knowledge of: the clinical efforts essential for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of work-related disorders; the development of a proficiency in monitoring employee absences and examining ways in which the medical staff can work closely with the Safety Managers and Industrial Hygienists to ensure a safe and healthy work environment.

James A. Haley Veterans Administration Hospital

The James A. Haley Veterans Hospital (JHV H) is a tertiary care teaching hospital which operates 361hospital beds, composed of 118 medical beds, 8 in neurology, 60 in psychiatry, 42 in rehabilitation medicine, 60 in spinal cord injury and 73 in surgery.  There is also an Extended Geriatric Care facility composed of a 180 bed Nursing Home Outpatient Clinic and the Bartow Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). Complete ranges of primary and subspecialty outpatient programs are also provided.

An active role in the sharing of medical and other scarce resources has been pursued with military installations in Tampa (MacDill Air Force Base) and with Orlando Naval Hospital . Tampa is also designated as a Primary Reception Site for the National Disaster Medical System and the VA/DOD Contingency Plan.  Tampa is a major referral center for DOD/ASMRO patients for rehabilitation, Spinal Cord Injury, Psychiatry and other Clinical Care Programs. Research activities have attracted national attention in Immunology (asthma center); and in AIDS management. The hospital was activated in 1972 and is affiliated with the University of South Florida College of Medicine, resulting in a unique and close professional relationship. The JHVH rotations are intended to overlap and strengthen many aspects of the real-world-of-work experiences. The resident will have the opportunity to analyze and apply their unique occupational health skills in the day to day operational problem solving situations and corresponding decision making opportunities as it relates to them as "subject area consultants".

Kennedy Space Center

The Kennedy Space Center (KSC) provides the resident with the opportunity to become familiar with the aerospace medicine. The rotation is unique because it offers clinical rotations in specialty fields, which are located at the launch site of past and future manned missions to space.  The program takes place at the Kennedy Space Center , located on Florida's Space coast. It is the only launch complex for manned space operations in the USA . There is an occupational medicine facility for the 1300 KSC employees.

The rotation at KSC provides residents with an opportunity to examine occupational health and safety issues from the prospective of the aerospace industry. The education and training of the resident involves supervision by professionals who are Board Certified in several specialties, including: occupational medicine, aerospace medicine, internal medicine and emergency medicine. The resident training at KSC emphasizes:

1. Clinical care of workers in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of work-related disorders;
2. Evaluation of the fitness of workers for normal or modified job assignments in a wide variety of work environments;
3. Assessment of impairment and/or disability;
4. Counseling and education of employees and supervisors regarding job-site hazards, environmental hazards, and personal lifestyle health-related habits;
5. Planning, administration, supervision and health and safety risk assessment, accident evaluations, and development of risk reduction recommendations;
6. Application of administrative and scientific principles in the achievement of compliance with regulatory requirements and those of workers' compensation plans; and
7. Acquisition, compilation and evaluation of health and environmental data.

The one month rotation at KSC is considered a real-world-of-work experience. The emphasis is on the work environment, the health and safety of employees and the activities are devoted to preventive medicine. Physicians at KSC provide occupational health support for the employees, including astronauts. Resident activities include clinical, administrative, exposure assessment, surveillance, ergonomics, physical agents, clinical toxicology, environmental medicine and preventive approaches and wellness. The resident deals with hazard evaluation and toxicity of hazardous chemicals including rocket fuels and other agents used in the aerospace program. Residents may be present during some of the astronaut launches at KSC.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

The Tampa regional OSHA office is one of the largest OSHA offices in the country, servicing Tampa and the surrounding regions. It is one of the busiest offices in the country and makes more than 1200 inspections each year. The resident has the opportunity of viewing how OSHA will be working with business and labor to rewrite many old, industry consensus standards into plain language so they are more understandable and useable. The resident may assist in the process. OSHA's new philosophy is to rely on a voluntary approach to correct workplace hazards through cooperative actions. Examples are:

1. Partnerships with workers and management to identify actions to reduce or remove a hazard,
2. Encouragement of voluntary standard-setting organizations (such as the American National Standards Institute, and the American Council of Governmental Industrial Hygienist) to take action on priority hazards,
3. The issuance of guidelines,
4. The use of the existing Federal/State consultation program to encourage employers to identify and correct priority hazards, and
5. The dissemination of information about hazards and ways of preventing or controlling them.

Information approaches involve the gathering, generation and distribution of additional information about priority hazards and issues. Examples include:

1. Research on health effects or control technology,
2. Technical information exchanges such as workshops or symposia,
3. NIOSH Criteria Documents,
4. Special Hazard Reviews and Hazard Alerts
5. OSHA's "SafeWorks" and "Fatal Facts" Fact Sheets, and
6. Joint actions by employers and workers to publicize hazard information.

Heritage Summit Healthcare of Florida, Inc. 

The rotation at Heritage Summit Healthcare of Florida, Inc., provides training in occupational medicine practice with an emphasis on

1. Clinical care of workers in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of work-related disorders,
2. Evaluation of fitness of workers for normal or modified job assignments in a wide variety of work environments, and the assessment of impairment and disability,
3. Counseling and education of workers and supervisors with respect to work or environmental hazards, health-related habits of living, and the arrangements of work,
4. The planning, administration, supervision, and evaluation of a broad program for the protection and promotion of the health and safety of workers in the work setting including health risks assessment, accident evaluation, and risk reduction,
5. Application of administrative and scientific principles in the achievement of compliance with regulatory requirements and those of workers' compensation plans, and
6. Acquisition, collation, storage and analysis of health and environmental data.

Tampa General Hospital (TGH)

TGH is affiliated with the University of South Florida College of Medicine and serves as the primary teaching hospital for the University.  The large numbers of physicians in almost all departments are also USF faculty, therefore, arrangements can and have been made to develop a variety of educational experiences for the residents.  TGH is a 1,000 bed international and regional referral center.

Residents spend at least three months over the two year residency at TGH.  The practicum rotations consist of clinical occupational medicine and subspecialty clinics in areas related to occupational medicine.  Residents select the particular rotation from those which have been developed at this site to date, dependent on their own personal background interests and career goals.  There are also ancillary clinically related experiences offered as electives in the areas such as poison control, physical rehabilitation, etc.  Other Rotation Sites:

Other rotation sites are added to the occupational medicine residency as necessary. Information about the newest addition of rotation sites will be available on this website soon. These sites include:

1. Lakeside Occupational Medical Centers, PA,
2. US Healthworks and
3. The University of South Florida, Consultation Program
   

Tabitha Raj
Residency Coordinator
USF College of Public Health
Occupational Medicine Residency Program
13201 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. - Rm. MHH 320 Mailbox #: MDC 56 Tampa, Florida 33612-3805
Phone: 813-974-7537 / Fax: 813-974-4994

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