The Occupational and Environmental Medicine Fundamentals for Advanced Practice Providers Program was developed as a collaborative education activity by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) NP Section. This program was developed to supplement on-the-job training and provides advanced practice providers online access to a convenient, comprehensive, foundational OEM learning program. It offers employers of new advance practice providers an onboarding opportunity to provide structured, high quality, evidenced based educational OEM material in a virtual format available in one convenient location. Presented by AANP and ACOEM experts in the field, these modules will advance knowledge that can be useful in many settings, including urgent care, primary care, industry-based clinics, employee health, corporate health and more. By completing this foundational OEM program, NPs and other clinicians can increase their understanding of OEM’s many facets, improve their clinical skills and more fully develop the leadership abilities needed to manage the care of the worker.  

The program consists of seven modules, each dealing with a different aspect of occupational health practice for the advanced practice provider. Each module includes between four and six one-hour presentations and support material on essential OEM topics. Upon completion of all seven modules and the full 30 hours of credit, participants will be eligible to receive an AANP Certificate of Advanced Practice Education in Occupational Health. The certificate of academic achievement demonstrates to employers, workers, and peers their commitment as a provider in the OEM field. 

The seven modules, their expected launch dates, amount of CE/CME and cost are included below:

PLEASE NOTE: Completion of this program results in an AANP Certificate of Advanced Practice Education in Occupational Health. It is not a board certification, nor does it grant the ability to sit for a board certification exam. It also does not result in a credential. It was developed with the expressed purpose of providing structured educational OEM material in a virtual format available in one convenient place.  

Release Date: DECEMBER 20, 2023
Expiration Date: December 20, 2025 (This course may be reviewed and renewed after 01/31/2025)

Section 1

Respirators, Medical Approvals and Fit Testing

Sally Foster-Chang, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, COHN-S
*Nothing to disclose

Objectives:

• Describe the history of respiratory protection and related regulations.

• Review the legal requirements for respiratory protection mandated by 29 CFR 1910.134
• Develop a basic understanding of types of respirators and the NIOSH respirator selection logic.
• Outline the medical approval process for fit testing and respirator use.
• Discuss current guidelines related to cardiac and pulmonary assessment for respirator use.

Description:

This presentation will review important components of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) Respiratory Protection Standard, 29 CFR 1910.134, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) respirator selection logic, essential clinical aspects of the respirator medical approval evaluation (including the most recent ACOEM recommendations related to spirometry) and the fit testing process.  It is geared to advanced practice clinicians involved in all aspects of Respiratory Protection in the workplace.

Section 2

Noise Standard and Hearing Conservation Program

 Michele Damas Smith, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC
*Nothing to disclose

Objectives:

• Understand the Purpose of the Hearing Conservation Program 
• Identify Noise Exposure Hazards​
• Review Employer Responsibilities​
• Considerations for Audiometric testing/STS/Referrals​
• Explore Options for Audiometric Testing​
• Understand determination of Recordable vs Non-Recordable STS​

• Learn OSHA, state and employer considerations with age-correction

Description:

This presentation will discuss the purpose of a Hearing Conservation Program.  It will review Noise Exposure Hazards and employers’ responsibilities, Audiometric Testing and Testing Option, and will also review STS – work related versus non-work related and reasons for referral.  This presentation will also discuss OSHA guidelines, required documents and determination of OSHA recordability.

Section 3

Physical Hazards and Ergonomics

Lora S. Regan, MD, MPH, FACOEM

Disclosure:

GSK: ongoing consulting fees, consultation/interim Medical Director/ Occupational Medicine

Objectives:

• Explain the three main categories of hazard control in Occupational Medicine and how they relate to Physical Hazards and Ergonomics.
• Describe physical hazards in the workplace and give examples of occupations that encounter these specific hazards.
• Discuss the role of body mechanics and how positioning contributes to ergonomic risk in the workplace.

Description:
This session will review important physical hazards in the workplace and specific occupations that encounter these hazards. We will discuss the hierarchy of hazard control in occupational medicine/safety/industrial hygiene and how these apply to physical and ergonomic hazards.  We will demonstrate how to identify and remediate ergonomic hazards using a before and after ergonomic job analysis.  We will focus on body mechanics and the optimal positioning of the upper extremity in the prevention of ergonomic musculoskeletal injuries.  We will identify ways to modify an office workstation and hazards associated with working from home.  We will review the limited role of personal protective equipment in addressing ergonomic concerns.  Resources for further learning will be provided at the end of the presentation.

 Section 4

Introduction to Chemical Hazards

Pamela L. Krahl, MD, MPH, FACOEM, FACP
Disclosure:

Amgen: Own stock through IRA, purchased prior to starting medical school

Objectives:

• Discuss fundamental concepts of dose, exposure, and susceptibility​
• Locate information about chemical hazards​
• State the characteristics of major categories of common chemical hazards​
• Describe the occupational medicine role in protecting workers from chemicals

Description:
This session provides a framework for evaluating the potential of chemical hazards to harm workers, and introduces learners to the adverse effects of some specific chemical hazards that are commonly encountered in the workplace or that are representative of a category of chemicals.

 Section 5

Biohazards and  Biological Monitoring

David Vearrier MD MPH FACMT FAACT
*Nothing to disclose

Objectives:

• Describe types of biohazards and enumerate examples of each type.
• Apply the hierarchy of controls to biohazard in the workplace.
• Discuss the application of biological monitoring in the workplace.

Description:
This presentation discusses biohazards in the workplace and enumerates examples of each type of biohazard and the adverse human health effects associated with them. It applies the Hierarchy of Controls to biohazards in the workplace. The pros and cons of biological monitoring in the workplace are discussed. It also discusses the technical aspects of biological monitoring and it’s application in the protection of worker health.

Section 6

The Clinician’s Role in Emergency Planning

Judith Green McKenzie, MD, MPH, FACP, FACPM, FACOEM
*Nothing to disclose

Objectives:

• Understand the definition of a disaster
• Understand the definition of an emergency
• Gain a historical perspective
• Learn about the public health response
• Understand the Incident Command System (ICS)
• Explore a case study for pandemic preparedness
• Review the White House & WHO preparedness plans
• Consider the OEM healthcare professional’s role
  
  

Description:
This lecture discusses the Occupational & Environmental Medicine (OEM) Clinician's Role in Emergency Management, a core competency for OEM professionals. A Public Health Overview, Framework and Case Study will be presented. A historical perspective of emergencies and disasters will be given with definitions and examples. The structure and importance of the Incident Command System (ICS) within the context of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) will be presented. A case study of best practices based on the response by two leading healthcare institutions to a public health emergency relevant to OEM practice, a pandemic, specifically the recent COVID-19, pandemic will be explored. Finally, discussion will ensue on future pandemic preparedness by national and global governing authorities with projections of the major twenty-first-century threats.

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 6.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

If you would like to claim credit through the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), please print your certificate and submit it to AANP at cecenter@aanp.org.

Individuals who have contributed to this course were carefully selected for their knowledge and experience in the subject area presented. This presentation is informational only and may contain opinions of the authors from their personal experience that do not necessarily express the opinions of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM). The activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings. Clinical practice is a constantly changing process and new information becomes available every day. Neither ACOEM nor the contributing individuals can warrant that the material will continue to be accurate, nor do they warrant that the material is completely free of errors upon publication. Attendees and participants should appraise the information presented critically and are encouraged to consult appropriate resources for any product or device mentioned in this program.

The activity is available on-demand, and those who register will receive access automatically. Please be sure that this is the course you wish to purchase as refunds are not permitted after the transaction is complete. Once the purchase has been completed you will be granted access to the online/on-demand activity. If this purchase was made in error, do not access the course. Refund requests must be received in writing within 24 hours of the purchase to educationinfo@acoem.org. Refunds will be issued for duplicate purchases if no progress has been made in the course and will be issued minus an administrative fee of $100.00. Refunds will not be provided for courses that have been accessed and/or started.