International Certificate Program in Occupational Health Practice

Welcome to the Great Lakes Centers for
Occupational and Environmental
Safety and Health!

The Great Lakes Centers are part of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health and are a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center in Occupational Health.

Here you will find information on the "International Certificate Program in Occupational Health Practice”, an internet-based distance-learning program for health professionals in occupational health services. For detailed information on the enrolment process, scholarship opportunities, fees and discounts for individuals and institutions, companies, governments etc. please use the links on the right!

If you are interested in our "International Certificate Program in Occupational Hygiene Practice”, an internet-based distance-learning program for engineers and technicians, learn more here. If you are interested in the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences academic programs, learn more here.

We would be happy to see you in the program!
Norbert Wagner, MD PhD
Program Director

What is the International Program in Occupational Health Practice"?

The International Certificate Program in Occupational Health Practice is an internet-based, instructor-led distance-learning program for professionals in occupational health services like doctors and nurses. Learn more about the technical details.

The program consists of three consecutive courses that build on each other. However, the courses may be taken separately. Courses are eight to ten weeks long. Learn more about the content of the course here.

The Program is offered annually starting beginning of September. Learn more about the starting dates here.

Who will benefit from the program?

The Program is specifically designed for health care providers such as physicians and nurses who provide occupational health services to employees in companies or governments around the world. These services can be occupational health clinics in companies, governmental institutions or in non-governmental organizations, consulting services or part-time work in Occupational Health.

Professionals who are engaged in management of occupational health services, such as engineers and managers, occupational hygienists, and occupational safety professionals can join the program but need to be aware of its health focus. Engineers and technical personnel should consider enrolling in our International Program in Occupational Hygiene.

Why should I enroll?

• This training can be done while working full time. The program requires approximately 13 hours per week on average. Learn more here.
• The program is completely online and asynchronous. No visit on campus or out-of-country travel is required.
• The program does not focus on one particular country, but provides professional training using international guidelines and peer-reviewed standards.
• You will receive individual feedback from instructors for each of your assignments on the quality of your work. They will suggest specific professional improvements.
• Online learning is cheaper than residential training programs. Comparable training programs are much more expensive because of travel, accommodation, and loss of time-at-work.
• You will acquire new competencies in a more effective way than in traditional residential training. Most assignments relate directly to practical issues. You will produce results that are of immediate use in your work.
• If English is your second or third language, participants can return their completed assignments and communicate with faculty in English, French, Spanish, and German. However, all participants need to be proficient in English as all teaching and communication is conducted in English.

What do others say about this program?

Participants and their employers have commented on the quality and the impact of our program. Learn more about what they had to say here.

What certificate will I get? Will I earn academic credit?

Learn more about certificates, CME's and academic credit in the "International Program Occupational Health Practice" here.
Learn more about certificates, OHTA recognition, CE's and academic credit in the "International Program Occupational Hygiene Practice" here.

What is the overall goal of this Program?

The program teaches competencies focusing on practical and immediately usable skills on an introductory to medium level. The recognition and prevention of occupational diseases, control of occupational risks and prevention of accidents are the main focus of this program.
It specifically addresses company-level competencies so that health professionals will effectively contribute to the protection of employees and the goals of companies.

What will I learn?

Participants will be able to recognize occupational diseases,
conduct workplace-specific medical examinations, develop medical surveillance programs, conduct risk assessments at workplaces, develop preventive and corrective action plans, investigate incidents such as accidents or outbreaks, evaluate fitness-for-work and participate in management processes such as certifications or emergency preparedness planning. Learn more about the Learning Objectives here.

The program does not focus on one particular country, but provides professional training using international guidelines and peer-reviewed standards. Learn more about the Content of Courses or download the syllabi of courses.

How is the program taught?

The program is completely online and asynchronous. No visit on campus or out-of-country travel is required.

Instructors provide individual feedback to each participant
on her or his quality of work and suggest specific improvements.

See samples of modules and the course syllabi here.

Group discussions and optional live chats provide a creative environment for interactive and challenging learning. Learn more about the teaching methods here.

Why is online learning more effective than residential training programs?

Online learning is cheaper than residential training programs. And it is a more effective way of learning and acquiring professional skills.

Despite its limits because of the missing face-to-face contact
to instructors, online training is more intensive and more practical than classroom teaching. Participants have more time to apply their acquired knowledge and skills in practice. Because this online program stretches over nine months, they can try out the new skills, report back to instructors and get feedback on their progress.

Unlike residential training programs where instructors are not available after the one week of training, in our program, instructors accompany the participants through their nine month long learning process.

How much time does it take?

This training can be done while working full time. The program requires approximately 13 hours per week on average for reading, practical exercises and assignments. The total amount of time needed for taking the entire program is about 340 hours. This is approximately equivalent to a residential, three-month course.

The program consists of three consecutive courses that build on each other. However, the courses may be taken separately.

Who are the instructors?

The faculty has long-standing experience in occupational health and in teaching. All faculty members have worked abroad in developing countries. They currently work as company doctors, consultants and auditors for occupational health programs in a variety of industries. Learn more about our faculty here.

Where do participants come from?

Participants come from all over the world. You’ll find a list of countries here. Open a world map and see where participants work.

Learn more about their employers with a list of companies, organizations and governments around the world.

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“I thought I knew all the aspects of Occupational Health prior to enrolling in this Course. But I was wrong. I learned that my professional background as a Registered Nurse and my work experiences as an Industrial Nurse for 22 years were not enough. This Course made me a competent Occupational Health Practitioner and I now work with confidence.”

Jaime Goyena, RN, OHN
GlaxoSmithKline, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Read more testimonials here.
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