Program schedule

Details

September 22 to December 8, 2023

Date and time:
Fridays, 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. (Toronto time)

Location:
Zoom videoconferencing

Program objectives

At the end of this program, health-care providers will be able to:

  • recognize work-related or environmental conditions
  • support patients to manage injuries and illnesses that affect return to work/stay at work to improve workability
  • communicate effectively with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) to improve access to care and a safe return to work/stay at work
  • collaborate effectively with workplace and allied health professionals to improve access to care and a safe return to work/stay at work

Cycle 3 schedule

Each session features a patient case presentation and discussion followed by a didactic presentation listed below.

Overview of occupational and environmental medicine

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.

Anil Adisesh
Diagnosis and management of work-related injuries and illnesses

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.

Anil Adisesh
Engaging with the WSIB/insurance systems 1

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 

Aaron Thompson
Return to work and disability management

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. 

Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia
Mental health and work 1

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

Nadia Aleem
Mental health and work 2

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.

Lina Di Carlo
Musculoskeletal conditions and chronic pain among working patients

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.

Andrea Furlan, Lynn Cooper
Recognizing occupational and environmental hazards

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

Victoria Arrandale
Engaging with the WSIB/insurance systems 2

Learn about the life of a WSIB claim, health care programs provided by the WSIB and how return to work services function at the WSIB

Aaron Thompson
Assessment of fitness for work

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. 

Anil Adisesh
Ethics and legal issues in occupational medicine

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

Nikhil Rajaram
Engaging with relevant workplace parties

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

Sol Sax