UC Irvine

OBJECTIVE: This paper describes the critical shortage of physicians trained in occupational and environmental medicine (OEM) in California, analyzes the adverse impacts of that shortage, and proposes a specific target for increasing OEM residency slots. METHODS: Literature review. RESULTS: The US ratio of OEM physicians to workers is 2 per 100,000 workers, compared with a ratio of 4 to 40 per 100,000 workers in most industrialized nations. California's shortage OEM physicians costs the state's employers over $1 billion annually in needless workers' compensation losses and other health impacts. Graduating 40 additional OEM residents in the state annually would cost an extra $27 to 32 million per year. CONCLUSIONS: The return-on-investment from increasing the number of OEM residencies and residency slots in California would be substantial, approaching at least 10-to-1, benefitting the state's workers and employers, and its environmental quality.