title: Occupational health training in India: Need for a competency-driven approach.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In order to cater to the changing business scenario, employment and education profiles of labor, newer occupations, and emerging occupational health challenges, it is time to improve the performance of occupational health professionals by adapting core professional competencies while drawing on global knowledge.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To delineate the competencies required for medical graduates, medical postgraduates, and Masters in Public Health (MPH) graduates practicing occupational health in India.
  
  
  METHODS
  First, offline and online literature searches were carried out to enlist the core competencies for occupational health. A draft template was prepared for the identified competencies and stakeholders were asked to rank the listed competencies on a three-point scale stating must, desirable, and not required for each of the three categories of professionals, i.e., medical graduates, medical postgraduates, and MPH graduates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Through the extensive literature search, 23 competencies were identified for occupational health practitioners. According to stakeholders, five competencies were a must, nine were desirable, and nine were not required by a medical graduate. Similarly for a medical postgraduate, except the ability to judge the ergonomic design of the workplace and working tools, which is considered desirable, all other competencies were considered a must while for an MPH graduate all the enlisted 23 competencies were considered a must by the stakeholders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The framework of occupational health competencies developed through this research can be used to strengthen the training of occupational health professionals in India.
authors.affiliation: Occupational Medicine Division, National Institute of Occupational Health, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
authors.forename: Rajnarayan R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Tiwari
authors.affiliation: Academic Programs, Public Health Foundation of India, Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Anjali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Indian Institute of Public Health-Delhi, Gurgaon, India.
authors.forename: Sanjay P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Zodpey
keywords: Competency; India; Masters in Public Health; medical graduates; occupational health training