Professional Training and Certification

Occupational Hearing Conservation approved by CAOHC

 Certification in Spirometry Testing approved by NIOSH

Spirometry Certification:  March 19 & 20, 2012

Hearing Certification:  March 21, 22 & 23, 2012

Course Location

The courses are held at the Clarion Hotel in Portland, Oregon.  Conveniently located 3 miles east of Portland International Airport. Accommodations are available at a special rate, just mention that you are attending the ProTek Instruments seminar.  Call 800-205-7892 or 503-252-2222 for reservations. 

Hearing Conservation

The basic objective of this course is to provide training which results in competence as an Occupational Hearing Conservationist (OHC). The OHC develops skills in various required elements of a hearing conservation program so that they can function successfully as a member of a hearing conservation team.

This course provides practical knowledge and actual use of modern equipment for Management, Safety Directors and Medical Personnel. Manual and microprocessor audiometers will be provided for participants use during the course practicum. Written and practicum examinations are incurred. Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive a "certificate of completion". This certification is valid for 5 years.

Spirometry Testing

Hands on training with enthusiastic lectures that prove this training need not be boring or painful. This course gives you everything you need to know about performing this lung function test correctly, insuring data quality and the skills to manage the data effectively. Students learn when the test is indicated, what the results mean, and what OSHA regulations govern its usage. Practice sessions expose the student to a variety of Flow & Volume spirometers, and the pros and cons of each are discussed without bias or endorsements.

The course is designed for physicians, registered nurses, and other health professionals engaged in spirometric testing in both industrial and clinical settings, as well as those involved in the design and implementation of respiratory health screening and/or surveillance programs.

The course utilizes a combination of teaching methods including slide presentation, videos, lectures and practicum sessions. A final examination is given, consisting of theoretical and practical sessions. Upon successful completion of this 16 hour course, a "certificate of completion" is issued to each student who passes the course. This course (NIOSH #051) is approved for 20.4 contact hours by the California Board of Registered Nursing. Approval #CEP 13010.

THE NEED FOR SPIROMETRY REFRESHER TRAINING

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Health (ACOEM), which frequently advises OSHA on policy, strongly urges that all who provide spirometry testing undergo refresher training every three years to discuss testing problems and to encourage technicians to remain vigilant and enthusiastic during spirometry testing of workers.

Course Directors

Rodney Atack, Ph.D., served on the Council For Accreditation In Occupational Hearing Conservation for 10 years and Chaired the Council two of those years.  He played a significant role in developing the Army hearing conservation while Chief of the Bio-acoustic Division, US Army Environmental Hygiene Agency.  He also created the first Audiometric Technician course.  He has a wealth of practical experience in hearing conservation and is considered an excellent teacher.

Alan Palmer, Ph.D., President of Palmer Associates, is an epidemiologist and respiratory physiologist with over 35 years of experience in pulmonary function testing. While in the U.S. Public Health Service he served with the Chronic respiratory Disease Control Program and with NIOSH, as Chief of the Epidemiology Field Survey Branch.

Dr. Palmer is currently a consultant to industry in the area of respiratory testing and quality control and is considered an authority in the area of respiratory health surveillance. Dr. Palmer has published extensively in the field of spirometry testing techniques, development of spirometry standards and occupational respiratory diseases.

All Practicum Instructors are certified technicians, knowledgeable in spirometric instrumentation and test procedures.