The current development towards a communication and service society brings with it new influencing factors such as increasing pressure to perform and succeed, increased work demands in tighter time frames, increasing work speed through more efficient communication technology, digitization, precarious employment ("new self-employment") and longer working lives.
The modern world of work requires advanced methods of promoting the health and performance of working people and thus the productivity of companies. Occupational and Organizational Medicine is a holistic, preventive and interdisciplinary approach to promoting and maintaining physical and mental health and performance.
In addition, the declining number of specialists in occupational medicine and applied physiology threatens to leave a gap in the required in-depth knowledge in this specialist area. Graduates of the course should counteract this shortage by acquiring in-depth knowledge in the core competence of occupational medicine.
Study Objectives
As a graduate of the course, you will be able - in addition to providing occupational health care to companies - to
- help shape projects and processes in companies and organisations as a health manager,
- prepare expert reports on occupational health issues (e.g. procedures for recognising occupational illnesses),
- research and teach on occupational health issues,
- manage occupational health care facilities,
- provide expert advice to relevant authorities and social insurance organisations.
The specialisation in occupational medicine of the ULG MSc (CE) Occupational and Organisational Medicine aims to acquire in-depth specialist theoretical knowledge so that occupational medicine experts at specialist level continue to be available. Furthermore, this part of the course also supports the predominantly practical competence transfer of experience and skills within the framework of the specialist training positions according to the ÄAO 2015.
The organisational medicine component also provides a holistic, systemic approach to maintaining and optimising the use of "human resources". Organisational physicians fulfil a management function themselves or advise people who perform a management function. Depending on the requirements, organisational physicians are medical consultants, coaches, moderators, mediators or project managers.
The university course MSc Occupational and Organisational Medicine therefore focuses on two main objectives: acquiring the necessary theoretical content (= knowledge competence) and practising and applying knowledge using specific examples (= action competence). The explanation of medical, psychological, technological and economic contexts plays just as important a role as the preparation for the function as an independent, expert consultant for employers and employees or as an occupational health expert in science, assessment, teaching or management functions.