AbstractThe occupational medicine consultant emerged in a few areas of the country during the 1940s. The concept is growing in popularity, with some recent evidence indicating that it may be the dominant career path for residency trained specialists in occupational medicine. The services provided to industry, labor, and government do not appear to compete with traditional occupational medicine positions. The manpower shortage in occupational physicians promises to fuel the growth opportunity for occupational medicine consultants. The major concerns at this time are the adequacy of liability insurance carried by the consultants and the possibility that their activities will too often be related to crisis situations rather than to the development of preventive medical programs with their clients.