A survey of 111 of the 127 United States medical schools revealed that 73 (66 per cent) specifically taught occupational health during the 1982-83 academic year, compared to 50 per cent in 1977-78. Occupational health was a required part of the curriculum in 54 per cent of the schools compared to 30 per cent in 1977-78. However, the median required curriculum time for occupational health was four hours during both academic years. Increased attention needs to be given to occupational health in medical school curricula.