title: Value of occupational medicine board certification.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the impact of occupational medicine board certification and career stage on practice characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred sixty occupational medicine physicians completed a questionnaire and 25 activity log descriptions about 72 items in 9 major domains. For each item, the percentage of activities involving the item and the percentage of physicians conducting the item at least once were calculated. Results were analyzed by board certification status and career stage.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Board-certified physicians had more-diverse practice activities and skills. They were more involved in management and public health-oriented activities, with greater emphasis on toxicology and less on musculoskeletal disorders. The noncertified physicians received more payment from workers' compensation. Early-career physicians spent more time in direct injury/illness treatment, being paid by workers' compensation, and addressing musculoskeletal problems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Formal training confers advantages in practice diversity and population medicine orientation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Community, Environment and Policy, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson 85719, USA. pharber@email.arizona.edu
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Harber
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Johnny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bontemps
authors.forename: Sasha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: Kaochoy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saechao
authors.forename: Yihang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D002322:Career Mobility; D002568:Certification; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000628:therapy; D009787:Occupational Medicine / Q000191:economics / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards*; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000191:economics; D011634:Public Health; D018570:Risk Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014116:Toxicology; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000191:economics