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Work and Health: Occupational Health for Health Professionals
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GILS Learning · Certificate course 1 of 7 · GILS-C01

Work and Health: Occupational Health for Health Professionals

The medical side of work: occupational disease, workplace injury, fitness for work and return to work — for doctors, nurses and public health staff.

In development · contributors wanted

Key features

Evidence-basedBuilt on sourced GILS analyses and official data; every figure is cited.
Expert-authoredModules written and reviewed by named specialists in the field.
CertificateCertificate of Completion from GMJ Academy and GILS after the final assessment.

Introduction to the course

Work shapes health in ways that clinical practice often overlooks. This course gives health professionals the knowledge to recognise work-related illness and injury, take an occupational history, advise on fitness for work and return to work, and understand the Georgian legal and institutional framework for occupational safety — connecting the clinic with the workplace.

Why this course

  • Work is a major determinant of health, yet occupational health receives little attention in Georgian medical training.
  • Georgia's accredited occupational safety specialist programme prepares workplace safety specialists; it does not train clinicians to recognise and manage work-related illness.
  • Georgia has not ratified the ILO's fundamental conventions on occupational safety and health (No. 155 and No. 187), and the Labour Inspection Service recorded 32 workplace deaths in 2025, 21 of them in construction.

Background reading: Georgia has not ratified the ILO's fundamental safety conventions · Workplace deaths and injuries in 2025

Who should attend?

  • Doctors in primary care, emergency medicine and specialist practice
  • Nurses and other health professionals
  • Public health and occupational health staff
  • Medical and public health students

Learning outcomes

On completion, participants will be able to:

  • Recognise common work-related diseases and injuries and take an occupational history
  • Explain the Georgian legal framework for occupational safety and the role of the Labour Inspection Service
  • Advise patients on fitness for work, sickness absence and return to work
  • Use international guidance (ILO, WHO) in clinical and public health practice

Planned modules

  1. Work as a determinant of health
  2. Taking an occupational history; common occupational diseases
  3. Workplace injuries: prevention, recording and reporting
  4. Fitness for work and return to work
  5. Law and institutions: the OSH law, labour inspection, ILO standards

Provisional outline, to be finalised with module authors and reviewers.

How will you learn?

  • A short knowledge check at the start and at the end of the course, so you can measure your progress.
  • Flexible self-guided modules with readings, short videos and quizzes.
  • Georgian case material drawn from sourced GILS analyses.
  • An end-of-course assessment leading to the certificate.

Call for contributors

GILS and GMJ Academy invite experts to author or review modules of this course. We are looking for: Occupational physicians, public health specialists, OSH professionals with clinical experience. Contributors are credited by name on the course.

To express interest, write to info@accreditation.ge with a short CV and the module(s) you would like to contribute to.

Questions? We have the answers

When will the course open?

The course is in development. The start date will be announced on this page. Use "Register your interest" to be notified.

How much will it cost?

The fee has not yet been set and will be announced on this page before enrolment opens.

Is the certificate officially recognised?

It is a Certificate of Completion issued by GMJ Academy and GILS. It is not a state-recognised qualification and does not carry CPD credits unless such accreditation is obtained and announced here.

Do I need prior knowledge?

No specialist knowledge is required beyond familiarity with the field described under "Who should attend?".

In which language will it be taught?

The course is planned in English and Georgian.

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Series editor: Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze, MD, MPH, PhD. Courses are delivered on academy.gmj.ge. Information as of October 2026.

Cover image — Photo: Jacek Halicki / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0