Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program
Program Description
The primary goal of the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency is to train practicing physicians to be qualified for careers in occupational and environmental medicine in private practice, industry, government, military, or academia.
This two-year program includes one academic year, leading to completion of the requirements for a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree, and one practicum year of experiential rotations in various aspects of professional practice in the field. Graduates are usually eligible to apply for board certification in Occupational Medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM). The program is accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
Stipends, Tuition Support and Benefits
Each resident receives a stipend, adjusted according to postgraduate year level. These stipends are competitive with other national residency programs. In addition to the stipend, tuition and fees are provided by the Occupational Medicine Residency Program. Professional liability coverage, health insurance, term life insurance, disability benefits, vacation, and travel to one professional meeting per year are also provided to each resident.
Admission Requirements
Applicants to the Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM) Residency Program must have a minimum of one postgraduate clinical year (PGY-1) in an ACGME -accredited program. The Residency Advisory Committee, however, will give preference to applicants who have completed three or more years of an internal medicine, family practice or emergency medicine residency. Applicants must possess or be eligible to obtain either an unrestricted Texas medical license or a State of Texas Temporary Permit prior to commencing the Residency.
Application is made through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) offered by the American Association of Medicial Colleges; Interested persons may apply through ERAS beginning September 1 of each year; the deadline for receipt of completed applications is November 20. Decisions are made around the beginning of December and announced after December 15. More information is available online at www.aamc.org/eras. Arranging for a personal interview is strongly encouraged. Following review by the Program Director, the documentation is forwarded to the OEM Residency Advisory Committee. After review of all candidates, residency positions are offered to approved candidates according to a resource-based prioritized list. Selected candidates receive an application form for the MPH degree program at the School of Public Health. Admission to the OEM Residency Program is contingent upon admission to the School of Public Health. Application Deadline for the School of Public Health is February 1.
Curriculum
The interdisciplinary curriculum is based on a public health model for practice. The major focus is on population aggregates rather than individuals and both indirect and direct care to clients. Graduates are prepared to participate in a multidisciplinary approach to planning, implementing, managing and evaluating programs and services for worker health and safety.
Academic Year
Typically, coursework required for the MPH degree is completed in one calendar year. At least one course in each of the Public Health core disciplines of epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental sciences, management and policy sciences, and behavioral sciences is required. Supplemental courses serve to broaden and enrich the program and are selected through the academic advising process tailored to the individual resident. Common selections include: Industrial Hygiene, Toxicology, Clinical Occupational Medicine, Occupational and Environmental Health and Workplace Safety. Residents are also able to choose from many electives and independent studies available within the School. To fulfill the requirements for the MPH degree, a formal practice internship and a Master level culminating experience are also required. During the academic year, progress is monitored by a Master's Advisory Committee that meets with the student at the end of each semester. Opportunities for research projects exist in many areas.
Practicum Year
The practicum year consists of applied practical public health-oriented administrative and clinical rotations. These include a minimum of four months of assignments at some of the large industries in the Houston area and four to six months of rotations at various occupational medicine and subspecialty clinics.
Industrial Rotation Sites Include:
Dow Chemical (Freeport)
Exxon Mobil (Houston, Baytown)
SeaRiver Maritime (Houston)
Shell Oil Company (Pasadena and Houston Locations)
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston)
American Airlines (Dallas)
Where feasible, these rotations are scheduled through both corporate medical offices as well as plant medical departments.
Clinical Rotation Sites Include:
- Concentra Medical Centers (Ambulatory Occupational Health Centers)
- Milby Clinic (near the Houston Ship Channel)
- Occupational and Environmental Medicine Clinic, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler
- Texas Medical Center Employee Health Clinic
- U.S. HealthWorks (Ambulatory Occupational Health Centers)
- The University of Texas Health Services (Ambulatory Occupational Health Center)
Opportunities also exist for elective rotations with various specialty clinics and government agencies, including OSHA (Washington, D.C.), NIOSH (Cincinnati, OH and Morgantown, WV), Texas Department of State Health Services (Houston, TX) and NASA Johnson Space Center (Houston, TX).
Clinical and elective rotations are typically one to two months in duration. One day each week the residents convene at the School of Public Health for formal didactic sessions, to discuss interesting cases and for research seminars. A reciprocal evaluation system is in place for residents, rotation sites and faculty preceptors.
The monthly Journal Club features presentations by occupational medicine residents and occupational health doctoral students. Academic and community professionals in the fields of occupational medicine, occupational nursing, industrial hygiene and epidemiology attend this unique forum.
For More Information, Please Contact:
George L. Delclos, MD, PhD
Professor and Interim Director
Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program
1200 Herman Pressler, W-1030
Houston, Texas 77030
Phone: 713-500-9465
Fax: 713-500-9442
George.Delclos@uth.tmc.edu
or contact:
Marice Barahona
Occupational Medicine Residency Coordinator
Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program
1200 Herman Pressler, W-1024
Houston, Texas 77030
Phone: 713-500-9440
Fax: 713-500-9442
Marice.Barahona@uth.tmc.edu
Printable PDF Version (OM Brouchure)
Download Check List
Download Contact Sheet
Helpful Links:
American Board of Preventive Medicine
Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics
Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health
Texas Medical Center
The University of Texas Medical Foundation
The University of Texas School of Public Health
