Why OEM?

Calling all medical and Advanced Practice Provider students – enter the 2024 ACOEM Student Essay Contest!

ACOEM is committed to improving the care and well-being of workers through science and the sharing of knowledge. In conjunction with ACOEM's American Occupational Health Conference 2024, the History and Archives Section is sponsoring this student essay competition.

In keeping with the location of AOHC 2024, the essay topic is "What was the most significant historical advance in protecting workers from heat-related injuries, and what can we learn from its development to help us protect workers from the changing climate in the future?"

Submit your essay here.

This contest is open to medical students, nurse practitioner students, and physician assistant students.  Winners will receive a Free Registration to attend AOHC. Top essays from both categories will be published in ACOEM Quarterly! Essays can be entered for one of two awards: 

• In Person. For students willing to travel to Orlando at their own expense.
• Or receive FREE Encore recordings from 2024 AOHC meeting (available 45 days after AOHC)
• $500 first prize, $250 second prize 

Guidelines

• Essays should describe how occupational and environmental medical practice has protected workers from heat-related injuries in the past, and how we can apply lessons from this history to our changing environment today. 
• Deadline is Noon EST on Friday, March 01, 2024. 
• Essays must be the original and unpublished work of the student. 
• Essays should be four (4) to six (6) pages in length, formatted 8.5” x 11” with 1” margins, double-spaced in 12-point type, with page numbers, and written in English. 
• Essays must include a bibliography of cited sources. 

Criteria for judging
The ACOEM History and Archive Section Essay Committee will determine the winning essays.  Criteria will include: 

• Content 
• Demonstrated understanding of the topic 
• Support for the topic and ideas with research and attribution to sources 
• Presentation 
• Quality of writing – style, clarity, vocabulary, and flow 
• Organization – structure, introduction, and conclusion 

Awards will be given to the best essays submitted based on the criteria set forth above. The awards will be determined at the sole discretion of the committee and such awards shall be final. 

Essays will become the property of ACOEM’s History and Archives Section once submitted, and ACOEM will have the right to publish any or all portions of the essays on its website or in other print or electronic publications, along with attribution of the author. 

Questions? Contact our contest coordinator, Dr. Pam Krahl, at pam.krahl@gmail.com.