The Views of Occupational Health Graduates Working in Kashan, Iran, on Compliance of Curriculum Content with Occupational Requirements

Evaluation of curriculum content is one of the main responsibilities of universities. The graduates’ occupational competency to provide appropriate services to society depends on the achievement of education goals. This study was carried out to verifying the compliance of curriculum content of the B.Sc. course in occupational health with performance aspects expected of graduates working in Kashan, Iran, in 2013.
This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on 56 occupational health course graduates working in Kashan. The subjects were selected randomly. An author-developed questionnaire was used to collect data on the performance aspect of the curriculum content of this course. Data were presented and analyzed using descriptive statistical methods.
The application of the content of specialized courses and foundation courses in the workplace were high and moderate, respectively. The content of 71.1% of foundation courses and 30.0% of specialized courses were scientific knowledge. Moreover, the content of 15.7% of foundation courses and 54.5% of specialized courses were practical skills. Ergonomics course had the highest application in practical skills and the management course had the lowest application in scientific knowledge. The graduates expressed partial satisfaction with the course curriculum.
The curriculum content of the occupational health course is somewhat consistent with occupational requirements of its graduates. However, this does not seem sufficient. Regular revision and modification of the occupational health curriculum in accordance with occupational requirements of its graduates is necessary.