CHARACTERISTICS OF OCCUPATIONAL-MEDICINE PRACTITIONERS AND PRACTICE IN CANADA

To obtain baseline information with respect to occupational medicine p ractice in Canada, a questionnaire survey of members of the Occupation al and Environmental Medical Association of Canada was carried out by mail in 1993. One hundred eighty-six responses were received (56% of t he membership). The average age of the respondents was 49.5, 12% were female, and 55% worked full-time in occupational medicine, Practice ty pes included corporate settings (58%), clinics (23%), government agenc ies (14%), worker compensation boards (7%) and academic settings (5%). Sixty percent had some formal training in occupational medicine, and 46% had occupational medicine certification by either the Royal Colleg e of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the Canadian Board of Occupati onal Medicine, or the American Board of Preventive Medicine. Younger p hysicians were more likely to be female and have gone directly into oc cupational medicine. Women were more likely to be working full-time in occupational medicine but worked fewer hours per week. Those physicia ns with specialty qualifications were older and more likely to be work ing full-time in occupational medicine and be active in professional a ctivities. The Association intends to continue surveying its members o n a triennial basis, identifying trends in the practice profiles and c ontinuing education needs.