MEDSCHOOL, PMB, Education, Residency

OEM RESIDENCY

Occupational medicine in the United States is closely linked to the government and the military. At the core of the specialty is the health of the worker, including both the impact of work on health and the impact of personal health conditions on the ability to work. Over time, the specialty has come to also encompass environmental exposures not just of workers, but also of the general population. The OEM physician needs to be able to apply knowledge and skills at both the individual patient and population levels. Most military OEM physicians spend about one third to one-half of their time in clinic, and the rest of their time addressing the population level management of worker health.

Having a healthy and productive workforce, both uniformed and civilian, is still essential to mission readiness. Additionally, the specialty is at the forefront of addressing past and future environmental exposures both in garrison and while deployed. The small but committed cadre of military OEM physicians works with occupational health nurses, industrial hygienists, environmental scientists, safety specialists, human resources specialists, and others to carry out this critical mission.

ABOUT THE RESIDENCY

The National Capital Consortium-Uniformed Services University Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency is the largest training program for this specialty in the country and has been fully accredited by the American Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) since 1993. Residents entering our two-year graduate medical education program are officers in the uniformed services and have completed at least an internship at an ACGME-accredited training program. 

Our two-year program consists of eight months dedicated solely to coursework in the Master of Public Health program, followed by 16 months of rotations including at least eight months of clinical training. In the second year of the program, elective rotations are available across the country. The curriculum is tailored to each resident’s educational and practical experience in order to develop physician leaders in the specialty and in military public health. Clinical rotations range from military and civilian occupational health clinics at medical centers and industrial sites, to specialty clinics in fields relevant to the practice of occupational and environmental medicine. Non-clinical required rotations vary based on branch of military service, but all residents complete at least one month at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Office of Occupational Medicine. Non-clinical elective rotations are tailored to the interest of the resident.  

In addition to mastering occupational and environmental medicine competencies, residents in our program also are trained in military-specific skills and requirements. Additionally, military training courses in Public Health Emergency Management, Medical Management of Chemical and Biological Casualties, and Medical Effects of Ionizing Radiation are required to prepare our graduates for the practice of military public health.

Since its inception in 1993, the program has graduated 185 occupational and environmental medicine specialists from all branches of the U.S. uniformed services, as well as Canadian Armed Forces physicians. Over 95 percent of all residency graduates have successfully passed the American Board of Preventive Medicine Board Certification Examination.

WHO CAN APPLY?

Active duty physicians who have completed (or are completing) a PGY1 year and have passed all three steps of either the USMLE or COMLEX. PGY1 year must have been completed at an ACGME approved program and the resident must have obtained a state license by the start of the residency.

Civilian physicians willing to come on to active duty and meeting the same requirements may also apply. Civilians wishing to become active duty physicians should contact the Service they wish to join: