Occupational medicine

Occupational medicine is a complex medical specialty addressed to the active population. It studies the physiological and pathological relationship between the human body and work. Its main objective is to promote and maintain the health of each employee, as defined by the WHO, in relation to work.

Initial the Occupational Medicine discipline was part of Occupational Hygiene; the founder in Timişoara was Professor Dr. Gheorghe Cădariu, who led it between 1948-1965. The next heads of the discipline were Professor Dr. Constantin Ursoniu (1956-1972) and then lecturer Dr. Nicolae Pucă (1972-1974). The headquarter of the discipline was located at the Institute of Hygiene. For a short time, there was also a hospital section with beds.

The discipline of Occupational Medicine, in its new form, was established in 1974 by Dr. Petru Ţurcan, lecturer at that time and the only teacher until 1979. He was, until 1990, the head of the discipline as university professor. Dr. Delia Căiman, lecturer followed as head of the discipline, until 2004. They were followed by Prof. Dr. Elena-Ana Păuncu, who is still in charge as head of the discipline.

The current educational base of the discipline is the Occupational Medicine Clinic, which currently operates with 20 beds within the Municipal Emergency Clinical Hospital.

In the second semester of the academic year 2005-2006, a new spacious, modern space for practical stages was inaugurated, with up-to-date equipment, financed by the university and by discipline own funds (postgraduate courses, Phare project).

The didactic activity is the main one, with the undergraduate students. The “Occupational Health and Work-Related Diseases” course is addressed to the fourth-year students of Medical Faculty. It is organized in Romanian, English and French language, one semester, respectively 14 hours of course and 14 hours of practical work. The “Occupational Safety” course is held for College students of dental technique and dental prophylaxis of the third year, for one semester, 14 hours of course and 14 hours of practical work. For a period, 14 hours of teaching and practical work in Radiation Protection were taught to the students of the College of Radiology (radiology technicians).

An important part of the didactic activity is dedicated to the training of specialists, respectively to the training of resident occupational medicine doctors, as a first or second specialty. The young doctors are engaged directly in patient’s bedside activities, but also in research and field practice, getting acquainted with the activity in the enterprises, actual clinical problems, the public health department, the occupational medicine office. The current duration of the occupational medicine residency is 4 years in Romania and in the majority of European Union countries. Carries out occupational medicine and residents of other specialties, such as Public Health, Hygiene, Dermatology, Allergology, Internal Medecine. At present, a number of over 25 doctors are being trained in the Timişoara Medical University, coordinated by Dr. Florina Georgeta Popescu, lecturer, who heads the Department of Occupational Medicine – Occupational Diseases of the Municipal Clinical Emergency Hospital Timișoara.

In postgraduate education, the training of doctors is ensured through continuing medical education programs on various topics. On average, 4 postgraduate courses were organized per academic year.

The scientific research activity is completed by papers presented at Occupational Medicine scientific events in the country and abroad. Students are co-opted into research. They propose new topics and carry out field studies completed as bachelor’s thesis and scientific papers at different student events.

By 2003, within the discipline, having a scientific doctoral supervisor on Professor Dr. Petru Ţurcan, 9 valuable doctoral theses were completed, with different topics.

The Occupational Medicine discipline of Timisoara Medical University is a member of EASOM, the European Association of Schools of Occupational Medicine since 2006.

Because occupational medicine is perceived by students as a cumbersome, difficult, technical and full of specific legislative issues, the discipline team set out to apply new methods that would make occupational medicine an attractive discipline. The application of distance learning and virtual cases makes it easy to understand with minimal effort on the part of the user, who can solve these cases sitting at home, or at the library. In this context, the students and resident doctors solve 10 interactive cases of Occupational Medicine, the result of the NetWoRM project, coordinated by LMU from Munch.