BulletAVMX 715 – Principles of Occupational Medicine

 

Introduction

The inclusion of two papers in general occupational medicine in our programme makes this an extremely valuable course of study around which your vocational training programme can be structured.

Occupational epidemiology will be reviewed in a very compressed way - depending on your background some of you may need additional reading to get fully conversant with the subject material. We will be looking at hazard control accidents and safety in both theoretical and practical way, with the aim of providing a better understanding of primary and secondary prevention within a safety programme. Occupational rehabilitation will deal with tertiary prevention issues.

We look at ergonomics and occupational overuse injury, topics of which people are becoming increasingly aware. Mental health at work is also a central concern, although much harder to define, measure, and control. We attempt to come to some understanding of the effects of psychology on individuals and groups in the work process, and look at their implications for sickness absence, both of which may be significantly related to mental health. We will present you with the general principles of occupational toxicity and then apply these to specific organ systems.

I look forward to working through this paper with you. If you have any queries concerning academic matters, do not hesitate to ring me at work or at home.

    - Robin Griffiths Academic Coordinator, Postgraduate Diploma in Aviation Medicine.

Contacting Staff

If you have any queries concerning academic matters, assistance may be sought by contacting Rob Griffiths, who is the course academic coordinator and the main tutor for the paper:

Other tutors for this paper should be contacted through Rob.

For administrative or organisational matters, please contact your programme officer: Katherine Harris

Paper Outline

The nine modules which comprise the paper are as follows:

  1. Occupational Epidemiology 1
  2. Occupational Epidemiology 2
  3. Accidents at Work
  4. Rehabilitation and Resettlement
  5. Occupational Mental Health, and Sickness Absence
  6. Ergonomics Occupational Overuse, back Injuries and Manual Handling
  7. Hazard Control and Safety
  8. Occupational Toxicology
  9. Occupational Health Hazards to Other Organ Systems

Audio-conference Tutorials

During this paper you will participate in three mandatory tutorials that cover the material in the paper. Audioconferencing links will be accessed through VoIP, details of which are elsewhere on this Forum page. Audio-conferences will be held from 13.00 – 14.15 a.m. UTC/Gmt on the dates specified in the Forum. Please make sure that you make adjustments for local Daylight Saving Time or Summer Time in the country in which you live (including New Zealand). The audio-conference tutorial will run for approximately 75 minutes.

During the sessions you can raise any points you want to have clarified and get an immediate response from the tutor and other students. You can also have the opportunity to bring your expertise and experience to bear should problems arise in your field.

You may want to discuss problems with me by telephone or letter if they seem specific to you personally so that you should not feel that if your question was not answered at the teleconference that you have "missed the boat".

E-mail and other Media

A weekly diary can help you to identify how you are progressing in relationship to the tutor’s expectations and obtain updates, news items and so on. An email “Diary Page” will be sent to you every Monday during term time.

Please contact Rob Griffiths if you are unsure about how to access Oceanbrowser Internet services.

Net Sites you might find worth accessing:

General Sites Occupational and Environmental

 

Occupational & Environmental Health Resources

 

Government Agency Sites