What Is Occupational Medicine and How Does It Work?

Many Americans spend a large chunk of their day working. Having a safe and functional work environment is important for your health and well-being. Getting hurt or sick at work affects your job duties and often requires medical care.

Occupational medicine is an area of medical care that treats work injuries and illnesses and helps employers prevent them. At Pro-Health Urgent Care of Midland, our team specializes in occupational medicine. We offer urgent care to diagnose and treat injuries right away and ongoing medical management to support healing.

Anyone who works should know about occupational medicine. Here, we explain what it is, how it works, and who needs it.

What is occupational medicine?

Occupational medicine is a medical specialty that focuses on workplace health and safety. It's a form of preventive health for employers and employees. 

Occupational medicine providers train in different work environments so they understand the demands that various jobs place on the body and the injuries that can occur. They’re also experts at diagnosing, treating, and preventing workplace injuries.

They work with employers to improve their workspace, making it safe and functional for workers. They also perform pre-employment physicals to determine if a potential job candidate can handle the demands of the job. Occupational medicine providers also help employers modify the work environment to accommodate special needs. 

Healthy employees mean fewer sick days and better productivity. 

How does occupational medicine work?

Occupational medicine works in many ways that benefit employers and employees. The specifics depend on the need. 

At Pro-Health Urgent Care of Midland, we provide comprehensive care for work injuries. As an urgent care clinic, we have same- and next-day appointments to evaluate, diagnose, and treat an injury right away. Early diagnosis and treatment of a work injury improves the healing process so you can return to work sooner. 

We also provide follow-up care to monitor injuries, adjust your plans, and make referrals to specialists when necessary. Our goal is to get you back to work as quickly as possible while helping you prevent reinjury. 

We collaborate with your employer’s workers’ compensation adjuster, submitting reports and treatment plans to support your claim and ongoing care.

Who needs occupational medicine?

Millions of Americans suffer from work injuries every year. Occupational medicine benefits employers who want to reduce work injuries and employees who want a more comfortable working environment. 

We specialize in ergonomics, a science that designs and arranges work environments to fit the needs and capabilities of the people using them. Ergonomics makes the work area more comfortable and minimizes risk of all types of injuries, including overuse injuries like muscle strain and back pain.

People with a commercial driver’s license may also need occupational medicine for their Department of Transportation (DOT) physical. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires physical exams for all commercial vehicle drivers every 24 months. The exam makes sure the driver can safely drive their vehicle without placing the public at risk.

We provide DOT physicals at our clinic.

If you have a work injury, we can help. Call our team today at our Midland, Michigan, office so you can get an exam right away. For less urgent work-related health needs, you can also use the “Book online” button to make an appointment.