Program schedule

Learn about the roles and functions of an occupational physician and occupational health teams, the common categories of occupational medical conditions and the relationship between the occupational and environmental aspects of OEM.

Learn how to define occupational illness and injury, how to evaluate a patient for a suspected occupational or environmental illness or injury, and outline a return-to-work plan.

Learn what the WSIB is and how it functions, the role of health-care providers in the workers’ compensation system, and how to effectively complete Form 8s for your patients 

Learn about the role of allied health practitioners in return to work and disability management, key principles for successful return to work and identifying resources for suitable workplace accommodations. 

Learn the components of an occupational mental health assessment and strategies and tools that can be used to perform this assessment

Learn how employers and healthcare providers can work collaboratively to support and facilitate return to work in an individual with a mental health condition, the organizational factors required to provide a healthy work environment, and how stigma impacts the ability to obtain appropriate healthcare services.

Learn about the concept of “workability”, how to apply functional principles to facilitate “workability”, the types of barriers to return to work and the physician's role in helping to overcome them. 

Learn about the inherent conflicts related to work and health that may arise for health care providers, the role that health care providers play in helping their clients/patients navigate systems related to work and health, and some of the system supports that exist to aid both workers and health care providers involved in their care

Learn about health care programs provided by the WSIB and how return to work services function at the WSIB

Learn when, why, and how health care practitioners should engage with workplace parties.

Learn about an approach to examining a person with a musculoskeletal condition, indications of opioids for nociceptive, neuropathic and nociplastic chronic pain, evidence-based treatments for low back pain, and the impact of working with chronic pain on the person.

Learn common types of occupational hazards, occupational exposure limits that may apply to an individual worker, questions that will help to better understand a worker’s occupational exposures, and where a worker or health care provider can look for support on questions of workplace exposure