SPIROMETRY

NIOSH has a federal mandate, through OSHA, to approve courses in spirometry for instruction of those individuals who will be administering screening pulmonary function testing to employees who are exposed to cotton dust.  These spirometry training courses have been widely accepted for training healthcare professionals in occupational settings beyond the cotton industry.

The purpose of the course is for participants to gain the knowledge and practical skills to collect accurate and valid spirometry results.

The NIOSH spirometry training program is an occupational training program. New participants start by taking an initial training course. The initial training requires a minimum of 16 hours instruction. Most of the NIOSH sponsors (groups who provide the training) offer 2-day courses. A few sponsors offer 3 days of training that includes some additional content compared to the 2-day courses.  On-line and 1-day refresher courses are also available for participants who have already successfully completed the initial training.

The course certificate is valid for 5 years.

Currently scheduled NIOSH-approved spirometry courses, including dates and locations, can be found at: http://www2a.cdc.gov/drds/spirometry/schedule.asp . All publically available courses are posted on the schedule as soon as NIOSH receives information from our sponsors.  Some sponsors offer on-site training. Contact the sponsor nearest you to inquire if they offer the on-site training option.

There are NIOSH-approved on-line courses available ONLY for refresher training. One NIOSH sponsor offers a web-based training program; however, this is not part of the official NIOSH certificate program. 

The cost of registration varies between $350 and $650, depending upon the type of course, the sponsor, and geographical location. By clicking on the sponsor name in the course schedule, you will be linked to that sponsor’s contact information.  Some sponsors, but not all, have on-line registration and other information about the course.  If the sponsor does not offer on-line information, you must contact them via telephone, fax, or e-mail.

There are three faculty positions for the NIOSH spirometry training program:

1. Course Director
2. Course Lecturer
3. Practicum Instructor

To become a faculty member:

1. Your institution can apply for NIOSH spirometry training program sponsorship.

OR

2. A professional can be approved through an existing sponsor. 

Under the second option, the existing sponsor must agree to submit the request to NIOSH for faculty approval.  A list of current sponsors can be found at:

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/spirometry/sponsors.html

There are established minimum requirements for course faculty positions.

The requirements for a course director are as follows:

• A physician who has at least 3 years of training and experience in technical procedures and instrumentation for spirometry testing and in diagnosis of occupational lung diseases, or 1 year full-time experience supervising a pulmonary function laboratory.

• A health professional with an advanced degree in pulmonary physiology or a related field who has at least three years of training and experience in technical procedures and instrumentation for spirometry testing (e.g., Ph.D. in pulmonary physiology, bioengineering, etc.).

• A health professional with a licensure or professional certification in the pulmonary function testing field with at least three years documented experience under the supervision of individuals strictly described in the two bullets above.

If your institution would like to become a new sponsor, send an email to NIOSH at: spirometry@cdc.gov and attach a current curriculum vitae (CV) or a resume of the person who would serve as course director.

Currently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires NIOSH spirometry training for technicians who test workers exposed to certain cotton dusts. Also, OSHA has proposed a new silica standard (https://www.osha.gov/silica/nprm.pdf) that would require a NIOSH spirometry training certificate for staff who administer spirometry tests, should the regulation pass. The Mine Safety and Health Administration recently passed legislation including spirometry testing for all underground and surface coal miners.  Staff administering spirometry tests for this rule must have a current NIOSH spirometry training certificate.

Some individual companies require staff administering spirometry tests for their workers to have a NIOSH certificate. This is voluntary on their part and not related to any regulatory requirement.  Although NIOSH is aware of this practice, we do not maintain a list of companies that include this requirement as part of their management practice. You will need to check with the individual companies that send their workers to your Occupational Health Clinic.

NIOSH does not obtain personal information about participants due to privacy issues. You will need to contact the sponsor from whom you took the course. The sponsor will ask for your name and the course date and location. There may be a nominal fee for duplicating the certificate.

NIOSH does not offer advanced training in pulmonary function testing. However, two NIOSH-approved sponsors offer physicians’ training for spirometry. Information about their training can be found at:

1. http://www.mctownsend.com/physician%20web%20based%20spirometry%20training.html
2. http://www.drmckay.com/interpretation-of-spirometry.shtml

State medical boards determine specific requirements for performing clinical testing in their states. NIOSH staff are not aware of all requirements in all 50 states. Some State Medical Board requirements cover only diagnostic testing, such as in hospitals or clinics, while others may also cover occupational disease surveillance in private companies. This would need to be clarified by the state medical board.

The only nationally recognized US certification organization for pulmonary function testing is the National Board of Respiratory Care (NBRC).  Certification candidates must meet minimum education and clinical experience requirements before they can take an examination. 

Companies that hire staff to work in their occupational medicine programs usually state the minimum training requirements in their job announcements. These requirements should be carefully considered before expending resources to apply for a position. 

NIOSH does not provide “NIOSH certification” for participants who take a spirometry training course approved by NIOSH.  Although not always successful, NIOSH-approved courses try to make this clear to participants at the beginning of the course. . NIOSH training course certificates are valid for a 5-year period.

NIOSH does not accept sponsor applications from organizations located outside the United States.