Initial Spirometry Training
This National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-approved course is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive theoretical framework and the practical training needed to conduct spirometry testing and screening for workers.
The 16-hour course is intended for nurses, medical assistants and other health care professionals responsible for conducting spirometry in the workplace or industrial clinic settings.
Course Director
Three-Day Course Curriculum
- Anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology
- Equipment calibration check procedures and troubleshooting
- Test administration, identifying errors and corrective actions
- Use of the equipment under supervised conditions
Training Objective
The program trains individuals to perform proper spirometry technique. Learning proper technique requires observation, demonstration and hands-on practice. We cover the basics of respiratory anatomy and physiology, lung volume determinants of respiratory flow and how the environment affects the respiratory system.
Participants learn proper techniques for obtaining valid spirometric values, as defined by NIOSH, including:
- Instrumentation and the basis for spirometric measurement
- Mechanics of data collection
- Reduction in accordance with the acceptability criteria and use of predicted values.
Participants who successfully complete this 16-hour course and a final exam consisting of written and practicum components will receive a certificate of completion.
Course Success
Workplace Health's onsite, in-person classes yield a near-perfect success rate. To date, 83 percent have passed the NIOSH Spirometry Technician exam on the first attempt, with a 100 percent passage rate by the second attempt.
Personalized tutoring and guided self-review are offered if a second attempt on an exam is needed.
Contact Us
To learn more or to be added to our spirometry training mailing list, please contact course coordinator Susan Marshall (207) 621-7575, susan.marshall@mainegeneral.org.
