My Pathway into Occupational Medicine:
Research, Networking, and Reaching Out
By Dr Anthony Le
After receiving numerous messages from keen medical students interested in the field of occupational medicine, I wanted to reflect on my own pathway into the specialty and share the advice I wish I’d had at the start.
My interest in occupational medicine began as a medical student, but like many, I couldn’t see an obvious route in. The specialty was never mentioned in my medical school curriculum, nor were there any occupational health clinicians within the faculty whom I could speak to for guidance.
What worked for me and what I’d recommend to anyone curious about the field, comes down to three key actions: research, networking, and reaching out.
Do Your Research
Start by understanding what occupational physicians do day-to-day, the diverse sectors they work in, and the necessary qualifications. You can do this with a simple Google search, or by reading articles on trusted sources like the iOH and the SOM. I booked myself onto a SOM Careers Conference in London, which allowed me to meet members of the OH community in person and kickstart my networking journey.
Reach Out and Shadow
The next step is to find occupational physicians in your area and reach out. This felt daunting at first, but I found the OH community remarkably generous with their time. By making direct contact and simply asking, I was able to join two different occupational physicians in clinic: one working in a corporate setting, and the other with the police force.
Seeing the specialty in two very different sectors was invaluable: same core clinical principles applied across completely different working environments, risks, and organisational cultures.
I managed this alongside my Foundation Year training by utilising my study days. I let my Educational Supervisor know about my interest early on, which allowed them to help me find the time to book these shadowing days.
Navigate the Qualifications
The next big step for me was the Diploma in Occupational Medicine. It’s a highly realistic qualification to pursue alongside a training programme, and the revision perfectly consolidated everything I’d seen in clinic. It was hard work, but sacrificing evenings and weekends was worth it, as it’s often a mandatory step to open the door to occupational medicine work.
Note: Another option is to apply for specialty training directly at the ST3 level (after successful completion of CT2/ST2 in a UK core or specialty training programme), which can be done without the diploma.
Find a Mentor and Stay Connected
The connections I made through shadowing didn’t just end there; they bloomed into real job opportunities. I now work regularly part-time as an occupational physician alongside my other commitments.
However, my most important piece of advice is once you have the diploma and have secured a job as an Occupational Health Physician, firstly congratulate yourself, but secondly have a mentor. An experienced occupational physician you can go to, discuss cases with, and escalate concerns to is essential. Ideally, you want a clear point of escalation to a consultant for the most complex cases. Occupational medicine can feel isolating in its early stages, particularly in sessional work, and a strong support structure is what keeps your practice safe and your development on track.
Finally, stay connected. Keep in touch with other OH physicians, discuss cases, and learn from each other. The specialty is small enough that the community truly becomes your continuing education.
If you’re a medical student or a doctor in training with even a passing curiosity about occupational medicine: do the research, network, and reach out. That’s how I got here, and the door is much more open than you think.
Dr Anthony Le | Linkedin
Dr Le is an Occupational Health Physician with a diploma in Occupational Medicine. He works part-time as an OHP, alongside being a Specialty Registrar in General Practice. He is also a passionate medical educator, having worked as a medical tutor for aspiring medical students over the last 5 years
Finding My Path in Occupational Health
By Dr Osas Utubor (AFOM)
Unlike most people, I deliberately sought out Occupational Health, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shadowing wasn’t possible until my very first day as an Occupational Health Physician. A gamble, but one I clearly don’t regret.
Like all doctors, I rotated through specialties early on, taking the obligatory occupational history as a tick-box exercise (and sometimes not even asking the question), never quite knowing what to do with it. What drew me in was the question that history never answered: what is this person’s working life doing to them? Occupational health sits at the crossroads of medicine, law, public health, and the workplace. For this reason, I find it a fascinating speciality. No two cases are ever quite the same.
The CESR Route: How to get started (CESR and AFOM)
CESR (Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration) is the route for doctors without a traditional UK training number who can otherwise evidence competencies against the Occupational Medicine, Specialty Specific Guidance (SSG) curriculum. It sounds administrative. It is. It’s one of the hardest professional undertakings I’ve faced – because there’s no cohort, no rota, no one keeping you on schedule. I’m currently undergoing it but here’s what I’ve learnt so far:
- Get a supervisor or mentor (MFOM/FFOM): this is the single most important step. A good supervisor tells you what evidence counts, how to frame it, where your gaps are, and to also help guide your revision for the MFOM Part 2/AFOM exam. If you don’t have one, find one before you do anything else: ask your employer, approach the FOM/SOM, contact consultants and network on LinkedIn.
- Know the curriculum before you start collecting evidence: map every curriculum learning outcome against what you already have and what you’re missing, early. Retrofitting evidence to fit a learning outcome after the fact is far harder than working the other way round. Keep the GMC SSG open and refer to it on a regular basis. CESR is a true test of your organisation skills and resilience.
- Speak to others: there will always be a colleague near or far undergoing CESR. Exchange tips, advice and support to help you achieve your competencies. The beauty of CESR is that it is quite flexible and there are many ways to achieve the curriculum learning outcomes.
The MFOM Part 2/AFOM exam: How to get started and pass
The MFOM Part 2 examination is the second and final exit exam for occupational health physicians in the UK, and it’s also the route to becoming an Associate (AFOM) for physicians who aren’t in an approved training post but want formal recognition of competence in the field.
At the time of writing this article, the exam has two components, and you must pass both:
- SBA (Single Best Answer) exam. Each question presents a clinical vignette followed by five answer options, and your task is to select not necessarily the only correct option, but the most appropriate response given the specific scenario described. In my opinion, I find these significantly harder than Multiple Choice Questions where there is only one right answer.
- OSCE. A practical, structured clinical exam with various stations, testing applied competence. Depending on your background, you may be very familiar with OSCE’s or not at all. I had the great pleasure of doing several OSCE’s in each year of medical school.
The SBA and OSCE are marked separately, and you’re required to pass both to pass the exam overall.
How to Prepare and Pass
- Start from the curriculum: Questions are mapped against the OMST 2022 curriculum, so your revision should be too. Check out the MFOM Part 2 SBA Blueprint and ensure each learning outcome is covered.
- Practise SBA technique specifically: SBAs reward a specific skill – reading the vignette closely enough to spot the detail that changes the “best” answer, then working through the distractors systematically rather than jumping at the first plausible option. Practising large volumes of vignette-style questions builds the pattern recognition needed to do this quickly under time pressure. A lot of candidates underestimate the importance of the SBA technique.
- Practise the OSCE against the actual blueprint. The OSCE tests structured applied reasoning e.g., explaining a fitness for work decision. Rehearsing against official station blueprints and sample scenarios, out loud, with a colleague, study partner or even a family member, matters far more than reading about it. I emphasise rehearsing out loud because this is a practical examination where you must speak. You must be comfortable with your verbal communication, especially your introduction speech in the station.
- Use structured revision courses or question banks. A few providers run courses specifically aligned to the current SBA/OSCE format and OMST 2022 curriculum. You can pass without enrolling in a course, but I do recommend you do one. Question banks built specifically for this exam, with detailed explanations per question, are also useful for the sheer volume of vignette practice needed. My colleague and I have even created one due to the lack of resources for practice.
- Don’t revise in isolation. A study group matters more for this exam than it did for the MFOM Part 1/DOccMed, in my opinion. The exit exam is more difficult, more rigorous and the curriculum is vast. Working with others ensures you are continuously benchmarking and finding gaps in your knowledge.
On a final note…
We need the next generation of Occupational Health Physicians. Occupational health remains underappreciated largely because most doctors never properly encounter it and the speciality is not mentioned enough in the mainstream media. It is clear to see that there is a rising sickness absence rate in the UK and Occupational Health referrals are becoming increasingly complex and challenging.
It is a brilliant speciality which offers variety, real autonomy and the chance to influence health across whole organisations.
If you’re already established in the speciality, consider who you might reach out this week, month or year. That’s how the specialty grows: one conversation at a time.
Dr Osas Utubor | Linkedin
Dr Osas Utubor is an Occupational Health Physician based in Manchester. A graduate of Norwich Medical School, he holds the Associate of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine (AFOM) qualification and is currently pursuing CESR. Having worked in occupational health for several years, he has developed a particular interest in supporting the fire service.
